Web testing
Encyclopedia
Web testing is the name given to software testing
that focuses on web applications. Complete testing of a web-based system before going live can help address issues before the system is revealed to the public. Issues such as the security of the web application, the basic functionality of the site, its accessibility to handicapped users and fully able users, as well as readiness for expected traffic and number of users and the ability to survive a massive spike in user traffic, both of which are related to load testing
.
, web sites, web servers and other web interfaces. WAPT tends to simulate virtual users which will repeat either recorded URLs or specified URL and allows the users to specify number of times or iterations that the virtual users will have to repeat the recorded URLs. By doing so, the tool is useful to check for bottleneck and performance leakage in the website or web application being tested.
A WAPT faces various challenges during testing and should be able to conduct tests for:
WAPT allows a user to specify how virtual users are involved in the testing environment.ie either increasing users or constant users or periodic users load. Increasing user load, step by step is called RAMP where virtual users are increased from 0 to hundreds. Constant user load maintains specified user load at all time. Periodic user load tends to increase and decrease the user load from time to time.
Software testing
Software testing is an investigation conducted to provide stakeholders with information about the quality of the product or service under test. Software testing can also provide an objective, independent view of the software to allow the business to appreciate and understand the risks of software...
that focuses on web applications. Complete testing of a web-based system before going live can help address issues before the system is revealed to the public. Issues such as the security of the web application, the basic functionality of the site, its accessibility to handicapped users and fully able users, as well as readiness for expected traffic and number of users and the ability to survive a massive spike in user traffic, both of which are related to load testing
Load testing
Load testing is the process of putting demand on a system or device and measuring its response. Load testing is performed to determine a system’s behavior under both normal and anticipated peak load conditions. It helps to identify the maximum operating capacity of an application as well as any...
.
Web Application Performance Tool
A Web Application Performance Tool, also known as (WAPT) is used to test web applications and web related interfaces. These tools are used for performance, load and stress testing of web applicationsWeb application
A web application is an application that is accessed over a network such as the Internet or an intranet. The term may also mean a computer software application that is coded in a browser-supported language and reliant on a common web browser to render the application executable.Web applications are...
, web sites, web servers and other web interfaces. WAPT tends to simulate virtual users which will repeat either recorded URLs or specified URL and allows the users to specify number of times or iterations that the virtual users will have to repeat the recorded URLs. By doing so, the tool is useful to check for bottleneck and performance leakage in the website or web application being tested.
A WAPT faces various challenges during testing and should be able to conduct tests for:
- Browser compatibility
- Operating System compatibility
- Windows application compatibility where required (especially for backend testing)
WAPT allows a user to specify how virtual users are involved in the testing environment.ie either increasing users or constant users or periodic users load. Increasing user load, step by step is called RAMP where virtual users are increased from 0 to hundreds. Constant user load maintains specified user load at all time. Periodic user load tends to increase and decrease the user load from time to time.
Web security testing
Web security testing tells us whether Web based applications requirements are met when they are subjected to malicious input data.- Web Application Security Testing Plug-in Collection for FireFox: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/collection/webappsec
Testing the user interface of web applications
Some frameworks give a toolbox for testing Web applications.Open Source web testing tools
- Apache JMeter: Java program for load testing and performance measurement.
- HTTP Test ToolHTTP Test ToolHTTP Test Tool is an open source scriptable protocol test tool for HTTP protocol based products like web servers, web browsers, web applications or ICAP....
: Scriptable protocol test tool for HTTP protocol based products.
Windows-based web testing tools
- HP LoadRunner - Automated performance and load testingLoad testingLoad testing is the process of putting demand on a system or device and measuring its response. Load testing is performed to determine a system’s behavior under both normal and anticipated peak load conditions. It helps to identify the maximum operating capacity of an application as well as any...
software from HP. - HP QuickTest ProfessionalHP QuickTest ProfessionalHP QuickTest Professional software provides functional and regression test automation for software applications and environments. Part of the HP Quality Center tool suite, HP QuickTest Professional can be used for enterprise quality assurance....
- Automated functional and regression testing software from HP. - IBM Rational Functional TesterIBM Rational Functional TesterIBM Rational Functional Tester is a tool for automated testing of software applications from the Rational Software division of IBM. It allows users to create tests that mimic the actions and assessments of a human tester...
- RanorexRanorexRanorex is a Windows GUI test automation framework for testing many different application types including Web 2.0 applications, Win32, MFC, WPF, Flash/Flex, .NET and Java . Ranorex doesn't have a scripting language of its own. The user Ranorex is a Windows GUI test automation framework for testing...
- SilkTestSilkTestSilkTest is an automation tool for testing the functionality of enterprise applications in most versions of Windows, Solaris 9 and 10, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS 2.1 and 3.0. It was produced by Segue Software which was acquired by Borland in 2006. Borland was acquired by Micro Focus...
- Automation tool for testing the functionality of enterprise applications. - Testing AnywhereTesting AnywhereTesting Anywhere is software produced by San Jose-based Automation Anywhere, Inc. . The software allows testers and developers to test applications, Web sites, objects, controls and GUI front-ends.The company has been featured in SD Times...
- Automation testing tool for all types of testing from Automation Anywhere. - TOSCA Testsuite - Software tool for the automated execution of functional and regression software testing.
Further reading
- Hung Nguyen, Robert Johnson, Michael Hackett: Testing Applications on the Web (2nd Edition): Test Planning for Mobile and Internet-Based Systems ISBN 0-471-20100-6
- James A. Whittaker: How to Break Web Software: Functional and Security Testing of Web Applications and Web Services, Addison-Wesley Professional, February 2, 2006. ISBN 0-321-36944-0
- Lydia Ash: The Web Testing Companion: The Insider's Guide to Efficient and Effective Tests, Wiley, May 2, 2003. ISBN 0471430218
- S. Sampath, R. Bryce, Gokulanand Viswanath, Vani Kandimalla, A. Gunes Koru. Prioritizing User-Session-Based Test Cases for Web Applications Testing. Proceedings of the International Conference on Software Testing, Verification, and Validation (ICST), Lillehammer, Norway, April 2008.
- "An Empirical Approach to Testing Web Applications Across Diverse Client Platform Configurations" by Cyntrica Eaton and Atif M. Memon. International Journal on Web Engineering and Technology (IJWET), Special Issue on Empirical Studies in Web Engineering, vol. 3, no. 3, 2007, pp. 227–253, Inderscience Publishers.