Web Testing Explained:
What is Web testing?
Web testing is the process of software testing that pays special attention to web applications. It is optimally performed before a website goes live and tries to iron out any errors or problems that raise their head at the last stage of development of the website.
The primary issues that are dealt with web testing are website security, basic functionality, accessibility to the entire community of internet users, ability to handle traffic both at normal and peak times etc.
How are web applications tested?
Web applications are tested by creating some Web application performance tools or WAPTs. These tools are used to test the website for overloading, overstressing the application and for performance evaluation.
These tools can be used for websites, web servers, applications and other web interfaces. They work at the level of the protocol layer by sending out HTTP requests and using the results to navigate through the application.
Advantages of web testing
Web tests can be used at different levels as they suit many testing purposes. The most advantageous features of web testing are:
1. Web tests can create functional tests that can exercise websites and web applications
2. Data driven tests are easily created by using web testing tools
3. Web tests can create and run tests that examine the efficiency of applications and can provide a perfect appraisal of performance levels.
4. As these tests use .NET languages, they can be used for debugging, authoring and extensibility of applications.
Web test checklists
By conducting a web test, various facets of a website are tested for optimal performance. A web test conducts the following tests to ensure that a website maintains a high performance level.
They are – functionality testing, interface testing, usability testing, compatibility testing, performance testing and security testing. With functionality testing, all links to the website, cookies, database connections and forms are continuously tested to see if any errors crop up and send the website to regression.
Usability Testing checks the navigatability of the website and identifies areas where bottlenecks seem to occur. Interface testing works out any problems that occur at the server level and ensure that all interactions with the server are executed properly.