Software Testing Methods

Software Testing Methods are,

• Black box Testing
• White box Testing
• Grey box Testing

Black box Testing

Testing done without the knowledge of Code

Black box testing is a technique in which the software is tested without the knowledge of an application’s internal source code or design or algorithm details. Black box testing is the most widely used testing method. Testers interact with user’s interface and validate the software based on the requirement specifications.

Key Points:

• Programming knowledge is not required
• Coding skills are not required
• Requirements Analysis is required
• Interface design understanding is required
• Algorithm and Implementation details are not required

Example:

For instance, consider you have an “Age” text box in an application. Age is a number field and it should accept only positive numbers. Strings, special characters, and negative integers are not allowed. So, perform both positive & negative testing, and validate the software behavior. Testers need not worry about the code or its algorithm to test the software.

White Box Testing

Testing done with the knowledge of Code

White box testing is a technique in which the software is tested with the knowledge of an application’s internal source code and algorithm. For those who hate coding, this is not the suitable testing technique 🙂

Key Points:

• Programming knowledge is required
• Coding skills are required
• Requirements Analysis is required
• Interface design understanding is required
• Algorithm and Implementation details are required
• Root Cause Analysis is required
• Optimize code if necessary

White box testers write test cases to validate source code and identify missing conditions or incorrect logic. In this case, testers will have broader knowledge about the software both technically and programmatically.

Example:

For instance, consider you have a “Years” text box in an application that you are testing. Years is a number field and it should accept only positive numbers. Strings, special characters, and negative integers are not allowed. So, perform both positive & negative testing, and validate the software behavior by understanding the code logics. If any test condition fails, root cause analysis is required

Grey box Testing

Testing done with the partial knowledge of Code

Grey box testing is a technique in which the software is tested with the limited knowledge of an application’s internal source code or design or algorithm or implementation details. Grey box testing is the combination of black box and white box testing.

Key Points:

• Minimal Programming knowledge is required
• Partial Coding skills are required
• Requirements Analysis is required
• Interface design understanding is required
• Limited Algorithm and Implementation details are required
• Root Cause Analysis is partially required

Grey box testers have limited access to application’s source code.

Example:

For instance, when a tester is assigned with a resolved/fixed bug, he could easily identify the regression tests that needs to done due to the bug fix made by the developer because of the partial knowledge about the internal structure of the code.

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