Nowadays, more and more web applications are being developed. And with every line of code that’s written comes the potential for bugs.
In general, the cost of fixing bugs increases exponentially the later you find them.
The Systems Sciences Institute at IBM found that “the cost of fixing a bug found after product release was 4 to 5 times higher than a bug found during development and up to 100 times higher than for an error identified in the maintenance phase”.
These numbers underscore the importance of finding bugs as early as possible and thoroughly testing an application before releasing it.
This is where web application testing comes into play. Web application development agencies use several steps that ensure an application is fully functional and running smoothly and securely. It is an essential part of web development and ensures that an app is running properly before its release.
6-Step Guide To Give You An Overview Of What Kind Of Tests You Should Use To Test Your App.
Let’s start!
Step 1: Functional test
The first step of web testing ensures that the functions of a system are tested. Functional testing is described on Wikipedia as follows:
Front-End Web Development companies preform multiple functional testing for web applications. Functional testing is a quality assurance (QA) process and a type of black box testing that bases its test cases on the specifications of the software component under test. Functions are tested by feeding them inputs and examining the outputs, and the internal program structure is rarely considered (unlike white-box testing).
Functional testing takes place in source code, where the system is tested against functional requirements and specifications.
Functional testing typically includes:
- the identification of functions that software should perform
- Data Entry and Entry
- the execution of the test case
- an analysis of the actual results
The function test simulates actual system use. The idea is to get as close as possible to real system usage and create test conditions related to user requirements.
Step 2: Usability Tests
Ease of use goes beyond functionality testing and combines functionality testing with the overall user experience.
Usability testing should not be confused with user acceptance testing. Both are essential for the success of a web application. They each have a very different focus and are executed at different stages of the software development lifecycle.
This can be done in-house or by bringing in external testers that fit your potential user base. To find external testers, you can use services like Apple’s TestFlight for apps developed for the App Store.
Usability testing includes the following steps:
- Develop a testing strategy that ensures all features of your application are examined. This includes navigation and content.
- Recruit test takers, either internally or externally.
- Take the test under expert supervision.
- Analyze the results and improve your application accordingly.
Step 3: Interface test
Interface testing ensures that all interactions between the web server and application server interfaces work smoothly. This includes checking the communication processes and ensuring that error messages are displayed correctly. You should also test that interrupts are correctly handled by both the user and the server.
Step 4: Compatibility Test
Ensuring that your application is compatible across browsers and devices is an important step in web application testing. Mobile app development services perform multiple compatibility test:
Browser Compatibility
Make sure your application works correctly in the different browsers. This includes verifying that JavaScript, AJAX, WebSockets, browser notifications, and authentication requests are working as intended.
For browser compatibility testing, we recommend trying LambdaTest, a cross-browser testing cloud. The Lambda tool allows users to test their website on over 2000 real browsers and operating system devices.
Besides checking that your application runs in all browsers (yes, even Internet Explorer!), you should also check it for different versions of browsers to see if updates affect its functionality.
OS Compatibility
Just like other browsers, your web application may encounter problems on some operating systems. Check if it runs smoothly on Windows, macOS, Linux, and Unixes.
Mobile Compatibility
Mobile compatibility is a given these days. Ensuring that your application runs on different devices and works just as well on Android as it does on iOS is an essential part of web testing.
Step 5: Performance Test
After you’ve verified that your application’s functionality is working properly and responsively across all browsers and devices, it’s time to take a look at how it behaves under heavy load. This includes testing the application under different internet speeds and how it behaves under normal and peak loads (load testing). In order to determine the resilience of your application, it is subjected to increasing loads until it no longer works (stress testing).
Resiliency testing is a crucial activity to find out how your application will behave under stress before your users do. Make sure you test the functionality under different scenarios and hardware configurations and that your application recovers from crashes as best as possible.
Step 6: Security Test
The final step in web application testing is ensuring that your application is protected from unauthorized access and malicious actions by viruses or other malware.
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Web Application security testing includes the following activities:
- Test, whether unauthorized access to secure sites, is possible
- Verify that open sessions are closed after prolonged user inactivity
- Check the SSL of the application
- Ensure that restricted files cannot be downloaded without proper authorization
Overall, a security testing checklist is handy at this stage because it helps you structure and organizes your testing efforts. Such a checklist should include tasks in the following areas:
- Secure transmission
- Authentication
- Session management
- Authorization
- Cryptography
- Data Validation
- Denial of service
- Specific functional tests
- Error handling
Conclusion:
These are six steps to testing web applications. Following these steps thoroughly before launching your application should go a long way in finding bugs and errors and allowing you to fix them before it’s too late.