Software test types

There's no shortage of ways to test software. Quality assurance engineers can rely on functional, performance, exploratory and many other software test types, many of which run without human intervention. In this section, we provide tips, features, guides and more to explain these different kinds of tests, and how to use them.

Corporate E-mail Address:
You forgot to provide an Email Address.
This email address doesn’t appear to be valid.
This email address is already registered. Please login.
You have exceeded the maximum character limit.
Please provide a Corporate E-mail Address.
- I agree to TechTarget’s Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, and the transfer of my information to the United States for processing to provide me with relevant information as described in our Privacy Policy.
Please check the box if you want to proceed.
- I agree to my information being processed by TechTarget and its Partners to contact me via phone, email, or other means regarding information relevant to my professional interests. I may unsubscribe at any time.
Please check the box if you want to proceed.

March 10, 2017 10 Mar'17
The solution to speedy mobile app delivery? It's crowdsourced testing

Sometimes you just need a lot of users playing with your app to find out how it's really working. Enter crowdsourced testing. It's the latest strategy to speed up your mobile dev.
January 30, 2017 30 Jan'17
What's the future of software testing? Start with data science

In the rapidly changing world of software testing, one thing is certain: You're going to need new skills. And you're going to need to understand the business.
October 28, 2016 28 Oct'16
Are you a bad software test manager? Or do you have one? Here's help

If you want to up your game as a test manager, you'll need to listen and offer to serve others. Expert Jennifer Lent has spot-on career advice for software test managers.
March 17, 2016 17 Mar'16
Drunk user testing changed HubSpot's approach to UX research

Giving a drunken UI designer a user test changed HubSpot's UX research and UI design practices. The results were stunning, said UX designer Austin Knight at the Fluent Conference.

Bring yourself up to speed with our introductory content

Popular microservices testing tools developers should know about

Testing microservices gets messy as services are independent and communicate often. Here are tests necessary for microservices, and popular tools developers use to perform them. Continue Reading
Dive into functional testing and non-functional testing approaches

Don't get trapped in a white or black box -- or the gray area in between. Here's why functional and non-functional app testing are complementary ways to ensure end user satisfaction. Continue Reading
quality assurance (QA)

Quality assurance (QA) is any systematic process of determining whether a product or service meets specified requirements. Continue Reading

Weigh the pros and cons of technologies, products and projects you are considering.

How software prototyping beats requirements gathering

How do you know which features to code into the software you're developing? Application teams share tips on how to deliver ROI with prototyping, UX research and a design week. Continue Reading
Web and mobile testing faceoff: Sauce Labs vs. BrowserStack

Two automated testing platforms enter; only one tool leaves. IT consultant Tom Nolle examines how Sauce Labs and BrowserStack each test apps across mobile devices and web browsers. Continue Reading
Software resilience engineering helps teams quash chaos

What does a nuclear power plant or government team of epidemiologists have to teach software engineers? Quite a lot, if your aim is not just better apps, but more resilient ones. Continue Reading

Learn to apply best practices and optimize your operations.

Pick user-centric software performance testing metrics

Unlike other types of tests, performance tests gauge how well an application works -- not whether it fails. Testers must pay close attention to these metrics to keep end users happy. Continue Reading
How Python makes automating security tasks a snap

Security professionals with coding skills can get a lot done in not a lot of time. Hear why Python suits beginners and how it puts security and developers on the same team. Continue Reading
Which code quality metrics should devs track?

Developers and testers strive to create quality, reusable code to deploy apps faster and keeps users happy. But what metrics should they track to evaluate code quality? Continue Reading

We’ve gathered up expert advice and tips from professionals like you so that the answers you need are always available.

What goes into a user story vs. use case for Agile development?

Developers refer to software requirements to code a good product, but there are different ways to categorize user needs. What's the difference between a user story vs. a use case? Continue Reading
Learn how to improve software quality with reverse-engineering

Customer complaints about a team's app can contain insight on how to improve it. Yet, to decipher the actual cause of any problem and a change to fix it, QA needs to be brought in. Continue Reading
Smoke tests are fine, but sometimes soak testing is the answer

Some software applications can really benefit from a long testing time, and that's where soak tests come in. Expert Gerie Owen explains how and why to use that type of test. Continue Reading