Testing of the systems and software products is done to verify that all the components function up to the expectations and validate the software product is exactly what the developers intend to build or what the customer wanted.
Two types of testing are performed namely static and dynamic. Both are believed to be counterparts of each other because of the opposite nature of their testing criteria. Therefore, it is one of the most debatable topics in the IT industry.
And here in this article, we will be discussing the same. But here we won't be comparing them against each other but rather understanding what these tests are and what are the key differences between them. Then you can decide for yourself which one’s better.
What is static testing?
Static testing is a form of testing that studies the functionality of an application or system, without actually executing it. The goal of static testing is to identify problems before those problems cause problems in the real world. For example, you might test your application by checking that it works correctly when it's not running, such as when you're testing for security vulnerabilities.
Static Testing Techniques
Types of Static Testing Techniques:
1. Class-based: This is the most common type of static testing technique. It involves creating a class that inherits from another class and then testing its methods to ensure they are working properly.
2. Method-based: Here, we create a method in our code base that will test our functionality and make sure that it is working properly.
3. Domain-based: In this technique, we create a test for the functionality of our application by analyzing the domain-specific requirements and then creating tests based on them.
Some of the static tests are as mentioned below -
Memory Allocation
In this test, the application under test is first loaded into memory so that the developer can see how much memory it uses. The memory allocation is then checked for errors such as null pointers and invalid values to find any problems with the code. A typical example of a memory allocation error would be if one variable was set to null or if an array had no elements in it.
Hash Table Lookup
In this type of test, the hash table used by the application under test is examined for errors such as duplicate entries or missing values by using different methods such as comparing two hash tables based on their key values or checking whether they are equal using a hash function called equality comparison. If there are any problems with these types of comparisons, then it would be an indication that there may be other issues with the program's execution flow that should be investigated further before proceeding with testing.
What is dynamic testing?
Dynamic testing is a form of testing that executes an application or system to identify problems related to its behavior. Dynamic tests often use simulated environments, where changes can be made to the application and its environment without affecting the real-world results. Dynamic tests are typically used after static tests have identified any problems with the existing code base.
Dynamic Testing Techniques
When we talk about dynamic testing, we are referring to the type of testing that utilizes live data to test a system against changes in the environment. Many of these tests can be categorized into two broad categories:
System-level tests: These tests are used to test a complete system as a whole. This test is conducted to test how the system would perform under real-life scenarios. For example, a system might be tested by simulating an incoming request that needs to be processed by multiple components within the application.
Component-level tests: These tests are used to test each component or feature within the application. The goal is to ensure that each component can handle real-life scenarios that may arise during normal operations. For example, if we were testing a feature in our application that allows users to create new posts, we might want to ensure that this feature works properly when users try creating new posts at different times of the day or week.
Some of the dynamic tests are as mentioned below -
Functional testing
In this type of test, the software is tested to see if it behaves as expected in a specific situation. For example, you would use a functional test to check that your application works properly when users enter data into their accounts or log out of their accounts.
Unit testing
Unit tests are used to verify individual components of your application work correctly and are independent of other components. You can run a test of a single component at a time or you can also test all the components at the same time. Functional tests can be run in isolation or together with other tests in a larger suite.
Black Box Testing
This is basically like white box testing, except that instead of interacting with the application through user interfaces, testers use their knowledge about how an application works and try to break it by using brute force methods such as crashing it or modifying its code. This method is ideal for finding bugs in an application or determining whether its security mechanisms are secure enough against attackers and tampering.
Main Difference between Static testing and Dynamic Testing
● Static testing is used to prevent software from bugs and defects meanwhile dynamic testing is used to cure the software of them.
● Static testing is more cost-effective in comparison to dynamic testing.
● The benefits are far greater when you use a static test instead of a dynamic test.
● The coding diagnosis done by static testing is far more comprehensive than dynamic testing.
● Now, as the static test is more comprehensive it can find out more bugs than the dynamic test.
● Conducting a dynamic test would take a longer time in comparison to taking a static test.
● Although static tests take less time, it covers more areas of code in a shorter amount of time.
● Static tests are held before the code is deployed and dynamic tests are held after the code is deployed.
● To perform static code, you don't have to execute the code whereas to perform dynamic tests you need to execute the code.
I hope now, you get a clear idea of what static testing and dynamic testing are. And after understanding how they work, it will be more clear to you which testing will be more suitable for your project.
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