What are the best ways to test system functionality and quality?

1 Unit testing

Unit testing is the process of testing individual components or modules of your system, such as functions, classes, or methods. Unit testing helps you verify that your logic and functionality are correct, and that you have covered all the possible scenarios and edge cases. You can use various tools and frameworks, such as JUnit, NUnit, PyTest, or Mocha, to write and run unit tests in your preferred programming language. Unit testing also helps you refactor and debug your code more easily, as well as document your expectations and assumptions.

3 System testing

System testing is the process of testing your system as a whole, from end to end, to ensure that it meets the functional and non-functional requirements. System testing helps you evaluate your system's usability, reliability, security, and performance, and that it conforms to the specifications and standards. You can use tools and frameworks, such as JMeter, Gatling, Locust, or LoadRunner, to write and run system tests in various scenarios, such as functional, regression, or acceptance. System testing also helps you identify and resolve any defects or bugs before deploying your system.

4 Load testing

Load testing is the process of testing your system's performance and scalability under high or increasing load, such as concurrent users, requests, or transactions. Load testing helps you measure your system's throughput, response time, latency, and resource utilization, and that it can handle the expected or peak load without compromising quality. You can use tools and frameworks, such as JMeter, Gatling, Locust, or LoadRunner, to write and run load tests in various modes, such as stress, spike, or endurance. Load testing also helps you optimize and tune your system's architecture and configuration.

6 Test automation

Test automation is the process of using tools and frameworks to automate the execution and reporting of your tests, rather than doing them manually. Test automation helps you save time and effort, and increase the speed and frequency of your testing. You can use tools and frameworks, such as Jenkins, Travis CI, CircleCI, or GitHub Actions, to write and run test automation scripts in various stages, such as build, deploy, or monitor. Test automation also helps you ensure the consistency and quality of your testing, and that you can detect and fix any issues quickly.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?