A gray box is a device, program or system whose workings are partially understood. Gray box testing, also called gray box analysis, is a strategy for software debugging based on limited knowledge of the internal details of the program. The tester may know how system components interact but lacks detailed knowledge of internal program functions and operation.
With respect to internal processes, gray box testing treats a
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program as a black box that must be analyzed from the outside. Gray box testing is commonly used with Web services applications because the Internet has relatively stable interfaces even though the applications are complex, variable and evolving.
Gray box testing is non-intrusive and unbiased because it does not require that the tester have access to the source code. A clear distinction exists between the developer and the tester, minimizing the risk of personnel conflicts. However, it is more difficult to detect and resolve potential problems, especially in a single application, with gray box testing than with white box testing, in which the internal particulars are fully known.