Functional testing involves evaluating whether a software application’s functions and features are working as intended. It is focused on checking if the software performs its intended tasks accurately and without errors. Functional testing seeks to answer questions like “Does the software do what it is supposed to do?”
Examples of functional testing include:
- Unit Testing: Testing individual components or units of code in isolation to ensure they work correctly.
- Integration Testing: Testing the interaction between different components or units to ensure they work well together.
- Regression Testing: Testing to ensure that new changes or features do not break existing functionality.
- User Acceptance Testing (UAT): Testing from the user’s perspective to ensure the software meets user requirements and expectations.
- Smoke Testing: Verify if the software’s main functionalities are working after a new build or release.
Non-functional testing focuses on aspects of the software other than its specific functions. It ensures that the software meets broader quality standards beyond just what it does but also how well it does it. Non-functional testing is concerned with attributes like performance, security, usability, and more.
Examples of non-functional testing include:
- Performance Testing: Evaluating the responsiveness, speed, scalability, and stability of the software under different conditions.
- Security Testing: Identifying vulnerabilities in the software that could lead to unauthorized access, data breaches, or other security issues.
- Usability Testing: Assessing the software’s user-friendliness, ease of use, and overall user experience.
- Compatibility Testing: Ensuring the software works consistently across different devices, browsers, operating systems, and environments.
- Load Testing: Testing the software’s behavior under a specific load to ensure it can handle anticipated user traffic.
- Stress Testing: Testing the software’s ability to handle extreme conditions, such as high traffic, data volume, or resource constraints.
- Accessibility Testing: Ensuring the software is usable by individuals with disabilities and compliant with accessibility standards.
- Reliability Testing: Testing the software’s ability to consistently perform its intended functions without failures.
API (Application Programming Interface) testing involves verifying the communication and interaction between different software components, often in a server-client architecture. API testing ensures that the APIs deliver the expected output for various inputs and validate their functionality, performance, and security. It helps identify issues related to data exchange, authentication, and error handling.
Data testing ensures the accuracy, integrity, and reliability of data within the application’s databases. It involves validating data input, storage, retrieval, and processing. This testing ensures that the application correctly processes various types of data and maintains data consistency and accuracy throughout its lifecycle.
UI testing involves evaluating the graphical user interface of the software to ensure that it aligns with design specifications and user expectations. This testing ensures that the interface elements, such as buttons, forms, menus, and navigation, work correctly and provide a seamless user experience.
Mobile responsive testing is specifically focused on ensuring that the application displays and functions correctly across different devices and screen sizes. It ensures that the application remains usable and visually appealing on various platforms, including smartphones, tablets, and desktops.