Software Testing – Ensuring Code Works Before It Reaches Users

💡 What is Software Testing?

Software Testing is the process of checking whether software works as expected and is free of bugs.

 ✅ Helps find errors early
✅ Ensures the software meets user requirements
✅ Improves software quality and performance
✅ Saves time and cost by preventing failures after release

In short, testing is about asking:

“Does this software do what it's supposed to do — and nothing else?”

🧱 1. Why Is Software Testing Important?

Without testing, software may:

• Crash unexpectedly

• Expose sensitive data

• Perform poorly under load

• Confuse or frustrate users

In Ethiopia, many government systems, mobile apps, and fintech tools require strong testing due to scale and public impact.

🔄 2. Types of Software Testing

✅ Manual Testing

Testing is done by human testers — clicking through features, entering data, and verifying outcomes.

  ✔ Good for UI testing, exploratory testing
  ✔ Requires attention to detail
❌ Time-consuming and error-prone

✅ Automated Testing

Tests are written in code and run by tools or scripts — fast, repeatable, and accurate.

  ✔ Great for repetitive or regression tests
  ✔ Tools: Selenium, JUnit, TestNG, Cypress
❌ Requires technical knowledge

📋 3. Testing Levels in Software Development

1. Unit Testing

• Tests small pieces of code (like functions or methods)

• Done by developers

• Example: Does the login function return correct result?

2. Integration Testing

• Checks how different modules work together

• Example: Does the payment system connect to the bank API?

3. System Testing

• Tests the entire application as a whole

• Example: Does the whole e-commerce app work from start to finish?

4. Acceptance Testing

• Final test by real users or clients

• Example: Is this software ready to go live?

🔐 4. Functional vs Non-Functional Testing

Other types of non-functional testing:

• Performance testing – speed and responsiveness

• Security testing – prevent hacking and data leaks

• Usability testing – is it easy to use?

• Compatibility testing – does it work on all devices/browsers?

🐞 5. Common Software Bugs Found in Testing

 ✅ Logic errors – wrong results from calculations
✅ UI bugs – buttons not clickable, layout broken
✅ Crashes – app shuts down unexpectedly
✅ Data bugs – missing or incorrect info
✅ Integration bugs – APIs or databases not responding properly

Testers help identify these early — before users complain.

🧪 6. Test Cases and Bug Reports

Test Case: A document that describes what to test, how to test, and the expected result.
Example:

• Test: Click "Login" with correct username/password

• Expected Result: Redirect to dashboard

• Actual Result: Error message (bug)

Bug Report: Describes a failure and helps developers fix it

• Include steps to reproduce, screenshots, and environment info

🛠️ 7. Popular Testing Tools

👥 8. Roles in Software Testing Careers

• QA Tester – Runs manual or automated tests

• Test Engineer – Designs and builds automated tests

• QA Lead – Manages the testing team and quality strategy

• SDET (Software Developer in Test) – Writes code to test code

• Bug Tracker / Analyst – Reports and analyzes bugs

💼 Why Testing Matters in Your Career

 ✅ Testing improves your coding quality
✅ It’s required in every tech team
✅ Makes you a better problem solver
✅ You can get hired as QA or Test Automation Engineer
✅ Opens doors to DevOps, SDET, and product roles