A Complete Guide to Unit Testing Fundamentals Software testing is an integral part of the software development process. As the need for bug-free and high-quality software is rising in enterprises, the need for robust software testing is also rising. Businesses are conducting varieties of tests to check the software at each stage of SDLC. Unit testing is one such software testing type that is performed at the initial phase of SDLC. Let us now try to understand this software testing type in more detail. What is unit testing? It is a software testing method in which individual units/components of the software are isolated and tested. It is done to check that each unit of software works as expected. It is the first level of software testing and is performed by developers during the development or coding phase.
Why is unit testing required?
Validates the accuracy of the code by considering stubs, mock objects, drivers, and frameworks Helps development teams understand the code base, validate the correctness of the developed code, reuse the code, and make the changes faster in the code. Helps developers and testers save time by detecting bugs in the early stage Reduces the complexities present in the code Ensures businesses save time and money by fixing defects early
It aids in the development of quality product Improve the code coverage
What are the different types of unit testing? Below mentioned are the three types of unit tests: 1. White Box Testing – It is a software testing technique wherein the internal structure, design, and coding of the software visible to the testers for testing. it is also known as Glass Box Testing, Transparent Box Testing, Open Box Testing. 2. Black Box Testing – It is also known as behavioral testing and is done to examine the functionality of the software applications. In this internal code structure, implementation details and internal paths are not known to the tester and hence it is called Black Box Testing. 3. Gray Box Testing – It is a combination of White Box Testing and Black Box Testing. It is done to search for possible defects that occur due to improper code structure or improper functioning usage of an application. In this technique, the tester has partial knowledge about the code structure.
How to perform unit testing? 1. This test starts with writing the part of the code and subjecting it to the test. The developers write the code wait for the application to get deployed for removing the test code defects
2. Once the application is deployed, the code is isolated by the developers. It is done to validate the dependency between the code and other units. This way of isolating the code helps in identifying and eliminating the dependencies. 3. Developers develop automated test cases by using unit testing frameworks or tools 4. The test is executed and failed test cases are reported. Based on the failures in the test cases, the unit test frameworks help to stop the related testing. Conclusion: Unit testing plays an important role in assuring the quality and reliability of the software. It helps in early bug detection and fixing. It is, therefore, necessary for companies to ensure that the software is unit tested,bug-free, and of high quality. Leverage unit testing from a next-gen QA and software testing services provider to get high-quality software. About the author: I am a technical content writer and I write articles on various IT-related topics. In this article, I have tried to share my views on unit testing fundamentals.