Web Application Testing

What is Web Application Testing?

Web application testing is a specific type of testing centric around websites only. Websites have many components like responsiveness for different screens, OAuth integration of Gmail and Facebook, payment gateway integration, UI elements like images and carousel, API integrations, database integrations, server load, and virtual server deployment. Hence, web application testing covers all these domains.

Points to Be Considered While Testing a Website

• User experience: The website is visible when the user visits the domain name. Ensuring button interaction, image size, font size, and colors are correct.
• API integration: The flow of data from API to UI and vice-versa is correct. The endpoints, GET/POST requests, and format of the parameters.
• Data storage: The data getting stored, the schema structure of the database, the data coming from the server, and the way it would display on the UI.
• Security checkpoints: Penetration testing, managing authentication, and authorization where authorization means the Admin has much more control and can see more data than a user.

Web Application Testing Techniques

1. Functionality Testing of a Website: Functionality testing includes testing all the features on the website. The login, comment section, UI, contact us form, payment gateway, maps integration, etc., are all working. Data is coming from the backend, and the update is working. Forms validation is working, and links not broken are all part of functional testing.
2. Usability testing: Also known as user experience testing, it ensures users can navigate pages without any issues, the site is responsive, and the icon size is visible on the smaller screen. Speed of the site and ensuring the site is user-ability.
3. Interface Testing: Interface testing is a huge part of website testing as the user enters data in the form of the site. That data goes back to the backend and is inserted into the database. Response from the backend is sent back to the client. Ensuring data flow is maintained and correct data is stored in the database.
4. Database Testing: Database testing in websites is all about ensuring data is getting in the correct format in the database. The transactions, rollback events, speed of getting the huge list, and password encryption are all maintained in database testing. Performance and speed of transactions are also an integral part of here.
5. Compatibility testing: Compatibility testing is about hardware compatibility, but in the case of websites, it is linked with browser/cross-browser testing. The experience of the website across all browsers should be good. There is always a difference in date format shown in Firefox vs. date format in Google Chrome. So, ensuring the smooth experience of the entire site across tens of browsers we have.
6. Performance Testing: Load and stress testing of the site using JMeter and parallel tools come under performance testing. Ensuring the site doesn't crash in case of bulk of users. Server load capacity, testing servers, and load balancers are all part of the performance testing.
7. Security testing: Penetration testing, SQL Injections, and ensuring there are no loopholes in API endpoints come under security testing. Authorization is also an integral part of the sites where the Admin can have to delete/edit rights which a normal user cannot. Also, Payment gateway integration testing comes under security testing.

Types of Web Application Testing

1. Static Website Testing:

Static websites are where data on the UI is directly displayed from the database. There is no user interaction via the form. There is no contact us, comment section, or login element. Static Website testing is about fonts, colors, images, and user experience.

2. Dynamic Website Testing:

Any website with a form is dynamic. Forms indicate user interaction. The data is sent from UI to the server, which stores the data in the database. Dynamic site testing includes UI/UX testing, API testing to ensure API is working, and API endpoints security testing. Finally, database testing tests that data is stored in the correct format.

3. E-Commerce Website Testing:

E-commerce sites like Amazon and Flipkart, from where users can place their orders, are heavy on user interaction as with every button press, and location change - the data updates in a fraction of a second. Payment integration is also a crucial element of the e-commerce site. Testing all these functionalities is a part of the e-commerce site.

4. Mobile-Based Web Testing:

Nowadays, all the sites are responsive. That is, the site is adjustable to the device's screen size. For example, the same site would have a different user experience based on screen size. The user experience of a site on the mobile screen, tablet screen, and laptop would be different as per the screen dimensions. This is a crucial element in mobile-based web testing.

See More

1. Mobile App Testing Interview Questions
2. Usability Testing
3. Cookies Testing