Software testing is a vital part of any software developer’s skill repertoire. At the end of the day, any good developer wants to ensure that their code works just how they hoped it would! This is especially important when working to client specifications, as a client should always tell you exactly how they want the end product to be.

Whether you’re creating a program for release, or you’re in the loop of ci/cd, you’ll want to try a few different techniques to ensure that your software has been totally checked, and is working at top efficiency.

Compatibility Testing

Compatibility testing is something most commonly used in software designed to be run in web browsers. In that case, a developer will check to see if their software can run just as well in a number of different popular browsers.

This is a vital component of end to end testing for a number of different applications, however. While we do live in an increasingly blinkered world with regard to hardware and software options, people will always create new, untested systems. It’s always a good idea to be as prepared as possible for that eventuality.

Manual Testing

Manual testing is perhaps the most obvious overarching theme throughout the best tests, but it’s always worth considering in the most perplexing situations.

The main reason for this is that it often becomes hard to remember that the end function of any software is to be used by the user. Therefore, ensuring that the user has a good time with the software and that it’s simple and straightforward for them, will always be a revealing test.

In situations where you’re encountering a problem you’ve not faced before, manual testing with a set of fresh eyes can allow you to view the problem in a new light. In turn, this often allows developers to make great progress.

Load Testing

Load testing is a really effective way of ensuring that, no matter what your software is designed to do, it will be able to carry it out when it’s most crucial.

To be totally clear, no one wants to use a program that folds at a critical moment when there’s a lot of data that could be lost. Instead, the user wants the security of knowing that their time is worth spending with your software.

Comprehensive load testing is a form of automatic testing, as opposed to the manual testing mentioned above. Typically, a developer will use a program designed for load testing to deliberately overuse their program, and find any points at which the program is stressed, or potentially becomes non-functioning. Then, naturally, they would repair and improve the software, and load test again to ensure it has improved.

Software testing is vitally important, and there are many more tests than those listed here. However, it’s important to bear in mind that the best test is almost always the next one. After all, that’s the test that you’re always working to ensure that your code will pass!