What is Dynamic Testing?
Dynamic testing is a software testing method in which the software's runtime behavior is examined. As opposed to static testing, dynamic testing compiles and runs the code under review. It involves providing the software with input and validating its output.
Dynamic testing aims to check if the software is performing as it is supposed to.
You can use dynamic testing in all software development stages - from unit testing to test a single module to system testing, where the complete software is tested.
Methods of Dynamic Testing
Black-box testing and white-box testing are two main types of dynamic testing, although gray-box testing, which aims to get the best of both worlds, is quite popular.
Black-box Testing
Black-box testing verifies the system from an end-user perspective without giving any consideration to implementation details. Black-box testing can be further classified into:
- Functional Testing
- Functional testing confirms whether the software works in line with end-user expectations. Some types of functional testing are:
- Unit Testing
- Smoke Testing
- Integration Testing
- Regression Testing
- Sanity Testing
- System Testing
- Acceptance Testing
- Non-functional Testing
- Non-functional testing tests the non-functional aspects of the system that are important to end-users. Some types of non-functional testing are:
- Baseline testing.
- Compliance testing.
- Documentation testing.
- Reliability testing.
- Load testing.
- Localization testing and Internationalization testing.
- Performance testing.
- Recovery testing.
White-box Testing
White-box testing tests a software's internal structures or workings instead of its functionality.
Advantages of Dynamic Testing
- Defects are easier to find compared to static testing.
- You do not require programming skills to do most types of dynamic testing.
- You can better assess the software's quality.
Disadvantages of Dynamic Testing
- It is time-consuming.
- It requires testers to be skilled in programming.
- Defects are costly to fix since dynamic testing happens at later stages of development.
Conclusion
Dynamic testing is a defect correction method and, if done right, can lead to a high-quality product.