24 Top software testing companies in USA 2022 Update

Posted on April 21, 2020 by tbsupadminnxtbackendacc

Which are the prominent software testing companies in the USA?

Before any company puts up software they certainly check that is it working and will be brought to use as per the requirements of the company.

if you think that finding the best one from the USA is like the same story of the needle in a haystack, you have reached the right place. Here is the list of best software companies which are there in the USA which are known for providing QA/testing services.

Top software testing companies in USA (Quick Access Table)

Company Name	Founding year	Location	Employee Strength	Core Services
TestBytes	2013	New York NY	51 – 200	Mobile App Testing, Game Testing, Test Management Services, Automation Testing, Security Testing, Web Application Testing, Software Performance Testing, Load Testing, Functionality Testing, Browser Compatibility Testing, and Localization Testing
Alqa	2004	Colorado, The United States	700	Manual and Automation Testing in domains: Finance, Health, Banking, and eCommerce.
Quality Logic	1986	West Emerald Street, Boise, ID 83704 USA	100-250	Web and mobile development, OTT and streaming media, Automation and Security testing
ScienceSoft	1990	Dallas, United States	75	Manual Testing, Automation Testing, and DevOps.
DeviQA	2010	NYC, United States	50 – 250	Web/ Mobile, API, E2E, UAT, UI automation using top notch tools, performance testing, stress testing, load testing, and QA consultancy
Hidden Brains InfoTech	2003	Schaumburg, IL, United States	50 – 250	Development, IOT, Blockchain technology, Big Data, AI, Product Maintenance and Support
Powercode	2002	Random Lake, Wisconsin	11-50	Web and App Development, Testing and maintenance
BairesDev	2009	San Francisco, California	1001-5000	Web and App Development, Testing and maintenance
Testmatick	2009	New York, USA	51 – 200	Mobile App Testing, Game Testing, Test Management Services, Automation Testing, Security Testing, Web Application Testing, Software Performance Testing, Load testing, Functionality Testing, Browser Compatibility Testing, and Localization Testing
QASource	2002	CA, USA	500-1000	AI, Automation Testing, Mobile Testing, API Testing, QA Outsourcing Services
Zymr Inc.	2012	California, USA	50-249	Web and App Development, Testing and maintenance in the field of Cloud and Cybersecurity
QATestLab	2005	Kyiv, Ukraine	50-249	Mobile Testing, Functional Testing, Automated Testing, and Performance Testing
LambdaTest	2017	San Francisco, USA	11-50	Cloud Mobile, Web and API Testing
Algoworks	2006	California, USA	200-500	Salesforce development and Testing
Nexsoftsys	2008	NYC, USA	11-50	Software Development, AWS, Big Data, Block Chain, Data Integration, ETL, Software IT Outsourcing, QA and Testing Services
Awsquality	2016	Ruston LA, USA	11-50	Salesforce development to testing
Synergytop	2014	California, USA	50-249	Design and Development of Web and mobile applications along with Quality analysis
Abstracta	2008	California, USA	50-249	Extensive testing in the domain: BFSI, Retail, Healthcare, and Technology
Rademade	2011	Buenos Aires, Argentina	50-250	Design of product from development to maintenance in the domain: FinTech, BFSI, Healthcare, and Blockchain domains
Codebright	2015	Virginia, USA	50-250	Strategic Consulting, User experience, Project Management, Web Development, Mobile Development, Quality Assurance, and AI
Agile-infoways-PVT-ltd	2006	Dallas, USA	700-1000	Mobile App Development, Website Development, Web/Mobile App Design, eCommerce Solution and Quality Assurance
Systematix-infotech-pvt-ltd	2015	NC, USA	50-249	AI, ML, RPA, Development, CRM, and Quality Assurance
Sunflower-lab	2010	Ohio, USA	50-100	Mobile Testing, Functional Testing, Automated Testing, and Performance Testing in domain: Finance, Real Estate and Oil and Gas
Blue-label-labs	2008	NYC, USA	50-250	Strategy Development, Design, Development and Quality Assurance of Product

TestBytes

Location: 65 Broadway Suite 1101, New York NY 10006
No of Employees: 50 – 200
Founded In: 2013

Testbytes provide all kind of testing services in the testing domain but what makes them apart are Mobile App Testing, Game Testing, Test Management Services, Automation Testing, Security Testing, Web Application Testing, Software Performance Testing, Load Testing, Functionality Testing, Browser Compatibility Testing, and Localization Testing.
One of the best communities of software testers with a top-notch testing skill set. you can reach out to them at info@testbytes.net.
Testbytes also have a strong Linkedin presence with more than 25k followers

2. A1qa

Location: Colorado, The United States
No of Employees: 700
Founded In: 2004

A1qa is a software testing company that has its headquarters in Lakewood, Colorado. It has a strength of around 700 QA professionals, and it is been 16 years since a1qa has been providing software testing services.
Their testing services include consulting, full-cycle testing, test automation, web app and, mobile app testing, pre-certification testing, and documentation services.
Talking about the cost of services they provide; it entirely depends on services but on average, they charge you between 25$ – 49$ per hour.
They are located at S. Wadsworth Blvd., Suite 485, Lakewood, Colorado 80235
The United States and you can contact them at +17202075122.

3. Quality Logic

Location: West Emerald Street, Boise, ID 83704 USA
No of Employees: 51-200
Founded In: 1986

Quality Logic is a QA company based on locations such as West Emerald Street Boise, 1st Street, Suite 103 Simi Valley, CA 93065, NW 64th Street, Suite 120 Oklahoma City, OK 73116 USA
As their website says their testing services range from mobile apps to 3D printers
They also possess a variety of testing tools that are customized for various specifications

4. ScienceSoft

Location: Dallas area, TX, United States
No of Employees: 75
Founded In: 1990

They are a renowned software testing company
It is been 30 years since they have created their name in the USA for their testing services. In this span, they have completed around 500 projects.
Their domain expertise lies in Retail, BFSI, HealthCare, telecommunications, and Entertainment. They help other companies to have correct testing practices and help them build a bug-free product.
They have a team of 75 software testing professionals who have a forte in testing according to compliance: ISO 9001:2015.

5. DeviQA

Location: NYC, United States
No of Employees: 50 – 250
Founded In: 2010

DeviQA has been offering testing services in the last 10 years in the USA. Always top number in the automation testing awards.
They deal with a lot number of testing services such as Web/ Mobile, API, E2E, UAT, UI automation using top-notch tools, performance testing, stress testing, load testing, and QA consultancy.
They have tested their hands in varied domains and some of their top domains are cybersecurity, education, travel, and BFSI.
They believe in providing the top-level services, but customer’s data is secure which is their top priority.

6. Hidden Brains InfoTech

Location: Schaumburg, IL, United States
No of Employees: 50 – 250
Founded In: 2003

Hidden Brains provides testing services to a lot of clients in the USA.
Talking about their number of clients, they have around 2000 clients which are spread around 103 countries. They have been catering to the services in 100+ domains.
Their professionals are top-notch software professionals who are well acquainted with the best software testing practice and methodologies.
The company is Microsoft Certified Partner and has won various awards in the software testing industry.

7. BetterQA

Location: Random Lake, Wisconsin
No of Employees: 11-50
Founded In: 2002

They have their headquarters at Ukraine
Even if it is test automation practices or development, they believe in providing the best at a very rational cost.
It is been 15 years since they are providing services to customers and customers are happy with the services.

8. BairesDev

Location: San Francisco, California
No of Employees: 1001-5000
Founded In: 2009

It is one of the most dynamic and fast-growing IT companies in Latin America.
They help in making a product from development to maintenance. Some of their well-known clients are Pinterest, Rolls-Royce, Motorola, and others.
Their forte and expertise lie in Testing, renowned to follow all the well-known agile practices.

9. Testmatick

Location: New York, USA
No of Employees: 51 – 200
Founded In: 2009

The company was founded in the year 2009 and has been headquartered in New York. It is one of the top testing service providers in New York.
They have a strong team of testers who can start working on your project as soon as possible and can help you show the graphs where your product is lacking.
Testmatick has a strength of around 200 members.

10. QASource

Location: CA, USA
No of Employees: 500-1000
Founded In: 2002

QASource have around 17years of experience
They charge you around 25$ – 49$ per hour with strength between 500 -1000.
Their top clients are eBay, IBM, ORACLE, Facebook, prudential and others. You can visit their website qasource.com for more information.

11. Zymr Inc.

Location: California, USA
No of Employees: 50-249
Founded In: 2012

Zymr is a full-stack service provider company providing various services ranging from development to maintenance.
Around 1500 sprints have been successfully delivered by them.
The company is known to provide services of software testing plus web and App Development, testing and upholding in the ground of Cloud and Cyber security and so on

12. QATestLab

Location: Kyiv, Ukraine
No of Employees: 50-249
Founded In: 2005

QATestLab is a software testing service provider in the USA which has been providing its services since 2005.
They have a team strength of 50-249 members. They serve various industries such as e-commerce, tourism, and other government projects.
The company provides all kinds of testing services in the testing domain such as Mobile Testing, Functional Testing, Automated Testing, and Performance Testing.
Loomia, BlazeMeter, imi, Freestyle Solutions, and PaperTrail are some of the top clients of QATestLab.

13. LambdaTest

Location: San Francisco, USA
No of Employees: 11-50
Founded In: 2017

LambdaTest is a software testing company that has its headquarters in California, USA. It has a strength of around 250 QA professionals, and it is been 3 years since LambdaTest has been offering software testing services.
They have around 2000 combinations of physical devices and browsers ready for testing.
They offer you their selenium grid with which you can easily automate your automated tests in a parallel way.

14. Algoworks

Location: California, USA
No of Employees: 200-500
Founded In: 2006

One of the top esteemed testing service providers in the USA. It is been operating its functions in The USA for 14 years. Algoworks provide various services such as salesforce development to testing.
They specialize in salesforce testing. They have a strength of 1000 consultants which provides the best testing services to build the right product.
They have been catering to 500 fortune companies such as Dell and Amazon for many years and in this span of a career.
Architects of Algoworks will formulate the best strategy for you to test your software in a very rational cost.

15. Nexsoftsys

Location: NYC, USA
No of Employees: 50-249
Founded In: 2008

Nexsoftsys is a technological partner which provide its testing services to various companies in the USA.
They have expertise in various technologies such as Java, Golang, Python, Magenta, and Android.
It is been 11 years since they have created their name in the USA for their testing services. In this span, they have completed around 500 projects.
They have a team of 250 software testing professionals who have a forte in testing according to the best software testing practices.

16. Awsquality

Location: Ruston LA, USA
No of Employees: 11-50
Founded In: 2016

Awsquality has been offering testing services in the last 6 years in the USA. Prominent in salesforce development and testing.
They deal with a lot number of salesforce services such as Salesforce.com, Force.com, ERP, and others.
They have tested their hands in varied domains and have delivered more than 150 projects so far.
Awsquality believes in providing top-level services, and this is the reason they have been serving Fortune 100 companies so far.

17. Synergytop

Location: California, USA
No of Employees: 50-249
Founded In: 2014

Synergytop provides testing services to a lot of clients in the USA. They provide extensive services such as the Design and Development of Web and mobile applications along with Quality analysis.
Talking about their strength, they have around 250 professionals onboarded who provide the best services in the industry.
They have been catering to the services since 2014. Their professionals are top-notch software professionals who are well acquainted with the best software testing practices and methodologies.
They offer services in a very rational cost. They are located at 11832 Cypress Canyon Road, Suite 2, San Diego, California 92131 United States.

18. Abstracta

Location: California, USA
No of Employees: 50-249
Founded In: 2008

Headquartered in California, USA. Abstracta is a renowned name
They have been serving various domains such as BFSI, Retail, Healthcare, and Technology.
It is been 12 years since they are providing services to customers and customers are happy with the services.
Their main product is named GXTest which is extensively used for mobile testing..

19. Rademade

Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina
No of Employees: 50-250
Founded In: 2011

It is one of the most dynamic and fast-growing IT companies in Ukraine. They have a team count of around 250 members.
They help in making a product from development to maintenance. Some of their well-known clients into FinTech, BFSI, Healthcare and Blockchain domains. Their forte and expertise lie in Testing.
They follow all the well-known agile practices. They are going to charge you between 25 – 49$ per hour depending upon the project.

20. Codebright

Location: Virginia, USA
No of Employees: 50-250
Founded In: 2015

The company was founded in the year 2015 and has been headquartered in Virginia.
They have a strong team of testers who can start working on your project as soon as possible and can help you show the graphs where your product is lacking.
Software testing one of their service offering among others

21. Agile-infoways-PVT-ltd

Location: Dallas, USA
No of Employees: 700-1000
Founded In: 2006

One of the top testing service providers in the USA for the last 13 years.
They have delivered more than 2200 projects so far and have a very huge client base of 750 numbers.
Their services include, mobile app development, digital marketing, e-commerce development

22. Systematix-infotech-PVT-ltd

Location: NC, USA
No of Employees: 50-249
Founded In: 2015

Systematix is a CMMI Level 3 company which is ISO 9001: 2015 certified. It provides various services from AI, ML, RPA, Development, CRM, and Quality Assurance.
They have been certified with various certifications such as Google Certified Partner, DataStax Partners, and Microsoft Gold Partner.
They deal with various technologies such as JavaScript, Tableau, and Python. They have delivered around 2500 projects in much less duration.

23. Sunflower-lab

Location: Ohio, USA
No of Employees: 50-100
Founded In: 2010

It is a software testing service provider in the USA which has been providing its services since 2010.
They provide all kinds of testing services in the testing domain such as Mobile Testing, Functional Testing, Automated Testing, and Performance Testing.
Sunflower Labs services include Custom Software Development, Web App Development, Mobile App Development, IoT App Development, Wearable App Development, Alexa Echo App Development, AR/VR App Development, and Strategic IT Consulting

24Blue-label-labs

Location: NYC, USA
No of Employees: 50-250
Founded In: 2008

Blue-label-labs is a software testing company that has its headquarters in New York, USA. It has a strength of around 250 QA professionals, and it is been 11 years since it has been offering software testing services.
Till now they have developed 250 applications so far. They provide services from development to post-launch maintenance.

Conclusion
We do know that there are many software testing companies in the USA. However, the names that we have mentioned in this blog are considered as some of the best and provide quality services in QA.

Difference between regression testing and retesting

Posted on April 15, 2020 by tbsupadminnxtbackendacc

Regression testing	Re testing
Done whenever there is a change in code	A confirmation technique used once the defect is fixed
To assure that new changes hasn’t caused new issues	To find out whether the issue has been rectified and functionality is restored
Can be done parallel with retesting	Should be performed before regression testing
Passed test cases are used	Failed test cases are put to use
Defect verification is not apart	Defect verification is a part
Can be used to check unexpected results	Confirms that the original fault has been corrected
Automation is the key	Can’t be automated

Difference Between White box and Black box Testing

Posted on April 15, 2020 by tbsupadminnxtbackendacc

Black Box testing: it’s kind of testing where the tester doesn’t know the architecture of the software he is testing. These tests can either be functional or non-functional. It’s high-level testing that’s meant to test the behavior of the software.
White box testing: White box testing is used to test the internal structure of the system. In this type of testing, usually code statements, branches conditions, etc. are covered. White box testing is considered a low-level testing often called a glass box, transparent box or code base testing.

Difference between use case and test case

Posted on April 13, 2020 by tbsupadminnxtbackendacc

Use case	Test case
Set of variables, conditions or steps used to define the interaction between a role and a system to attain certain objectives.	Conditions or variables used to define the functionality and behavior of a software
Prepared by business analyst	Prepared by test engineers
Different case can be combined	One at a time
Use case is something that has to be designed	Testcase is something that has to be executed
Describes the flow of events of the software	A document that contains events, action and expected result of the software
Provided to developers	Provided to testers
Managed by diagrams	Managed by function tests
Requires proper document and research	Requires test scripts are required

Smoke Testing Vs Sanity Testing: What’s the difference?

Posted on April 13, 2020 by tbsupadminnxtbackendacc

Smoke testing vs sanity testing! which one hail? To be frank, each process is important and the situation and requirement demand which one to choose from.

However, the comparison depicted here in this blog will help you understand more about smoke and sanity testing.

Smoke Testing

Smoke Technique is one of the testing types that’s instigated from hardware testing.

This technique comes into the scenario at the time of attaining build software from the development team.

The main reason to go for the smoke testing is to find out whether the software which is built is testable or not.

It is usually done at the point where the software is built. This process has been given another name as well. It is actually called “Day 0″.

The smoke Testing process is counted as the best one because it is a time-saving one.

The most astounding feature about the process is that the time consumed is less since the testing is only done when the main functions of the application are not properly working or if certain major bugs are not sorted till that moment.

The main emphasis of Smoke Testing is on the working of the major features and primary functions of the application.

Going for the test is the basic and important feature of an application before one goes for the deep, accurate testing (before understanding all probable positive and negative values) is referred to as smoke testing.

The whole emphasis while going for the smoke testing is on the productive flow of the claim and it possesses only the verified data, not the unacceptable one.

In smoke testing, the process confirms every build is testable or not; hence it is called Build Verification Testing.

When smoke testing is being conducted then one can look for the blocker bug at the initial period only so that the test engineer just doesn’t have to sit idle, or they can go on further and do the analysis of the independent testable modules.

Which test comes first smoke or sanity?

Smoke testing is usually performed on a new build/feature. The main motto behind smoke testing is to ensure that the software is ready to be tested.

Sanity testing is performed when time is not at the disposal of the dev team. Smoke testing is done first and then the application goes through quick regression or sanity testing

What is the process for conducting smoke testing

The process to Conduct Smoke Testing:

For Smoke testing, there is no requirement to create test cases. In this, the only requirement is to pick the required test cases from the already created test cases.

As stated before too, Smoke Testing emphasis the workflow of core applications so that choosing test case suits that cover the main functionality of the application is done.

It is vital to bring down the number of test cases as much as possible and the time of implementation should not be more than half an hour.

When smoke testing is performed

Usually when the new build is implemented then one round of smoke testing is conducted because there are chances of blocker bugs in the latest one which is created.

However, there can be a certain change that might have wrecked a major feature that as fixing the bug or adding a new function which can affect a major piece of the original software, or the smoke testing is done where the installation is taking place.

When the stable build is all installed then smoke testing is conducted to find the blocker bug.

Why is smoke testing done?

There are certain reasons because of which smoke testing is conducted. Stated below are the important ones.

The smoke testing is basically done to make sure that the product is testable.
The smoke testing is done in the beginning so that the bugs which are there in the basic features could be detected and further can be sent to the development team so that the development team gets a lot of time to get rid of the bug.
Smoke testing is done to ensure that the application is installed in the approved manner.

Types of Smoke Testing

The Smoke testing is further divided into two types:

Formal smoke testing

In this, kind of testing the application is sent to the Test Lead by the development team.

Further, the test lead will divide the task of testing the app among respective tests along with reports which state the whole scenario after going through the smoke testing.

Once the testing team is over with smoke testing, they will report for the testing done to the test lead.

Informal smoke testing

Here, the Test lead notifies that the application is all set for further testing.

The test leads do not give any specific instructions to perform the smoke testing, but still, the testing team begins with the testing procedure of the application by going for the smoke testing.

Example for smoke testing

A detailed explanation about smoke testing and example for the process is given in this blog, please go through

Sanity Testing

Sanity Testing is a division of regression testing. Sanity testing is usually done to make sure that the code changes which are being done are carried out properly.

Sanity testing is a general strike to note down that the testing for the build can further go on or not.

The main emphasis of the team while doing the sanity testing process is to confirm the functioning of the application and not about the detailed testing.

Sanity testing is usually carried out on build where the production deployment is essential right away similar to a critical bug fix.

The functionality of Sanity Testing:

The main reason for which sanity testing is conducted is to know about the changes or the projected functionality is being done in the same order as it was mentioned.

If the sanity test fails, the software product is declined by the testing team to stay on a safer side in terms of time and money.

It is carried out once the software product has carried out the smoke test and the Quality Assurance team has acknowledged for the further testing.

Features of Sanity Testing:

Division of Regression Testing:

Sanity testing is further a division of regression testing and emphasizes the smaller part of the application.

No script required

There is no such script available for sanity testing most of the time.

No documentation

There is no documentation required for the sanity testing so it is undocumented.

Narrow and extensive

Sanity testing is narrow but at the same time it is an extensive approach of testing where limited functionalities are covered in depth.

Carried out by testers

Usually, sanity testing is carried out by the testers only.

Advantages of Sanity Testing:

Sanity testing is a great aid when it is about quick identification of the defects in the main area of functionality.
It can be further performed in a lesser time as there is no need for any kind of documentation for performing the sanity testing.
During the sanity testing if there are defects found then the project is further declined and this is a great way to save out on time which can be further utilized to carry out regression tests.

Example for Sanity Testing

For instance, build 2 has a multitude of feature which are tested and fixed accordingly.
Now build 3 with added features and integration has again come for testing
To make sure that the new features haven’t affected the existing ones, smoke testing will be performed
Once that’s done a high-level analysis of the entire software will be carried out to ensure no new bugs have surfaced.

Sanity Testing Process

The main reason for which the sanity test is performed is to know about the incorrect outcomes or faults which are not accessible in the constituent process.

Even it is done to make sure that the newly added features do not disturb the functionalities of ongoing features.

Further, three steps are implemented in the sanity testing process that is Identification, Evaluation, and Testing

First step- Identification

In the sanity testing process, the first step is the Identification one where one finds out the newly added constituents and features along with the adjustment there in the code while going for the process of fixing the bug.

Second step- Evaluation

Once the identification step is completed, one needs to analyze the recently implemented constituents, characteristics and further change them so as to verify their proposed and suitable working as mentioned in the stated requirements.

Third step- Testing

After performing the identification and evaluation step one needs to go further to the third step which is testing.

In this step, we examine and evaluate all the connected constraints, constituents, and fundamentals of all the above analyzed attributed and change them so as to ensure that all of it is working properly.

Once all the above-stated steps are going in the right manner, the build can be made to undergo more exhaustive and strenuous testing, and the release can be carried further for the thorough testing process.

Comparison of Smoke Testing and Sanity Testing

Thus both the tests have their own unique traits which make them required for the software processes.

Smoke Testing	Sanity Testing
Used for checking critical functionalities of a software	The focus will be on a particular area or minor functionalities
Performed to check the stability	Used to verify the rationality
Both manual and automated test cases can be used	Generally, sanity testing does not have a test script or test cases
Usually performed before passing the build to the testing team	Executed before UAT and regression
Carried over by developers	Performed by testers
A subset of acceptance testing	A subset of regression testing

Conclusion

Hope you got to know the difference between sanity testing and smoke testing and are able to understand, smoke testing vs sanity testing has no meaning to it as both processes have equal importance.

Load Testing vs Stress Testing: What’s the difference?

Posted on April 13, 2020 by tbsupadminnxtbackendacc

Load Testing vs Stress Testing what’s the striking differences between both the process?
In the following sections, we will discuss in detail load and stress testing. People often get confused between these 2 and refer to them as a load and stress test. But there are fundamental differences between these 2 performance tests, as we will discuss in the upcoming sections. These are the 2 most important performance tests that you may wish to see the results for before your product or application goes live. This is especially true for applications that are connected to the internet.
Load Testing
As the name suggests, in a load test, many users are loaded into the system or application, and then the transactions are performed to see how well they work. Load test gives you an idea of how your application would perform in the real world with “n” numbers of users (referred to as the load) active in the system.
The results of a load test are generally expressed in terms of TPS or transactions per second. This means the system can process “N” transactions per second with an active user load of “X” thousand. The value for “N” and “X” needs to be defined by the business based on the expected number of users and the infrastructure you have in place to handle this load.

Stress Testing
In Stress testing, the system is put under stress and then its performance is measured. It is used to verify the stability and reliability of the system under stress. It is also done to ensure the system does not crash at any point.
Considering your application can handle 1o0 concurrent users. In a stress test, you may start by having 100 or more users in the system performing data transactions. Slowly you would stress the system by either increasing the load or having more transactions performed. Then you would monitor how your application is performing in this stressed situation. The stress test is also performed to understand at which point your system is likely to crash or break.

Major Differences between Load and Stress Testing?
Here are some major differentiation points between load and stress testing.

Sno	Load Testing	Stress Testing
1	It is used to check the performance/functionality of the system under load (multiple active users)	It is used to test the reliability of the system under stress or extreme load
2	The load is set up with multiple active users – virtual or real – inserted into the system	Stress is created by creating more users, data, and transactions in the system
3	Load test helps to identify the upper limit of the users that the system can handle.	A stress test is used to understand the behavior and reliability of the system under extreme load or stress.
4	The performance of the app is measured with load in the system	The reliability and stability of the system is measured under extreme load or stress
5	Some of the load testing tools are Jmeter, NeoLoad, Headspin, Experitest, etc	Some tools recommended for stress testing are Stress Testers, Jmeter, NeoLoad

Examples of load and stress testing
To better understand the difference between load and stress testing, let us look at an example. Let us take an example of an online shopping site. Assuming that your application is designed to handle 1000 concurrent users. When you do a load test, you may want to start with a 50% load. So, you set up your systems to simulate 500 users and then check how the system responds by checking the API response times. If the response time is within acceptable limits, you progressively increase the load to 700, 800, 900, and 1000 to see how your application performs under the different loads.
For the same application, if you were to do a stress test, you will 1000+ users simultaneously generating calling multiple APIs. This will stress out the system which is designed to handle only 1000 users. The reliability of the system is then checked by checking the correctness of the API response, to check if the application or pages crash at any point, the data is saved to and from the database, etc.
Some other examples of load testing are sending multiple files for printing at the same time to the printer, sending thousands of emails at a time to load the mail server, or changing large volumes of data in a word or excel or any other processing system.
Some scenarios that emphasize the need for a stress test are an educational website at the time of result declaration, or eCommerce website during their annual sales or new and anticipated product launches, or the latest vaccination availability and booking apps as well.

Wish to know about the best performance testing tools in the market? Read here!

Performance testing includes various types of testing including Load, Stress, and others. A performance test is done to validate the reliability and stability of the system, ensure the response time is within the defined SLA, and also ensure that the system is scalable.
Load test only concentrates on the performance of the application or system with many active users or with a load. Hence, Load testing can be considered as a subset of the performance test.
What is the purpose of load testing?
The main purpose of Load testing is to understand, how the system would perform under the real-life load. For this, the business first needs to analyze the expected user base for the application. Then a load similar to that number is simulated and the performance of the system is measured. The results are normally mentioned as successful transactions per second under “X” load or “X” active users.
It is very helpful in understanding the achievable performance of business-critical transactions along with resource utilization. Based on the load test result, the business decides to scale up or scale down the backend infrastructure.

What are the different types of load and stress testing?
Load testing can be further divided into 4 different categories based on the load used. These are

Load Testing: Here you simply check the performance of the system under different levels of load which are well within the expected load limits.
Capacity Testing: Also called scalability testing capacity testing is mainly done to identify the maximum load the system and the infrastructure can take without breaking down or without breaching the SLA.
Stress Testing: It is done to find out how the system performs under stress or extreme load. This is achieved by reducing the infrastructure, reducing the database size along increasing the load many folds.
Soak Testing: It is a long-form of load testing where system performance or degradation in performance is monitored over a long duration.

How are load and stress testing done?
Every application or system will have a limit to the load it can handle at a particular time. This limit is decided by the size of the database and servers used. Both in load and stress testing, load or stress in the system is simulated using real users or using tools.
Load testing is done with real users and with simulated users as well. When real users are used, due to the limitation to the number of users available to database, servers, and other infrastructures are scaled down to create a load on the system. Then the testing is performed and the response times are calculated. The results are then extrapolated to derive the performance numbers for the actual infrastructure. When tools are used, any number of users can be simulated, so the actual infrastructure is tested.
Stress testing can be performed only with the help of tools. Here the system is put under stress by having inserting users many-folds than the expected told, or by putting stress on the DB and servers with many transactions and API calls. The aim is to check the stability and reliability of the system under extreme load. It also helps to identify the point at which the system is likely to crash. Based on the results of the load and stress testing, the business may decide to scale up the infrastructure for better application performance and reduced downtimes.
What are the goals of load and stress testing?
The goal of load and stress testing in to find the performance defects in the application and in the infrastructure or network that can affect the application.
The main goals of load testing are:

To ensure that under different permissible the response time for all the transactions is within the SLA (Service Level Agreement) as fixed by the business.
To measure the performance of different application modules under different loads.
To measure the network latency and other components that can impact the response time.
To uncover application design issues that can reduce the performance.
To check the server configurations for web and application to ensure they can handle the load.

The main goals of stress testing are:

To uncover issues that occur only at extreme load conditions.
To check the stability and reliability of the application under heavy load.
To uncover synchronizations issues, memory leaks, and race conditions
Optimizing the system to prevent a breakdown in production.
Planning for the scalability and best utilization of the available infrastructure.

Do you know that volume testing is absolutely needed before app release? Read more

Soak Testing is a type of Performance Testing where the performance of the system under load is analyzed for long-duration similar to a production scenario. Some applications need to be online 24/7 like the eCommerce websites. They may have a different load at different points, a soak test would put the system under test with a specific or varying load and monitor its performance for hours or even days.
A soak test aims to identify issues that occur only after the system has been active for long durations. The most common issue identified in a soak test is related to memory leaks where the system starts degrading after being live for a long time.
Conclusion
The performance of a software application is critical to the success of the application. For this purpose after the functional testing, performance tests are performed. The most common performance tests are load and stress tests. Based on the results of the load and stress test the business decides on the infrastructure needed to support the application.
The load and stress result thus play a very important part not only in the success of the application but also helps business in optimizing resource utilization and improved profit.

Agile VS DevOps: Difference between Agile and DevOps

Posted on April 13, 2020 by tbsupadminnxtbackendacc

Agile vs DevOps which is better? Agile, Scrum, and DevOps are some of the buzzwords these days. They are changing the way people look at how and when testing and automation need to be done. In this section, we will discuss the difference between Agile and DevOps and the testing methodology in both.
What is Agile Methodology?

Agile literally means “moving quick and easy”. In terms of software development, Agile means delivering small chunks of stand-alone and workable codes that are pushed to production frequently. This means your traditional project plans that spanned over months and sometimes years in now cut short to sprints no longer than 2-3 weeks. All timelines are shrunk to deliver working code at the end of each sprint.
Know more: Why Agile testing is so innovative!
What is DevOps Methodology?

DevOps is a set of practices that aim to automate the development, testing, and deployment so that code gets deployed to production as small and rapid releases as part of continuous development and continuous deployment (CI/CD). DevOps is a combination of the terms Development and Operations and aims to bridge the gap between the two entities enabling smooth and seamless production code moves.

Testing in Agile
The traditional STLC holds no good when it comes to Agile. There is no time for all the documentation and the marked-out phases. Everything from plan, design, development, testing, and deployment needs to be winded up in a 2 to 3-week sprint.
Here are some pointers that explain how testing is done in Agile projects:

Testing is a continuous process. It happens along with the development. The feedback is shared with the dev team then and there, ensuring a quick turn-around.
Testing is everyone’s responsibility and not only of the testing team. Product quality is the greatest priority.
With shrinking timelines, documentation is a bare minimum.
Automation Testing is used for the N-1 iteration code. That is, in the current iteration, the automation team would be automating the functionalities of the last iteration and running the automation code for N-2 iterations. This will give more time for the manual testing team to work on the thorough testing of the current iteration functionalities

Agile Testing Methods
Traditional testing methods are difficult to fit in Agile and are unlikely to give the desired results. The best-suited methods for agile testing are listed below:

Behavior Driven Testing (BDD)

BDD Testing makes life simple for both testers and developers. The test cases and requirements are written in readable English with keywords (Gherkin Given/When/Then syntax). These requirement documents double up as test cases.

Acceptance Test-Driven Testing

This is another way of ensuring the best test results for an Agile process. Think and test as a customer would do. In this case, meetings are held between developers, testers, and other team members to come up with different test scenarios to match the application usage by the end-user. These are given the highest priority for testing.

Exploratory Testing

Another very useful but non-structured testing approach frequently used in the Agile process is exploratory testing. This involves playing around with the application and exploring all areas as per the understanding of the tester. This is done to ensure that there are no failures or app crashes.
Testing in DevOps
DevOps testing is mostly automated just like most of the other things in DevOps. The moment there is a code check-in, automated code validation is triggered. Once that passes the testing suite or Smoke test is triggered to ensure nothing is broken. If everything goes well, the code is pushed to production.

Most business-critical functionalities are tested through automation or API responses to make sure there are broken functionalities due to the latest code change.
Based on the business requirement, the automation code can be expanded to include more functionalities or limit to a smoke/sanity test.
The testing is triggered with the help of microservices and API responses.

DevOps Testing Methods
Here we discuss some tools and techniques in testing that can be very beneficial for the DevOps process. These help to reduce the time-to-market and also improves the overall product and testing efficiency.

Test-Driven Development (TDD)

In a TDD approach, the developers are expected to write unit test cases for every piece of their code covering all the workflows. These tests ensure that the piece of code is working as per the expectation.
Apart from TDD the DevOps teams also use the ATDD and BDD approach as discussed above in the Agile section. These are equally helpful in ensuring greater quality and a streamlined approach to continuous development and deployment to production.
Read also: Software testing Models: Know about them
Core Values of Agile and DevOps (Agile VS DevOps)
Let us now discuss the core values of Agile and DevOps that make them different from each other.
Agile – Core Values
Below are the values that govern any Agile process.

People over Process: In Agile there is more focus on the people, their skills, and how best to put them to use. This means elaborate processes and multiple tools may take a backseat. While the process is important, things as rigid as the traditional waterfall model can not work in Agile
Working code over documentation: Agile lays more importance on a stand-alone working code to be delivered at the end of every sprint. This means that there may not be enough time for all the documentation. In most cases, there will be a minimal document for the agile development processes and more focus is on getting a working code at the end of the sprint.
Customer Feedback over contract: While there are contracts in place on when and how the complete project needs to be delivered, in Agile the team closes work with the customer and is flexible to move around the dates of the planned features within a specific project line. This means if the client needs a certain feature ahead of time and needs some improvements these can be easily prioritized for the next sprint.
Flexible over fixed plan: Agile sprints can be redesigned and re-planed as per the customer’s needs. This means the concept of fixed plans does not fit in Agile. Since the Agile plans are created for sprints that are only about 2-3 weeks long, it is easier to move features from one sprint to another as per the business and customer needs easily.

DevOps – Core Values
DevOps is an amalgamation of Development and Operations. Both these teams work together as one to deliver quality code to the market and customers.

Principle of flow: Flow means the actual development process. This part of DevOps normally follows Agile or Lean. The onus is more on quality than quantity. The timelines are not as important as the quality of the products delivered. But this is true only for new features, not the change requests and hot fixes.
Principle of feedback: The feedback and any broken functionalities reported in production need to be immediately fixed with hotfixes. The delivery features are flexible based on the feedback received from the features already in production. This is the most important aspect of the feedback principle.
Principle of continuous learning: The team needs to continuously improvise to streamline the delivery of features and hotfixes. Whatever is developed needs to be automatically tested and then a new build delivered to prod. This is a continuous process.

Wish to know about TMMI (Test Maturity Model Integration) Reas this!
Agile VS DevOps: The key differences
In this section, we have tabulated the differences between Agile and DevOps for a quick understanding and review.

Feature	Agile	DevOps
Type of Activity	Development	Includes both Development and Operations.
Common Practices	Agile, Scrum, Kanban, and more	CI (Continuous Integrations), CD (Continuous Deployment)
Purpose	Agile is very useful to run and manage complex software development projects	DevOps is a concept to help in the end-to-end engineering process.
Focus	Delivery of standalone working code within a sprint of 2-3 weeks	Quality is paramount with time being a high priority in the feedback loop (hotfixes and changes requests)
Main Task	Constant feature development in small packets	Continuous testing and delivery to production
Length of Sprint	typically, 2-4 weeks	It can be shorter than 2 weeks also based on the frequency of code check-ins. The ideal expectation would be code delivery once in a day to once every 4 hours.
Product Deliveries	Frequent, at the end of every sprint	Continuous delivery. Coding, testing, and deployment happen in a cyclic manner
Feedback	Feedback and change requests are received from the client or the end-users	Feedback and errors are received from automated tools like build failure or smoke test failures etc.
Frequency of Feedback	Feedback received from the client at the end of every sprint or iteration	Feedback is continuous
Type of Testing	Manual and Automation	Almost completely automated
Onus of Quality	More than quality, priority is on working code. Ensuring good quality is the collective effort by the team.	Very high-quality code only is deployed once it passes all the automated tests.
Level of Documentation	Light and Minimal	Light and Minimal (sometimes more than Agile though)
Team Skill Set	The team will have a varied skill set based on the development language used and types of testing used	The team will be a mix of development and operations.
Team Size	Agile teams are small so they can work together delivering code faster	Teams are bigger and include many stakeholders
Tools Used	JIRA, Bugzilla, Rally, Kanban Boards, etc.	AWS, Jenkins, TeamCity, Puppet

Agile VS DevOps Infographics for quick understanding

Last Thoughts,
Agile VS DevOps which one is better?
Both Agile and DevOps are here to stay. While Agile is a methodology or process that focuses on the delivery of small packets of working code to production, DevOps is more like a culture. A culture that advocates continuous delivery of code to production automatically after successful testing. Agile enhances DevOps and its benefits too. Both work hand-in-hand for a better and more quality product.