Software Testing Hierarchy

Software Testing Levels

In software testing, we go through different levels of testing. The main purpose of this hierarchy is to verify that the application is working fine and meeting the user requirements. So to produce a quality product we need different levels of testing. The various levels of testing are:

Unit Testing

A type of testing which ensures that all major functionalities of the application are working fine. It is also called “Build Verification Testing”. The purpose of smoke testing is just to ensure that we are good to proceed with the detailed testing.

Component Testing

Component testing is also called as module testing. The difference between the unit testing and component testing is, in-unit testing the developers test their code but in component testing, the whole component is tested. In component testing, we ensure the quality of the whole component.

Integration Testing

Integration testing is carried out when two or more than two modules are integrated, in order to test the behavior and functionality of both the modules after integration to ensure that they are working fine after integration.

System Testing

System Testing is a process that validates the system as a whole. System testing is carried out when all the components are integrated. Testers evaluate the system's compliance with its specified requirements. Testing is done as a System instead of individual components.

Acceptance Testing

Acceptance testing is basically done to ensure that the system is ready to operate in the real environment. 

• Alpha Testing: Testing that is carried out at the developer's site is called alpha testing. It is done at the end of the development process.
• Beta Testing: Beta testing is done by end-users. It is done just before the launch of the product.

More Testing Types

• Regression Testing
• Buddy Testing
• Alpha Testing
• Beta Testing

Summary

• A level of software testing is a process where every unit or component of a software/system under development is tested.
• The primary goal of system testing is to evaluate the system's functionality with the specified needs.
• There are four main levels of testing are Unit Testing, Integration Testing, System Testing, and Acceptance Testing.