Testing vs debugging. What is the difference?

Testing and debugging are two terms that are often confused. Although both have to do with improving software, they involve completely different activities and stages. In this article, we will discuss the basic differences between testing and debugging. Read on.

Testing vs debugging- table of contents:

1. What is software testing?
2. What is software debugging?
3. Testing vs. debugging
4. Differences between testing and debugging
5. Summary

What is software testing?

Testing is the process of verifying and validating software. It ensures that it works as intended. In other words, it verifies that the software has achieved the intended result. Testing is carried out by a team of testers. They identify bugs in the software, and when they find them, they record them and inform the development team.

Then, the testers create a comprehensive report containing all the details of the error. They include information such as the identifier, description, occurrence, what happened because of the error, etc. The development team uses this report to fix the bugs. The following distinction can be made:

Functional testing verifies that the software has reached the expected level.

• Unit tests are used to verify that each module works as it is expected. It is the testing of individual modules. Unlike other types of testing, unit tests are performed by developers, not testers.
• An integration test is a test of two modules that checks the flow of data between them.
• System testing is the testing of all software.

These are some common types of functional testing. Non-functional testing checks non-functional aspects of the system, such as performance, scalability, usability, etc.

What is software debugging?

Debugging is performed by the test team after receiving the test report from the testers. The programmer analyzes the reports and tries to find the cause of the errors. The person goes through the fragment of code where the error occurred and checks each line of the program.

After finding the error, they modify the code fragment in question and check again to see if the fault has been corrected. Once the bug is fixed, the programmer sends the software to the test team.Nowadays, most development environments have a special tool called a debugger to assist in the debugging process.

Testing vs debugging

The main difference between testing and debugging is that testing is the process of finding and identifying software defects, while debugging is the process of correcting identified defects.

Software development is a complex process involving several stages, such as requirements analysis, design, development, testing and maintenance. Testing and debugging are two activities involved in software development.

Testing is the process of finding defects in software. Debugging is the process that helps fix identified defects. Both testing and debugging help deliver working and high-quality software to users.

Differences between testing and debugging

Definition

Testing aims at verifying that the actual results correspond to the expected results when it comes to software operation and making sure that the software is free of defects. Debugging is the process of finding and fixing defects or problems in a computer program that prevent the software or system from working properly.

Main task

The main difference between testing and debugging is that testing is the process of finding and identifying software defects, while debugging is the process of correcting identified defects.

Execution

Testing is carried out by the testing team, and debugging is done by the development team.

Purpose

Another difference between testing and debugging is the goal. The purpose of performing a test is to find as many defects as possible. The purpose of debugging, however, is to fix the bugs found.

Way of implementation

While testing can be done manually or automatically, debugging is done manually.

Testing vs debugging – summary

To conclude, both testing and debugging are important activities in the software development process. The difference between testing and debugging is that testing is the process of finding and identifying software defects, while debugging is the process of correcting identified defects.

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