Protractor vs Selenium: What are the major differences?

Protractor vs selenium who will win? Both the test automation tools are equally good. However, one has some features that make it supreme to the other.
Test Automation is the need of the hour and is widely adopted by the testing teams across the globe; to assist testers in automation testing several testing tools are now available in the markets.
To achieve the best testing results, it is very important to choose the most appropriate testing tool according to your requirements.
Sometimes, testers sometimes get stuck between two automation testing tools.
And if you are the one, who is having a difficult time picking the aptest testing tool out of Selenium vs Protractor, then go ahead and read this article to find out a solution.

Selenium 
Selenium is used for automation testing of web applications and is an open-source testing tool.
Selenium is meant only for web-based applications and can be used across various browsers and platforms.
Selenium is an all-inclusive suite that is licensed under Apache License 2.0. It constitutes of four different tools under it:

  • Selenium Integrated Development Environment (IDE)
  • WebDriver
  • Selenium Remote Control (RC)
  • Selenium Grid


Selenium IDE
Selenium IDE GIF
The simplest among all the four tools under Selenium is Selenium IDE. Selenium IDE is used to record the sequence of the workflow.
This Firefox plugin is easy to install and is also companionable with other plugins.
It has some of the most basic features and is largely used for prototyping purposes. It is very easy to learn and use.
Selenium RC
RC
Selenium Remote Control (RC) allows the testers to choose their preferred programming language.
It’s API is quite matured and supports extra features to assists tasks beyond even browser-based tasks.
Selenium supports  Java, C#, PHP, Python, Ruby, and PERL and can perform even difficult level testing.
Selenium WebDriver

Selenium WebDriver is an advanced version of Selenium RC. It provides a modern and steady way to test web applications.
Selenium directly interacts with the browser and retrieves the results.
An added benefit of WebDriver is that it does not require JavaScript for Automation. It also supports Java, C#, PHP, Python, Ruby, and PERL.
Selenium Grid
Selenium grod
The main benefit of automation tools is faster execution and time-saving. In Selenium, Selenium Grid is responsible for the same.
It is specially curated for parallel execution of tests, on various browsers and environments; it is based on the concept of hub and nodes.
The main advantage of using this is time saving and faster execution.
What Protractor is all about?
Protractor is a powerful testing tool for testing AngularJS applications.
Though it is specially designed for AngularJS applications, it works equally well for other applications as well.
It works as a Solution integrator by assimilating the dominant technologies like Jasmine, Cucumber, Selenium, NodeJS, Web driver, etc.
Protractor also has a high capability to write automated regressions tests for web applications. Its development was started by Google but was later turned into an open-source framework.
Protractor
Why do we need Protractor?
Here are a few reasons to convince you to use Protractor:

  • Generally, most of the angular JS applications have HTML elements like ng-model and ng-controller, Selenium could not trace these elements, whereas Protractor can easily trace and control such web application attributes.
  • Protractor can perform multiple browser testing on various browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, IE11, Edge. It assists in quick and easy testing on various browsers.
  • Protractor is suitable for both Angular and Non-Angular web applications.
  • Because of the parallel execution feature, it allows executing test cases in multiple instances of the browser simultaneously.
  • It permits the installation of various packages as and when needed. In simple words working with packages is easier in Protractor.
  • Working with multiple assertion libraries is possible with Protractor.
  • Protractor supports various cloud testing platforms like SauceLabs and CrossBrowserTesting, etc.
  • It assists in faster testing.
  • Runs on both real browsers and headless browsers.

What is Selenium Protractor?
If the app you are developing is on AngularJSit’s always a better option to use Protractor since

  • it’s meant for AngularJS apps
  • We can create customization from Selenium in creating Angular JS apps
  • Protractor can run on top of selenium giving all the advantages of Selenium
  • You can use API exposed by Webdriver and Angular
  • Uses the same web driver as that of Selenium

What is the best IDE for protractor?

  • Visual Studio
  • CodeSublime
  • TextAtom Editor
  • Brackets
  • Eclipse
  • EclipseVisual Studio
  • ProfessionalWebstorm

Difference between Protractor vs Selenium
Here are the basic points of differences between Selenium and Protractor:

Comparison Basis Selenium Protractor
Supported Front End Technology-Based Web Application Supports all front end technology Specially designed for Angular and AngularJS applications, but can be used for Non-angular applications also.
Supported Languages C#, Java, Haskell, Perl. PHP, JavaScript, Objective-C, Ruby, Python, R JavaScript and TypeScript.
Supported Browsers Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer ( IE), Microsoft Edge, Opera, Safari,  HtmlUnitDriver Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer ( IE), Microsoft Edge, Safari
Synchronization or Waiting Does not support automatic synchronization between tests and application. It needs to be explicitly synchronized using different waits. Supports Automatic wait for Angular applications, but they are not applicable for Non-angular applications. But you can explicitly synchronize waits in Protractor.
Supported Locators Strategies Supports common locator strategies like Id, className, name, linkText, tagName, partial link text, XPath and CSS  for all web applications Supports common locator strategies like Id, className, name, linkText, tagName, partial link text, XPath and CSS  for all web applications plus it also supports angular specific locator strategies such as model, repeater, binding, buttonText, option, etc. also permits the creation of custom locators.
 
Supported Test Frameworks
 
Based on language binding, it supports various Test Frameworks C#- NUnit,
Java- JUnit, TestNG
Python- PyUnit, PyTest
JavaScript- WebDriverJS, WebDriverIO
 
Protractor aids Jasmine and Mocha. The protractor is provided with Jasmine as a default framework.
Support for BDD Yes. (Serenity, Cucumber, JBehave, etc). Yes. Mocha,  Jasmine, Cucumber and Serenity/JS
Reporting Requires third-party tools:- TestNG, Extent Report, Allure Report, etc. Requires third-party tools:- protractor-beautiful-reporter, protractor-HTML-reporter etc
Managing browser drivers Requires third-party tools like  WebdriverManager to sync browser version and driver. Requires web driver-manager CLI to automatic sync between browser version and driver for Chrome and Firefox.
Parallel Testing Requires third-party tools like TestNG. Supports parallel testing.
Cost Open-source Open-source
Nature of Execution Synchronous Asynchronous
Needed Technical Skills Average Moderate
Support No official support operates on open community model No official support operates on open community model
Ease to automate Angular Applications Not easy, a lot of sync issues and difficult to find real wait conditions. It is made for angular applications hence it is easy to automate Angular Applications
Test Execution Speed Slower Faster
Ease of Scripting Requires more lines of code and hence scripting is difficult. Even more difficult than Selenium.
Support for Mobile Application No direct support Direct support
CI/CD integration Yes Yes
Docker Support Yes Yes
Debugging Easy Difficult
Test Script Stability Less stable scripts More stable scripts


Is protractor better than selenium?
Both Selenium and protractor are automated test tools for web applications.
Both are used to automate Angular Applications. As Protractor is specially designed for angular applications, so if you are testing angular applications, it is better to opt for a protractor.
By now you would have been pretty clear about the differences in both. and it would now be easier for you to choose the better tool for your requirements and the winner in Protractor vs selenium will change according to it.
Study your requirements clearly and pick the aptest tool for more efficient testing results.

code coverage vs test coverage. How do they differ?

Code Coverage vs test coverage, how do they differ? Code coverage and test coverage are very important when it comes to checking the effectiveness of code. Before explaining in detail about the cruciality of Code Coverage and  Test Coverage in software testing. let’s find out how do they differEven though code coverage and test coverage are misunderstood they lot their meaning and usage differ a lot.

So, Code Coverage vs Test Coverage how do they differ? Let’s have a look

What is Code Coverage in the unit testing?
Code coverage is the degree to which any application code of any software has been executed. A huge number of test cases are applied to the application code, and the software is then checked. This is a case of white box testing.
White-box testing of this type sends the report of the application codes that are left unassessed by the test case that has been applied to the application code. In some specific situations, several test cases are further included to have better code coverage.
Usually, the term code coverage is used when an application is in its current running state. While the application is running, code coverage lets the developers know about the number of codes that have been unit tested/covered. In other words, it gives a quantitative measure of how much code has been executed and how much code has been left untouched. This report can further be used for better software testing purposes.
After learning what code coverage is, a question pops up about why someone would need the concept of code coverage. This is a confusion in the minds of many. Here is a brief description of why we need code coverage during software testing.
Wish to know the difference between smoke testing and sanity testing?

Wish to know the difference between smoke testing and sanity testing?

Why is Code Coverage Required?

  • Developing a good quality software test and applying it to the application code is not enough. While the software code is running, the developers also need to assess the fact of whether the software test is being carried out efficiently or not. For this purpose, code coverage is required. Without code coverage, no one would ever know if the software test that was carried out was efficient or not.
  • Code coverage gives an exact measure of the code that has been tested. It makes it easier for developers to look for the code that remained untested. As testing the code is very important, the accidental leaving out of any code from testing can turn out very disadvantageous. This is why an exact quantitative measure of the tested code becomes extremely important when testing any software’s source code.
  • The developers get to know what amount of codes have been tested, and hence, they can assess those codes carefully. This makes it very easier for the developers to make their software free of any potential errors and glitches. It gives out the degree of the software code that has been tested.


After the reason for the necessity of the code coverage is discussed, next comes the methods to carry out software testing. Here are the five broadly classified methods or coverages that come under code coverage.
Methods of Carrying out the Code Coverage

  • Statement Coverage: Statement coverage is the type of white box testing where the statement coverage makes sure that the executable portions in the application code are executed at least once if not more. It tells about the statements that can be executed at least once through the given requirements.

Statement coverage covers the entire source code and gives out what is not executed. This turns out to be very advantageous to the developers as they can remove all the drawbacks of the application codes.
Statement coverage helps to remove the possible drawbacks of the application code which includes all the dead codes which are the piece of code that calculates the results, but the results are never utilized. These codes are a wastage of space and hence are supposed to be removed.

Statement coverage also helps to identify the unused statements and branches. There are certain statements and branches in the application code that are never used. These statements and branches should be removed. Any missing statement is also reported, and the developers can deal with it as they please.

  • Decision Coverage: Decision coverage is based on Boolean concepts. The true or false value of Boolean expressions is reported through this coverage.
  • Branch Coverage: In branch coverage, the modules of codes are tested and reported. The main motive of branch coverage is to ensure that each branch of the application is executed at least once if not more. It also helps to measure how many independent statements exist in the application code.
  • Condition Coverage: Condition coverage reveals the way using which the variables in the conditional statements are evaluated. It is a better way to provide proper coverage to the control flow, which was not the case with decision coverage.
  • Finite State Machine Coverage: It works based on the frequency of visits of static states and other transactions like these. Finite state machine coverage turns out to be the most complicated method of coverage as the basics of this type of coverage work on the design of the structure of the software.

Now, one might be confused as to which method should be chosen for the task that would prove the most efficient one. This decision is made on many criteria. Some of the criteria include the number of defects permissible or the probability of errors arising. Another one would be the cost that is involved in the software testing type.
Though the main decision of choosing the method is dependent on the number of defects or loss of sale that can occur. The higher is the number of defects probable, the lower would be the chances of using that specific coverage for the software testing.
What are the Advantages of Using Code Coverage?
After reading the information above, it is normal to have confusion regarding why anyone should choose code coverage over any other coverage. Here, the advantages provided by the code coverage is mentioned below:

  • Quantitative in Nature: Code coverage is one such unique coverage that gives out the results in a quantitative measure. This quantitative measure can be very useful to the developers.
  • Can introduce Own Test Cases: In case the already available test cases do not provide the proper testing of the software, one can introduce their own test cases to make the coverage more efficient. This probably is the best advantage of code coverage as it can help you to make your coverage more and more effective.
  • Easy Removal of dead Codes and Errors: Some areas of the program are left unattended in the execution time. Or maybe there is an existence of dead codes or useless codes. In such cases, code coverage provides the best way to figure out and remove the errors easily. This increases the efficiency of the coverage performed.

But just like every coin, even code coverage comes with its own set of limitations and disadvantages.
How to get 100% code coverage?

  • it’s possible but will be very expensive to attain 100% code coverage
  • Even with 100% code coverage, your code has no guarantee of being perfect
  • 100% test coverage does not mean that the suite is perfect.  What you need is 100% path coverage
  • it will depend on the language and framework you use. For instance, Ruby has a very mockable framework through which you can stub or mock out a large portion of the code and will save you from building complicated class composition and construction designs
  • TDD is the best way to attain 100% line coverage
  • Unit tests can be used as a regression prevention method

What is path coverage in software testing?
Test cases that can be put to use to test linearly independent paths in a software system.  in the short, the control flow of an application will be tested in the path coverage process.  Testers have to look into each individual line of code that plays its part in a particular module to make sure that there is no issues.
What are the Disadvantages of Code Coverage?

  • Unable to Report Special Features: Code coverage lacks the ability to report the absence of any special features that should have been implemented in the application code. This absence can harm the software significantly, but while using code coverage, this section of coding limitations is left untouched and hence proves to be very disadvantageous to the developers and their software.
  • Impossible to Check all Possible Values: If a new feature is added, it is almost impossible to check all the possible values of the feature using the concept of code coverage. This is a drawback as some of those values can turn out to be useless.
  • Unable to Detect improper Usage of Logic: Code coverage fails to detect the improper usage of logic in the code. The improper logic can make the whole software go in vain. This is probably the biggest drawback of using code coverage for software testing.

This was code coverage in Code Coverage vs Test Coverage. Test coverage is another software testing metric with a little bit of difference.
What is code coverage in unit testing?
Test coverage can often be confused with code coverage, but the truth is that it is quite different. Test coverage provides the amount of test that has been executed. It reports about the parts of the application that are running when the coverage is being implemented. It gives the report of the tests that have been carried out on the application. We can say it is more about the test instead of application codes.
Why do We use Test Coverage?
When there are so many coverages out there, what was the need for test coverage in such a situation? The answer to this question is given below:

  • One thing about test coverage is that it reports the area of requirement which has not been covered by the test cases.
  • It also helps to detect the areas of the test cases that are useless to software testing. These cases are reported to the developers.
  • It can also help the developers to create additional test cases whenever and wherever required. These additional test cases help ensure that the coverage is maximum.

What are the Advantages of Test Coverage?
Test coverage provides some special features that prove advantageous for the developers.

  • Test coverage enhances the quality of the coverage over the software testing and thereby improves software testing.
  • It marks the portions of the application codes that were touched or may be fixed.
  • The paths that remained untested are also reported to the developers.
  • Any defect that could generate potential threats for the software in the future is detected early in the course of execution and thereby fixed. This improves the efficiency of software testing.
  • Any gaps or scopes in the test requirements are noted and brought to the notice of the developer as soon as possible.
  • Test coverage can prevent any defect leakage.

What are the Disadvantages of Test Coverage?
The test coverage also has its own set of drawbacks, which can make any developer hesitate from using the test coverage.
The disadvantages are listed below:

  • Manual in Nature: The biggest and most disadvantageous defect of the test coverage is that it doesn’t have any tools available. Yes, that’s right that test coverage is very efficient, but the setback is that everything is manual. One needs a proper professional to sit down and do the testing work, which is hectic and causes some inefficiency on its own. There are almost no automated tools available that help the manual work become even a tad bit easier.
  • Scope of Judgmental Errors: There can always be a huge number of judgmental errors even after carrying out the whole test coverage very efficiently and properly.
  • Scope for Careless Errors: The introduction of manual work always introduces a scope of careless errors. Any slight carelessness on the part of the professional carrying out the software testing can prove to be very disadvantageous for the software. This could be a huge setback.

Cost of testing your app
Code Coverage vs Test Coverage

S.No.

Property

Code Coverage

Test Coverage

1.

Definition

It refers to the execution of the application code while the application is running. It is not a specific plan or result but the overall test plan issued for the codes.
2. Aim of the coverage The automated tests that are running can be monitored by the developers using code coverage. It gives a measure of the amount of code that has been processed and run by the tests.
3. Subtypes of the coverage Code coverage has a number of subtypes which include statement coverage, condition coverage, Branch coverage, Toggle coverage, FSM coverage. Test coverage has no subtypes. It is all just complete in itself.

Tools used of Code Coverage
There are several tools available in the market to check code coverage. These include both open-source and paid tools. Most of these tools can also be integrated with the build and project management tools for better results. While selecting a code coverage is important to check the features it offers along with its integration with other tools used by your team.
Some of the popular code coverage tools are:

  1. py

It is an open-source code coverage tool for python. It records the codes that are executed as part of the testing and gives the result in percentage. It can be used to measure how much of the code is tested per test cycle. It also reports out the part of the code that could have been executed but was not. This helps to plan the testing activities better for the next cycle.

  1. Serenity BDD

It is mainly a UAT (User Acceptance Testing) tool that also provides code coverage options. It allows you to write epics, sub-epics, and stories for each code path and user behavior. The results generate from Serenity BDD contain much more details than just code coverage. Another advantage is that it can easily integrate with several other popular tools like Appium, Sauce Labs, Jenkins, Jira, and more.

  1. JaCoCo

JaCoCo, Java Code Coverage, is an actively maintained code coverage tool that became popular after EMMA and Cobertura were retired. It can be easily integrated with Maven, Gradle, Jenkins, Visual Studio among others to get an understanding of the java code coverage during the testing.

  1. PITest

It boasts itself as the gold standard in test and code coverage. While most code coverage tools only tell you what lines of codes were executed and the ones that were missed, PITest also uses mutation testing and helps your code to find more bugs also. PITestt modifies the actual code to run unit tests on it and thus helps in finding issues as well.

  1. NoUnit

It was developed by FirstPartners.net and is used the check the code coverage for Junit tests. It gives you a clear understanding of the part of the code that was executed and the part that was missed. It generates a color code report which is very easy to interpret even by non-technical people.
Tools used for Test Coverage
Unlike code coverage, test coverage can not be quantified. Test coverage mostly refers to the coverage with respect to the functionality or module and not the code. Many times you may need to write some code to analyze your code coverage. There are some code frameworks that can help you with your test coverage.

  1. Junit: It is the unit testing framework for Java. It is open an open-source tool have can very well be used for Test Driven Development (TDD) as well as for finding the test coverage. This framework is very popular among both developers and testers.
  2. PyUnit: PyUnit is another very popular framework that is used in TDD and helps with the test coverage calculations as well. It can be used for writing test cases, unit test cases, test cases, and even test fixtures. As the name suggests, it is used for Python developers and testers as well.

Conclusion
Both code coverage and test coverage are the measurements of assessing the quality of the software testing that is being carried out. Both are extremely essential when it comes to software testing and checking the internal coding and structure of the system. So there is no point in carrying out code coverage vs test coverage
In layman terms, the code coverage metric tells about the application code that is being executed. While the test coverage is mainly focused on the overall test plan. Everything is done only to focus on the well-functioning of the software that is supposed to be launched.

Test Case vs Test Scenario: What’s the difference b/w two?

What’s the difference between test cases and test scenarios or Test Case vs Test Scenario: how do they differ?

people often find it confusing in defining these two terminologies in software testing. To ease the burden, we have made an infographic representation out of the topic so that it will be easy to understand the test case and test scenario.

What is a test scenario?

A test scenario is a high-level use case or functionality to be tested. Each test scenario can be mapped to one or more detailed test cases. Test scenarios are derived by understanding the user expectation from the software and it is used by the user.

A good tester would cover all the test scenarios and functionalities. This document would then be used to derive the test cases. An example of a test scenario would be a login scenario that can consist of multiple test cases.

What is a test case?

A test case is a detailed step-by-step instruction to perform a series of actions or steps that help to validate a particular functionality in an application. A test case has the following main parts:

  1. Pre-conditions: the conditions noted in this section need to complete before proceeding with the next steps. For example for a login test case, the preconditions would be the app or software should be successfully launched and the login screen should be displayed.
  2. Test Steps: These are detailed step-by-step instructions on how to perform the actions on the application. It should include the data to be entered, the action to be performed, and the details of the object of which the action needs to be performed. The quality of the test case is defined by the quality of the test steps. The steps should be so detailed that even a layman should be able to perform the test.
  3. Expected Result: This section describes the happy path or actual application behavior. For e.g in a login scenario, successfully being able to log in and enter the new screen should be the expected result. One should make sure that 1 test case should have only 1 expected result. This is particularly important for tracking and retesting defects.
  4. Actual Result: This section is left blank during the planning phase and is updated by the tester during the execution phase. This section captures what the tester sees in the application after performing the test steps mentioned above.
  5. Test Case Result: If both the expected and actual results are the same the test cases are marked as a pass, and if they are different it is marked as a fail.

Difference between test case and test scenario

test case vs test scenario

Test case Test Scenario
Detailed information about what to test, steps involved, expected result, etc. Mostly contains one line information about what to test
Used for the validation of test output It’s a thread of operation
Helps in agile testing Helps greatly in exhaustive testing
Consumes a lot of time Consumes less time compared to test case preparation
Serves as a proof guard for new testers Helps in reducing complexity and repeatability of the product
Derived from test scenarios Derived from use case
Can be used in future regression test cases Used by new testers to save time

How to write test cases?

Step 1: ID’ing the test case is very important. Each test case must have a unique ID for better traceability and accountability.

Step 2: Description of the feature or functionality that will be put to test must be added to each test case

Step 3: Conditions that have to be met before execution must be included

Step 4: Relevant data for the execution must be included in every test case

Step 5: The step required to execute the test must be included in detail

Step 6: Expected result before the execution along with actual result must be included

What is test case and test scenario with examples?

Example for a test case

Test Case ID Description Steps involved in the execution Test data Expected result Actual result Pass/fail
TEA01 Check user login functionality with required data 1.       Open the app

2.       Click the login button

3.       Enter mail ID and password

4.       Click submit

User ID= 123@gmail.com

 

User password: 1212a!@

Successful login Blank screen Fail

Example for a test scenario

  1. search functionality

search functionality test scenario

Test Scenario

 

Verify whether the feature is able to display all the related search results according to the search query

Best Practices in writing test cases

  • it should be easy to understand and decode
  • Must be accurate and reusable
  • Using a strong title will bring forth a better understanding
  • Use short description
  • Include pass/fail to every test cases
  • Include actual as well as expected result
  • mention steps to achieve the objective of the test case
  • Subject it to peer review

Best Practices in writing test Scenario

  • Make sure that you have clearly gone through business Requirement Specification (BRS), Software Requirement Specification (SRS), Functional Requirement Specification (FRS)
  • Make sure that you listed down all the positive and negative test scenarios
  • Do several discussions in sprints to form an effective one
  • One scenario is supposed to cover one of the requirements. If multiple requirements need to be addressed, create multiple scenarios
  • if the scenarios are large and might consume a lot of time. Discuss with the client or the owner and then prioritize!
  • it should be easy to understand and must be mapped with the requirements

Final Thought about Test Case vs Test Scenario

Both terminologies are essential for software testing. So Test Case vs Test Scenario is pointless however, differentiating between them essential to not only adopt better practices but for academic purposed also.

Bamboo vs Jenkins : Which CI/CD Tool is Better? [Table included]

Bamboo vs Jenkins! both are continuous integration automation tools. Both of them are widely used by agile teams to quicken and make their process more efficient. Bamboo and Jenkins can also assist agile teams to regularly share their work.
However, which one to use if they are equally good? Go through this comparison blog and find out.

What is Continuous integration?

Continuous Integration is a process progressively being adopted by software development teams to enhance the frequent sharing of their work with the rest of the team to fasten and enhance their software development process.
Every time integration takes place it is verified/tested by a build that includes test cases. This results in early detection and correction of bugs and streamlining and fastening the development process.

What is Jenkins?

Jenkins is a renowned open-source CI/CD tool. It is an automation server that will help in the software development process. It is also a Java-based tool that assists the development team to focus on continuous delivery.
Another feature of Jenkins is that it’s a server-based system that runs in a servlet ( a small java program that runs in a web server) containers. For instance, Apache tomcat
Features of Jenkins

  • Jenkins is easy to install across OS
  • Jenkins makes sure that your code is well through continuous integration
  • Increases code coverage by facilitating transparent dev
  • Hundreds of plugins are available

What is Bamboo?

Bamboo is a continuous integration tool used by development team members to continuously share their work with the team. Bamboo services were originally available as both in-house and cloud computing services. But later cloud computing services were discontinued.
Top Features of Bamboo

  • Can run multiple builds in parallel
  • Build failure analysis, including a stack trace
  • Offers REST API
  • Great Plugin Support
  • Supports build tasks for build tools
  • Supports testing tools
  • Customizable build notifications
  • Supports importing data from Jenkins

Major differences between Bamboo vs Jenkins

Let us have a look at the major differences between Bamboo and Jenkins

  • Open Source

Jenkins is open-source while Bamboo is a paid tool. Bamboo charges money; based on the user’s requirements. It can be quite costly for high-end projects and projects having various versions.
In short, Jenkins is completely free and Bamboo is not. Bamboo starts with a minimal cost of as low as $10 but this cost rapidly grows to a massive $880 a year.

  • User Community

Being completely free Jenkins has a huge user community. It adds an advantage to look out for various upgrades, updates, and bugs. But searching for some solutions can be a hectic process as a user might have to search through a large number of threads to look out for a solution.
While Bamboo is a paid service and hence has a smaller user community. But it offers professional support and is completely user-friendly and can be customizable.

  • Plugins

Being an open-source tool, Jenkins supports a massive library of plugins. It has a library of over 1400 plugins. You can readily use these plugins to customize Jenkins and to extend its functionalities.
In the case of Bamboo, the number of plugins is rather less.  But not to miss on the quality of the plugins. The plugins that Bamboo offers are almost perfect with no bugs.

  • Cloud Support

With gradually, the world depending upon cloud services, comparing the two continuous integration tools – Bamboo and Jenkins on the basis of this feature is worth it.
Both Jenkins and Bamboo initially supported both on-premises and cloud services. But later on, Bamboo discontinues its cloud version. Hence current scenarios only Jenkins offers cloud support while Bamboo does not.

  • Setup Complexity

Another important feature to discuss is setup complexity. While Bamboo comes with an easy to use user-interface and full professional support for your queries, Jenkins misses on all these features.

Read also : 15 Best Mobile App Testing Tools For 2019

Jenkins has a pretty complex user interface that is even less attractive than Bamboo. Jenkins does not offer any professional support to set up your tool or to resolve any query, whereas Bamboo offers pretty good professional support to its customers. But being open-source, missing on these features is completely justifiable for Jenkins.

  • Integration with other tools

Atlassian Bamboo is renowned for its integration capability with other Atlassian tools like JIRA and Bitbucket. You can easily and quickly integrate such tools with Bamboo.
Though Jenkins can also integrate with such tools, thanks to a massive number of plugins Jenkins supports, integration is rarely required. However, If you are dealing with big projects, the integration could be very inconvenient.

  • Project Support

Bamboo is a preferred choice for large enterprise projects with extended budgets, Projects with massive software systems and supporting various versions can be easily handled by Bamboo. But for simpler and stand-alone projects Jenkins is a better choice as it is open-source.
A Quick Look on the Differences:

Feature

Jenkins

Bamboo

Availability

Open-Source

Not an Open-Source

Price

Free

Depending upon your requirement price varies from $11 to $900.

Source Code

Java

Java

Supported operating systems

Windows, Ubuntu, Red Hat, Mac OS

Windows, Linux, Solaris

Browsers Support

Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer

Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Edge

Plugins

A massive number of Plugins

Fewer Plugins

User Community

Very big

Smaller

Backup facility

Complex

Easy

Git branching workflows

Not Available

Available

Built-in Deployment Projects

Not Available

Available

Test Automation

Tricky but possible using Plugins

Is built-in

Distributed Build support

Remote Nodes

Remote Agents

Integration with Jira

 Tricky but possible using Plugins

Easy integration with Jira

Built-in Integration for Bitbucket Server

Tricky but possible using Plugins

Easy integration with Bitbucket

REST APIs

Yes

Yes

Professional Support

No

Yes

Usage

Complex

Easy

User-Interface

Difficult to Use

Easy to use

Which is better?
With new processes like Agile and DevOps out-casting age-old software CI/CD tools to fasten and streamline your software development process. Bamboo vs Jenkins for sure is the two most popular CI/CD tools available in the markets.
Picking up one among the two as a better tool is practically not possible. To pick up on one of these two tools entirely depends upon your requirements.

If you have a standalone software system and have a constrained budget, then definitely Jenkins is a better pick for you. But if you are looking for an extremely professional setup to deal with enterprise software systems having multiple builds and versions, then Bamboo is a better option for you.
So it’s time to analyze your requirements and pick the best suited CI tool to fasten and make your software development process more progressive.

Emulator Vs Simulator : What is the Difference?

In the current scenario of increasing mobile technology exploration of various aspect of artificial intelligence and machine learning is going hand in hand, use of the simulator and real device for the perfect running of the mobile when in the hand of the customer is not new.
As a basic practice, it is preferred that a developer should use an emulator for fast development and management of the applications whereas the testing team who needs to have all the quality checks made on time should use a real test device to be best assured.

What is Simulator?

  • Sometimes to save on the cost factor companies introduce using a simulator or consider a virtual tool which can test as close to real, this allows the developers to have exploration of a wide base of applications which can work on the different geographical location across the globe. They are very cost efficient as they save the money of buying the real device.

What companies prefer currently

  • However simulators and emulators are considered good for the initial stage development of the application but large companies which release finances and business related applications need to have perfect running applications without any defects, so they prefer working on the real-time devices before it goes to the production unit.
  • For proper functioning, a balanced organization prefers to make strategies and plan their activities well in advance to determine the final outcome. This also allows them to choose the stage at which they have to introduce the real devices at their testing house.
  • The best practice in the current technological drift is to use emulators for speeding up the debugging process and the better application coding while other features like smoke testing, network and performance should be done on the real devices.

For a clear picture of their difference, let us take a brief about what this testing device means.

What is the Real Testing Device?

  • It is used for testing the functionality of your mobile applications in real device mode; they ensure that the working of the device application is smooth and convenient when in the hand of the consumer.

What is Emulator?

  • These are basically the software programs which allow the mobile devices to initiate basic feature of another device like a computer or mobile software which you want to imitate on your own device by installing them.

What is the exact difference between the Emulator and Simulator testing?

  • Both emulator and simulator are devices which are virtual in term of their usage. A device which is not real like a phone, but has software which gives similar functionality as that of a real phone is a simulator, except for few features like camera.

Let us see the key differences between Emulator and Simulator.

  1. Simulator-based testing has the main objective to simulate the internal state of the device as close as the internal state whereas emulators aim at the mimicking the outer behavior as similar as possible.
  2. The simulator is more referred where the team requires testing of the external behavior and pattern of the device for example calculations, whereas emulators are used where testing is on the internal behaviors’ and patterns like hardware.
  3. Simulators are based on the level of the high language and emulators are basically on machine level assembly.
  4. It is difficult to use a simulator for debugging on the other hand emulators is best at it.
  5. The simulator is nothing but just the original software re-implementation; emulator has it already in its complete form.

Emulator Testing differentiated against Real Device Testing

1. In terms of Application which are situation based

  • Emulator testing is used for the specific situation which has a deadline of short duration and results have to be produced along with execution in a given time period. Sometimes it is necessary to use the emulator in circumstances which are relevant to a mobile application which is to be tested.
  • In the real device, the tester has to test everything in all real-time scenarios for mobile applications. These devices operate by using fingers and simulate real-time usage. This allows the working of application in situations like bright sunlight or rainy day.

2. As close as Real handheld devices

  • When the tester is not sure about the mobile devices which have to be used and how to invest in testing it creates the problem, so for people who have budgeted limit can go with emulator or simulator.
  • A real device allows testers to use the look and feel of particular application both in night and day condition.

3. Ease of using

  • Emulators or simulators are working on the cases which have free software backup and can be downloaded very easily through the web and are ready to be tested in a short period of the time.
  • Real-time allows the tough testing options like working for continuous 10 to 15 hours which cannot be in the case of the emulator.

4. Using in term of Web Application and its opening through URL

  • It is much easier for the user or tester as they have to do copy paste and the application is ready to be used.
  • In real time devices testing requires fulfillment of more terms of reliabilities.

5. Ease of taking Snapshots and Screenshots in case of Defect Appearance

  • Taking capture of various issues related to screenshots is easy in simulators as we have to use Microsoft office only.
  • It is useful in cases of testing operating system which is more internal.

Know More: 52 Software Testing Tools you must know in 2019 

6. Batteries

  • They are not helpful in simulating battery issues.
  • Real devices can easily do it

7. Incoming Interrupts Validation

  • Simulators are not made to interpret the incoming calls and SMS services.
  • Real-time devices can do that conveniently.

8. Performance

  • For the purpose of performance, simulators are proved to be much slower than the original mobile devices whereas the original devices are super fast.

9. Color Display

  • Simulator fails to have the exact color display in terms of high configuration and in bright sunlight whereas original devices tend to perform much better when it comes to color display.

10. Memory

  • The memory on the simulator or emulator is enormous and far large when compared to the real devices whereas in the real devices they are much lesser.

In terms of disadvantages real device and simulator both have their own drawbacks, in simulator tester cannot test the long term efficiency of the application, not suitable for certain type of test functions and executions, also tester team need to use software patches on the other hand real devices are hefty and costly, have timeline constraints and are harder to connect with the IDE which causes problem in the debugging.
Conclusion
A careful watch of pros and cons of using such a testing device system lead to a better conclusion which provides the optimal mobile solution related to testing which is necessary for strict, stringent and strong quality assurance.

So the basic idea goes with the optimal usage for both. The ultimate goal is to understand and study the market needs and develop a business-oriented use of these technologies.

Quality Assurance (QA) vs Quality Control (QC)

Organizations often use the terms ‘Quality Assurance’ (QA) vs ‘Quality Control’ (QC) interchangeably. However, they both represent two very different aspects of quality management!
Understanding the exact meaning of these two terms under quality management is very important for every organization. This is because every client and customer’s top priority is always the quality of the product being delivered to them! Therefore, it is very essential to conduct both QA vs QC independently to increase the overall quality of their product.
Mobile App Testing
First, let us look at the meaning of the different terms:

  • Quality-The quality of any product is determined by how well it meets the expectations and requirements of the customer. This means that the product must be free from errors, inconsistencies and lacking in some particular aspects. There are always some standards in terms of quality that need to be met in order to satisfy the requirements of the customers.
  • Assurance- It is the act of guaranteeing the customers, that the product being delivered fulfills their preferred quality level. It is done to give security that the end product will be error-free and will satisfy all requirements.
  • Control- It is the process of determining whether the end product matches all customer requirements or not. It involves testing and comparing the actual result with the desired result.

Quality Assurance
Also referred to as QA, it is a process-oriented activity whose main focus is the prevention from defects in a product. It ensures that the methodology, techniques, procedures, and approaches for the products are designed in a correct manner.
It is a proactive activity where flaws and inconsistencies in the development process are recognized and rectified.
According to ISO 9000, Clause 3.2.11, Quality Assurance is defined as ‘An aspect of quality management that deals with providing confidence to customers that requirements set for quality will be fulfilled’.
QA- A Prevention Activity
QA entails the proper creation of plans, documentation, and agreement on guidelines that assure quality.
The planning phase is executed at the very beginning of the project. It is done according to the specifications of the software as well as the industry and company standards. The outcomes generated at the end of this phase usually include quality plans, test plans and inspection, selection of tools for defect tracking and training people in selected processes and methods.
It is critical to undertake QA activities during the project’s beginning, so as to avoid risks that have been identifies in the specification phase. Another critical factor in QA is effective communication for managing the project risks. The various aspects of the risk mitigation strategies must be effectively communicated to the project’s development teams.
Quality Control
Also referred to as QC, it is a product-oriented activity whose main focus is to identify defects in the quality of the product. It checks whether the methodology, techniques, procedures, and approaches designed for the product have been followed diligently, in a correct manner.
Therefore, it does not focus on the process, rather the focus here lies on the end product.
According to ISO 9000, Clause 3.2.10, Quality Control is defined as ‘An aspect of quality management that focuses on fulfilling the quality requirements for the product’.
QC- A Detection Activity
QC entails all activities related to determining the quality level of the delivered product. It includes operational techniques that have been agreed upon by the customers before the commencement of the project, to fulfill quality requirements.
During this process, the output received, or the end product is confirmed to the software requirements and verified for its quality. That means, the product is checked at various stages of the development life cycle and also against the requirements set by the customers. Different types of tests, code inspections, structured walk through, and various other techniques are used during QC.
The Need for Quality Management
Quality management is very important to ensure that only the best products are being developed and delivered to customers through well planned and structured projects.
Here, the process of QC works parallel with the process of quality improvement to identify and isolate the root causes that generate quality problems. When done consistently across the project, it provides effective feed backs on the quality problems, which facilitates in the development of effective strategies to eradicate such problems.
Through such processes, higher quality level products can be delivered to the customers. Therefore, the benefits of quality management include:

  • A higher level of customer satisfaction, that translates into a better brand reputation in the industry.
  • A development team who is much more motivated to actively participate in quality assurance and control processes.
  • Elimination of redundant tasks to address gaps in processes to meet requirements.
  • Properly planned methods and process, as unplanned processes lead to rework, which needs to be avoided.

Difference between Quality Assurance and Quality Control

 

 

Category

 

Quality Assurance

 

Quality Control

Meaning The process of guaranteeing that the set quality levels will be fulfilled by the product at each phase. The process of detecting errors in order to ascertain that quality standards are being fulfilled.
Focus The focus is on Process of product creation The focus is on the actual end Product
Approach Used QA uses a very proactive approach QC uses a very reactive approach
Aim Aims at preventing errors from occurring by thorough planning of activities and proper documentation Aims at finding out prevalent errors by checking whether the planned activities have been followed correctly
Emphasis QA stresses on the customer requirements QC emphasizes on the standards set by the industry or the company
Example QA provides verification that the product’s quality level will be met QC provides validation that the quality level is actually being met

 
Now that the basic differences have been discusses, we can go deeper into these key factors on which Quality Assurance and Quality Control differ from each other.
The 10 main differences between them are:
1. Quality Assurance gives a sense of confidence to the customer, by providing him assurance that the requested quality standards will be met by the delivered product.

Also Read: Why Testbytes is the leading Software Testing and QA Company India?

Quality Control, on the other hand, ensures that the quality standards are actually being met at every phase of the product’s development life cycle.
2. While Quality assurance is called as a proactive approach, as it is conducted during the development process of the product, Quality Control is called as a reactive approach, because it takes place after the end product is developed.
3. The aim of Quality Assurance is to create plans, methods, processes, etc., which can help in the prevention of any defects in the quality. However, Quality Control’s aim is to find out any defects that might be present in the end product, after its complete development.
4. QA helps to verify that the quality of the product, meets the set standards, by creating documentation, proper planning, etc.
5. QC helps in validating that the product is defect free and actually meets with all the set standards for quality requirements.
6. Quality Assurance is conducted throughout the software development life cycle.
7. Quality Control is conducted during the software testing life cycle.
8. Statistical techniques are used for both the processes. While the statistical technique used in QA is called (SPC) Statistical Process Control, the technique used in QC is called (SQC) Statistical Quality Control.
9. During Quality Assurance, standards, methodologies, and processes are defined that can help in achieving the level of quality that the customer desires.
During Quality Control, test, code analysis, and various other techniques are conducted in order to ensure that the set level of quality is being achieved.
10. Quality Assurance is a low-level activity that is also less time-consuming. It does not involve the execution of the program.
On the other hand, Quality Control is a high-level activity that is more time to consume as it always involves the execution of the developed program.
Prevention Is Better Than Cure
Conclusion
In conclusion, both QA vs QC contribute to making a product error and defect free, to ensure a very high level of product quality. Although their aim is somewhat similar, their approach varies dynamically.
Through Quality Assurance, a comprehensive process is designed that can lead to the development of a defect-free product if followed in a proper manner. While through Quality Control the process and the end product are thoroughly checked and tested to reveal any defects in it.
For the success of any project, it is very important to conduct these two processes under Quality Management. The more effectively they are conducted; the better will be the quality of the end product. This can ultimately help to gain more customer satisfaction and a better organization reputation in the industry.

Salary of Developer vs Tester : Who Earns More?

There is not much difference between a software developer and a software tester as their goals are the same i.e. to improve the quality of a software or application.

It is believed that there is a difference between the salary of a developer and the salary of a software tester.

The salary amount of both the developer and the tester is based on different factors including their duties, responsibilities, company, demand, job role, experience, and skills etc.

In this section, we will try to find out who earns better: a developer or a tester, by taking different factors into consideration. So, if you want to know who earn more salary, continue reading.

Are you the one who thinks getting into software testing can be a wrong financial choice? Read this:

  1. It is not true that testers do not need as many skills as developers. Most testers are also programmers, and testing tasks are performed by many developers. Such tools as Selenium use the same programming languages in which developers write their code so that testing is quick and easy to set up.
  2. The popularity of the Test Driven Development and Behaviour Driven Development frameworks is on the rise. It implies that developers will have to take into account the viewpoint of end-users and testers. Setting up these frameworks, testers serve a critical function and development testing boundaries often overlap.
  3. In both development and testing teams, key skills include
  • Understanding core functional processes
  • Programming language skills, especially for Java.
  • Database and design concepts
  • Analytical and logical thinking
  • Good communication skills
  • A team-oriented attitude
  • Capacity to manage work using tools or manually

    4. Participation in the development process Both teams are crucial throughout the entire development process. As companies adopt continuous integration and continuous testing methods, testers and developers collaborate closely. In Agile, there’s no strict separation between development and test teams; it’s all part of one SCRUM.

    5. Are growth opportunities similar for Testers and Developers?
    Individual growth varies based on abilities, goals, efforts, and circumstances. It’s not heavily influenced by the specific IT branch.
    Developers may progress to roles like managers, business analysts, and architects, or explore sales and research opportunities, depending on qualifications, goals, and available chances.
    Similarly, testers have various possibilities within their domain, such as becoming Test Leads, Test Managers, Business Analysts, and more.

    6. Are developers more important than testers?
    Some people think if a job isn’t crucial, why have it? In the world of IT, there used to be a conflict between developers and testers, but now it’s not a big issue among IT teams. However, some people who don’t know much about these jobs still believe developers are more important than testers.

    7. It’s essential not to decide whether to be a software tester based on the opinions of those who don’t understand the work well. Jobs can be uncertain everywhere. When job cuts happen, it’s usually the weakest link that’s affected, and it doesn’t always mean testers are the ones losing their jobs.

    Factors affecting the payscale of a software tester and a software developer

  • Your skills and how good you are at your job
  • How much experience you have
  • Your current salary (if you’re switching to a new job)
  • The type of employment (full-time, freelancing, contractual)
  • Where you live
  • The company you work for
  • Any extra benefits you get
  • Sometimes, how good you are at negotiating your salary.

Software Developers

A software developer is a professional whose work is mainly concerned with the development of software.
As the name suggests he is responsible to design or develop the new software to fulfill the demand of the end users.
They develop software whether it is a business software, gaming software, mobile software or applications, computers software etc.

A software developer takes care of the whole process including research, design, programming, testing, and launching of the software in the market.

There are two types of software developers i.e. Application Software Developers and System Software Developers.
Application software developer designs both; custom software for a particular business of commercial software for the general public as well.

On the other hand, the system software developer develops the system that takes care of the proper functioning of computers like an operating system for computers.

They also build system’s interface that allows the users to interact with computers.
As online technology is increasing day by day, all businesses are seeking software developers to develop a customized application for their business.

Whether it is a bank, a university, a news channels or a hospital everyone has their own application, and to design the same they need a software developer.

Software developers help the companies to update with the latest technology through web or application development.
The applications designed by the developers can be used on computers, tablets, Smartphone etc.
Therefore, a software developer should be able to create or design, manage and maintain new programs and software.
A software developer must possess an excellent knowledge of programming languages such as HTML, Java, JavaScript, C++, c# etc. Prior experience is always a plus point considers in salary.

Qualifications and Skills Required to be a Software Developer

  • A bachelor or masters degree in computer science, software engineering or in a related field
  • They should have analytical, communication, teamwork, problem-solving skills. Additionally, they should be creative, innovative, and familiar with database management, program testing and other related software.

Tasks Assigned to a Software Developer

  • Test and document software
  • Write, modify and debug software
  • Design and develop application components
  • Analyze needs of the user and then develop the software to fulfill that needs
  • software up gradation in existing software
  • Create diagrams, models, flowchart of different activities
  • In charge of the entire development process
  • Collaborate with computer programmers for optimum utilization of resources
  • Write codes for programming of software

Now let’s discuss the salary of a software developer through a pie diagram
Developer vs Tester

The above diagram is showing the annual salary of a software developer by experience level. It has a positive trend, we can see that the salary is increasing with the growing experience.

The salary of a developer differs from country to country. The average salary shown in the diagram includes bonus, allowances, tips, and overtime pays.

A software developer at the initial stage of his career on an entry level with the experience of 0-5 years can expect to earn an average salary of $61,000.

A software developer after the experience of 5 years, can expect an average salary of $ 80,000 annually. After 10 years of experience, a software developer can get the average salary of $ 87,000 per year.

An experienced software developer who has 20 years of work experience earns an average compensation of $ 97,000 per year.

Software Tester

A software tester is a professional who tests software to ensure that there is no bug, errors, defects or problem in the software that can affect the performance of a software or application before launching it in the market.

They are expert in handling software quality testing tools and techniques. It is the responsibility of a software tester to ensure that software will perform as desired both functionally and non-functionally.

A software tester uses various types of software testing such as black box testing, white box testing, unit testing, system testing, load testing, scalability testing, user acceptance testing, regression testing, smoke testing, integration testing, performance testing, compatibility testing, usability testing, security testing etc.

Whenever a software developer designs software, a software tester plays a key role in the process. He works as a quality assurance and he is the one who gives final approval to launch the software in the market.

He receives the software build at various stages in the process before going into the hands of the end user.

He runs the software programs through various tests and records the response of the software. The key component of software testing is documenting each and every step performed during software testing.

Documentation helps to discover the coding problems. Another significant aspect of testing is to find bugs in the program.

A software tester tests the software or application in different scenarios in order to assure the quality of software. They also provide user feedback and report unnecessary user interface confusions.

Qualifications and Skills Required to be a Software Tester

  • A software tester should have a bachelor degree in computer science, mathematics or engineering or in a related field.
  • A software tester should be fluent on UNIX, Linux or Windows
  • He should be a multi-tasker
  • He should have excellent communication skills both verbal and non-verbal
  • He should have knowledge of programming languages such as Java, JavaScript, C#, C++, Python etc.

Tasks Assigned to a Software Tester

  • Evaluate software applications to check the errors and maintain stability
  • Debug scripts and identify flaws in the system
  • A software tester applies both manual and automated software testing strategies
  • Analyze software programs

Let’s discuss the salary of a software tester with the help of a pie diagram. 

This diagram is showing the annual salary of a software tester on the basis of experience. This is also having a positive trend as shown in the diagram for the salary of a software developer.

With the increase in the experience, salary is also increasing. A software tester is getting $49,000 at the initial stage of his career; the average compensation includes bonus, incentives, overtime and other allowances.

Hence a software tester can expect a good salary in his career of 0-5 years. After getting the experience of 5 years he can expect $ 68,000 average salary in a working period of 5-10 years.
An experienced software tester means the employee with experience of 10-20 years can expect $ 75,000 average salary per year.

When a software tester complete 20 years of working he will get an average salary of $ 81,000 annually.
Now we have the average salary of both; software developer and the software tester. So, we can compare both the pie charts together and find out the conclusion.

By comparing both the diagrams we can see that the software developers earn more than a software tester.
The initial average salary of a software developer is $ 61,000 on the other hand; the average initial salary of a tester is $49,000 that clearly shows that a developer earns more than a tester.

Also Read : 52 Software Testing Tools 2019

Important things to remember:

1. There is more to a job than money. It’s an opportunity to apply your talent and belong to a community of people who appreciate, what you do. Consider the whole picture to see all these advantages.

2. Search for a job similar to find a lion, not a unicorn. Be wary of tales you hear regarding someone getting high pay despite of having less experience than you.

3. Never compare salaries with others, whether they are Quality Assurance (QAs) or Developers (Devs). If you believe that you work too hard for too little money, discuss this with your manager.

4. When a job is good, it’s great.

5. Lastly, remember: “To multiply your income, multiply the rate of learning.” Learn new skills to increase what you can earn.

Functional and Non-Functional Testing : Striking Differences

Testing is critical to every business function, but testing is a huge umbrella. One needs to understand the different types of testing available and then decide what is best suited for their application. One of the broadest classifications of testing is functional and non-functional testing. In this section, we will discuss more of these two types of testing and how they are different from one another.
Context of the blog

  1. What is Functional Testing?
  2. What is non-functional testing?
  3. Functional testing strategies
  4. Types of Functional Testing 
  5. Functional testing strategies
  6. Conclusion

1. what is functional testing?
Just as the name suggests, functional testing is done to verify the functionality of the Application Under Test (AUT). At the beginning of any software project, there is a stakeholder meeting to discuss the requirements of the application. These requirements are discussed, brainstormed, documented, and then signed off. This document then serves as a guideline for application development.
The main aim of any functional testing is to ensure, everything documented in the specifications document is implemented as expected. Quality in terms of functional testing is getting the expected result after every transaction. The accuracy of the result or output is the checkpoint for every functional test case. A detailed functional testing plan is driven by a testing matrix wherein each requirement is mapped to one or more functional test cases and verification points.
2. What is non-functional testing?
Non-functional testing concentrates on the aspects of testing that are not directly related to the functionality of the application. Some of the most points that are tested under non-functional testing are the usability of the application, the ease of navigation, time is taken to move between screens or pages, the performance of the application under load or stress.
Many people make the mistake of ignoring non-functional requirements, this can sometimes lead to the failure of the application or product as well. Instead, they should make it a point to capture and document these requirements as well. These are popularly known as the NFR’s (Non-Functional Requirements). Both functional and non-functional requirements are equally important and need to be thoroughly tested for the success of the application.

3. Types of Functional Testing
White Box Testing: Includes testing the internal structure of the system code

Black Box Testing:  Based on the test objective, derive test cases

Unit Testing: Identify bugs and errors right from the start of the development life cycle.

Smoke Testing and Sanity Testing:  Compare the system with specifications to make sure it’s functioning accordingly

Integration Testing: Test individual software components to verify the interaction between various interfaces

Non-Functional Testing Involves Following Sub-Types of Testing’:

Compatibility Testing: Performed to ensure compatibility of a system, application, or website

Configuration Testing: Testing an application with multiple combinations of software and hardware to find out the optimal configurations

Load Testing: Determine a system’s behavior under both normal and anticipated peak load conditions.

Performance Testing: Evaluating the quality or capability of a product.

Recovery Testing: Determine how quickly the system can recover after it has gone through a system crash or hardware failure

Security Testing:  Determine if an information system protects data and maintains functionality

Scalability Testing:  Measure its capability to scale up or scale out in terms of any of its non-functional capability.

Stress Testing: Stretches software to its limits and checks its durability.

4. Functional Testing Strategies

For functional testing, the test strategies are attained using automated and manual tools. The widely used functional testing method includes black-box testing, where the tester isn’t required to test the internal source code, but validates the system using valid and invalid inputs.

All functional tests like, API testing, unit testing, Boundary value analysis, etc., have a specific output that has an expected output. After entering valid data, the system should work as intended. Functional tests are scripted with pass and fail criteria.

The tests conducted under this require more creativity and technical expertise compared to the functional ones. This is because you are developing a product keeping the end-user workflow in mind, rather than what input gives what output.

While some non-functional tests can be defined through fail and pass criteria, many tests are more objective and require the opinion of the testing team.

Therefore non-functional tests are written in measurable and quantifiable ways wherever needed. Having good communication and requirement gathering from the client is essential when you perform testing.

5. Difference Between Functional and non-functional Testing

S No. Criterion Functional Testing Non Functional Testing
1 What is tested? The functionality of the application is tested by verifying each of the functional requirements as documented in the SRS (Software Requirement Specification) The NFR or the Non-Functional Requirements are tested here with more weightage on usability and ease of use for the customers.
2 How is it performed? It can be done both manually and using automation tools In most cases, we need a tool to simulate the scenarios for this type of testing
3 What is validated? The functionality of the application is verified against the set guidelines The performance of the application is validated under different situations.
4 Example On the login screen, once the user enters his username and password, he should be able to successfully navigate to the next screen in the application On the login screen, once the user enters his username and password, he should be able to successfully navigate to the next screen in the application within “X” seconds. This “X” should be documented in the NFR document. So, if X is 6 sec, the user being able to log in at the 7th second would be considered as a failure.
5 Sequence Once the application development is completed, the functional testing can be module by module or even with respect to functionalities. It is normally done after the functional testing is completed for the entire application. It can be done along with the integration testing also.
6 Types of testing 1. Unit Testing
2. Smoke Testing
3. Regression Testing
4. Integration Testing
5. User Acceptance Testing
1. Load Testing
2. Performance Testing
3. User Experience Testing
4. Stress Testing
5. Disaster Recovery Testing
7 Usage It is done to validate the application and how it behaves It is done to validate the performance of the application under different sets of conditions and scenarios
8 Source of the requirements The functional requirements are provided by the app owners and signed off before the start of the development activity Voice of Customer and the surveys related to how similar applications perform in the market are taken as the ballpark measure for the non-functional requirements
9 Ease of defining checkpoints Functional testing checkpoints are easy to define. For example, if you have a login screen, you enter the correct credentials and hit the login button, it should take you to the next page. The NFR checkpoints are difficult to describe. For example, in different instances login may take 4 sec, 6 sec, 8 sec, or 10 sec. It is difficult to decide which is the failure case in this.
10 Ease of execution Functional tests are very straightforward and easy to execute. If there are well-defined test cases available, then in most cases even a non-tester would be able to perform the functional testing by following the test case document Running the non-functional tests needs a deep understanding of the scenarios and how to set them up. It requires special skills and cannot be performed by non-testers


6. Conclusion
Both functional and non-functional testing is very important for rolling out a quality product or application to the market. It is the responsibility of the stakeholders to ensure both these types of testing are done exhaustively before the product or application reaches the customers.
The success of the application or software product is directly related to its quality. And the best quality can be achieved only by conducting both functional and non-functional testing.

Differences Between Test Strategy, Test Plan and Test Case

Software checking is a lot more complicated process than it seems alike. When it comes to software quality assurance, there are a lot many terminologies you have to deal. Like, test case, test plan, and test strategy. Let’s see what the terms means.

testbytes
So what exactly is Test Case, Test Plan, and Test Strategy ?

A test case is a series of conditions against which the software is checked to see if it satisfies all requirements and works as desired.

The test lead or manager creates a test plan. Its primary goal is to contain all necessary information about required while testing, which includes what to test, when and how to test, who will test the software. The test plan remains the same throughout but is changed when there is a modification in the software or something new is added.

On the other hand, a test strategy is a complicated document that informs the test how to approach the software while testing it. It is created by a business analyst or a project manager. The test strategy document is more of a standard record and isn’t changed quite often.

Now that the meanings are clear, let’s move onto the differences between differences between test case, test plan, and test strategy:

1. What it contains

Test case

It is a sequence of steps that help the testers to test the software and changes from software to software. It includes environment, condition, expected and actual results, and whether the software failed the test or not. Mostly, enterprise test management software is used to manage the case and the process.

Test plan

A test plan contains a lot of things including features to be tested, techniques, Test plan id, testing tasks, pass or fail criteria, responsibilities, test deliverables, and schedule of the best.

Test strategy

It consists of documentation formats, objectives and scope, test processes, client communication strategy, and team reporting structure.

2. Who conducts it?

Test case

It is usually the software developer that writes the test case.

Test plan

It is conducted by a testing manager or someone who describes how, when, how, and who will test the software.

Test strategy

It is usually the project manager that carries out the test strategy. It contains everything from the type of technique to be used to which module needs to be tested.

3. Narration

Test case

It merely narrates the sequence of the test.

Test plan

The plan narrates the specification.

Test strategy 

It narrates the general approaches.

4. Modification

Test case

It is not usually changed, but if there is a significant change in the software, a few steps are added or removed from the sequence.

Test plan

A test plan can change since it is conducive to a modification of the software.

Test strategy

A test strategy is never changed because it is a static document and remains the same for all records.

5. Purpose of the process

Test case

Validate the functionality of the software.

Test plan

It is used to determine the possible dependencies and issues to identify the risks.

Test strategy

It is a long-term project. A test strategy doesn’t change from one software to another. Therefore it is used to abstract information from software and use it for test approach.

6. Level of use

Test case

It is a relatively stable concept and one test case can be used for numerous projects.

Test plan

It is used at the project level, therefore can be used only for one project.

Test strategy

A test strategy is used at an organizational level and can be used across multiple projects.

Let’s take a look at how a test case, test plan, and test strategy are written:

  1. Test case

  • Think of a strong title
  • Add a description
  • Write down assumptions and preconditions
  • Add the test steps now. Make sure that the steps are mentioned explicitly and in a concise manner
  • Mention the expected results
  • Make sure that the test case you make it reusable so that the software testing team doesn’t need to create a new one for every software
  1. Test plan

  • Any test plan first starts with analyzing the software. Ask yourself questions including who will use the software, purpose of making it, and you want it to work.
  • Design your test strategy. It is constant across all software, so you only have to modify it slightly
  • Write down test objectives
  • Define test criteria
  • Conduct resource planning
  • Plan the software’s test environment
  • Develop schedule and estimation
  • Determine the result of the plan

app testing

  1. Test strategy
  • Write down objectives for your test strategy
  • Mention the test guidelines
  • Decide your test approach
  • Mention the tester’s roles and responsibilities
  • Write down all levels of testing
  • Mention the functional specifications, test scenarios, and acceptance criteria
  • Mention the entry and exit criteria
  • Write guidelines about what to do when a defect is identified
  • Test results
  • Provide information about migration procedures and environment information
  • Mention constraints of the test
  • Include risks of the software and how to solve them

However, all these three concepts are interdependent and work only when each one is present. A test case is used in the test strategy which in turn is used in the test plan. They might be developed or performed by different people, but the test result is cumulative of all their input.

Unit Testing vs Integration Testing : What’s the Difference?

Unit Testing vs Integration Testing! Do you know what’s the difference between unit testing and integration testing?
Both of them are essential in the development phase as unit testing will evaluate the code you have written for particular feature means while integration testing will ensure that it’s working fine with the rest of the system.
But the difference doesn’t end there.
Let’s make an inch to inch comparison between both the process. Unit Test vs Integration Test!

1) What is UnitTesting:

  • Tests that are conducted by developers for a particular unit of code such as module or component that has been developed by them
  • One of the most effective and simple way to determine if the individual units of source code that are being tested are perfect and ready to use
  • Helps in cutting down the cost of bug fixes as the bugs are identified during the early stages of the software development life cycle (SDLC)

2) What is Integration Testing:

  • A type of testing that tests a product in terms of the integration between its modules
  • Its one of the most effective software testing techniques in which the individual units of a program are combined and tested as a group
  • Executed with the help of test stubs and test drivers that assist in its easy execution

Unit Testing vs Integration Testing – The Differences.

Both these forms of testing have their own significance but it is important to understand the difference between the two:

1. Aim

Unit testing tests each part of the program individually so as to ensure that each of them perform correctly. Whereas, integration testing combines the modules and test them as a group for their optimum functionality.

2. Time of testing

Unit testing is independent and can be performed at any point of SDLC. On the other hand, integration testing is conducted after unit testing is completed and system testing begins.

3. Sub-Divisions

Unit testing cannot be sub-divided whereas integration testing can be divided into top-down integration, bottom-up integration and so on.

4. Integration Errors

Unit testing cannot identify integration errors, or other system-wide errors that exist. Whereas, integration testing can identify all sorts of errors as its purpose is to test and identify errors in modules.

5. Specification

Unit testing begins with the specification of the modules whereas integration testing begins with interface specification.

6. Type of Testing

Unit testing is a form of white-box testing, which refers to testing of internal structure of a program or application. Whereas, integration testing is both white-box and black box testing.

7. External Dependencies

Unit testing does not examine whether a program code works properly with external dependencies whereas integration testing tests the code on the same parameters.

8. Maintenance

Conducted by the software developer oneself, testing a program using unit testing is cheaper as compared to integration testing which is executed by a team of testers.

Unit and Integration Testing are Equally Important

Both these forms of testing have their own importance as the absence of one might impact the overall performance and development of the product.

While unit testing ensures that optimum quality during the development phase of the product, integration testing ensures that there are no errors pending after the development of different modules.
Moreover, identifying the errors during integration testing raises the need for conducting unit testing again so as to identify the specific error in the program.
Therefore, to ensure the premium product delivery, it is better and advisable to keep implementing both these forms of testing as and when required.