Conducted by the software developers themselves, rather than the quality assurance (QA) team, unit testing has become far more than a “nice to have” element of the software development lifecycle (SDLC). Now, technology professionals everywhere recognize the importance of this critical phase in ensuring the quality of software of all types.
The good news is that for several decades, software professionals have had the option of automating unit testing, making it more efficient and less time-consuming.
Unit testing must be a requirement for all software developers, helping them ensure the accuracy of their code early on in the SDLC. So, how do you find someone equipped with the skills to perform it?
Through unit testing, the software developer tests tiny pieces of code — units — in complete isolation from the rest of the product. This allows the developer to see whether and how that unit is functioning independently of the larger system. It’s a type of testing that occurs early on in the SDLC, prior to later rounds of QA testing. Usually, it’s performed by the developer, as opposed to QA testers.
Developers perform unit testing to spot defects before they escalate and interfere with the system later on in the process. It also gives the developer a sense of how the code operates in different circumstances.
Test-driven development (TDD) reverses the software development process by beginning the development phase with testing, rather than saving all testing until after coding. The approach means that developers use test cases to validate the code and identify problems as early as possible. They keep scripting test cases until they can enable the code to successfully pass.
Essentially, this approach is a form of unit testing. It, too, allows the developer to test code in isolation.
The advent of automated testing changed the way all testing, including unit testing, is performed. Rather than having to do it manually — or entirely performed by a human being — professionals can create test cases to automate the work, allowing the developers and QA analysts to free up time and effort.
Most unit testing is automated, although there may be cases in which manual manipulation is required.
Unit testing has become pivotal to the SDLC. When components or units are tested in isolation, software developers can better understand how the code behaves and validate its quality. It also allows developers to spot issues early on so they can fix them before they affect the entire product when it’s more difficult to fix them. This saves both time and money.
In addition, unit testing helps:
An ideal unit test should:
AAA means arrange, act, and assert. The pattern is a unit-testing standard that says that developers should separate their testing strategy into these 3 sections. Each of the arrange, act, and assert aspects is only responsible for that particular section. Ultimately, the AAA pattern helps make tests more readable.
JUnit is an open-source unit testing framework specifically intended for testing Java code. It’s often used as part of test-driven development, encouraging developers to test prior to coding. It helps facilitate a smoother code-writing process.
Unit testing frameworks and tools help developers script and conduct unit tests, facilitating a more efficient, productive, and smoother process. Common tools include:
Unit tests and integration tests are 2 important parts of the SDLC and quality assurance processes. However, they aren’t the same thing. Some key differences are:
We are looking for a driven, experienced software developer to join our team. You will conduct a range of activities within the software development lifecycle, including conceptualizing and building software, gathering requirements, and conducting unit testing, among other efforts. You will also be responsible for correcting bugs and generally delivering high-quality software.
Testing is an important part of the development process, which is why it’s important to follow its evolution. That begs the question: What are the most interesting trends in the foreseeable future?
These trends will bring a lot of changes and new challenges in Software Quality Assurance. 2021 will be the year for QA innovation.
A code inspector is exactly what it sounds like—a tool that inspects code before it’s compiled or deployed. But do you need one? Why?
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