Web App Testing Fundamentals: (A Crash Course With Examples)

Web app testing fundamentals
(a crash course with examples)
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Web app testing
“A web application is a software application that runs on a remote server. In most
cases, Web browsers are used to access Web applications, over a network, such as the
Internet.”
(from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
“In computing, a web application or web app is a client–server computer program

which the client (including the user interface and client-side logic) runs in a web
browser. Common web applications include Webmail, online retail sales, and online
auction.”
(from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
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Web app testing
Client-server or web-based? Or both?!
a. Client-server apps
These apps rely on the 'two-tier architecture', meaning that there is only the client and
the database. The client tier contains the front-end (a.k.a. User Interface) and the
business logic, while the back-end consists of the database (data tier).
Examples: POS terminals, ATMs, IM (instant messaging) apps that install and run from
your computer (Skype, Yahoo! Messenger, etc.), social media mobile apps (Facebook,
Twitter, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, etc.)
b. Web-based apps
These apps rely on the 'three-tier architecture', which consists of the UI (presentation
layer), the business logic (application layer) and the database (data layer).
Examples: PentaStagiu, GitHub, Gmail, Yahoo!Mail, etc.
*** a graphical representation of these models comes up next
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Web app testing
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Web app testing
Web testing is the process of checking websites and/or web-based applications to

make sure they fulfill the required parameters for going live / into production.
The main types / techniques of testing to be carried out when dealing with web-based
applications are:
1. Functionality testing
2. Usability testing
3. Compatibility testing
4. Interface testing
5. Performance testing
6. Security testing
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Web app testing
Functionality testing
(the app does what it's supposed to do)
 Links – check all internal, outgoing, mailto, anchor links (broken links, orphan
pages)
 Forms – check field validations, default values, min/max allowed length, types of
data accepted by the form / field, behavior on create / modify / delete
 Cookies & Local / Session Storage – check encryption, persistence, behavior on

clearing browser cache and when manually deleting cookies / data stored in the
browser (local & session storage)
 HTML & CSS – check standard compliance, check for syntax errors
 Data integrity – check data consistency when creating, editing, deleting, exporting
content, check query execution and behavior when errors occur
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Web app testing
Usability testing
(the app is easy to understand and use)
 Test the navigation (menus, buttons, links are visible, accessible with ease and
consistent throughout the application)
 Color schema (the content is easy to read)
 Overall content rendering and correctness
 Readability in forms / fields
 Behavior when the content (text, image) does not fit the container (form, field)
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Web app testing
Compatibility testing
(the app runs on targeted browsers, OS's, devices)
 The application is checked for consistency in rendering and printing content in

supported browsers, on target devices and operating systems
 The menus, buttons and other UI elements should be displayed consistently as well on
supported browsers, devices and OS's
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Web app testing
Interface testing
(the app tiers connect and interact seamlessly with each other and with targeted apps / systems)
 Check the interaction between web server and application server
 Check the interaction between application server and database server
 Check error handling (relevant vs generic error messages, error logging) in various
scenarios (e.g. the communication among components is interrupted, invalid data is
sent between app tiers, etc.)
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Web app testing
Performance testing
(the app behaves under normal conditions, as well as under stress / load conditions)
 Check response / load times for completing server calls, for retrieving data from the
database, for displaying the data in the UI
 Check how the app handles large volumes of data to read / write
 Check behavior on large number of simultaneous connections
 Ensure the app recovers gracefully from crashes (find the breaking point and go
beyond it)
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Web app testing
Security testing
(the app handles writing, storing and retrieving sensitive data securely)
 Test the login security (e.g. how are the user credentials transmitted / stored,
access token lifetime, etc.)
 Verify access rights / permissions for restricted data (e.g. users without proper
permissions using a valid token of a user with full permissions)
 Test response to invalid input (e.g. specific error messages like 'Password invalid for
this user' are really bad)
 Check compliance with security standards that may apply
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Web app testing
Worry less while testing with a couple of tips & tricks
 Create checklists for each type of testing you will perform, so as to avoid leaving out
important aspects that should be verified about the web app
 Prioritize testing activities taking into account that the team must deliver the most
value possible for the client in a given time frame
 Make sure any potential risks remaining after the testing phase are acknowledged and
accepted by the client
 … and most importantly, have fun while testing, it's in the job description!
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Thank you for your patience, see you next time!
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Web app testing fundamentals

(a crash course with examples)

“In computing, a web application or web app is a client–server computer program

b. Web-based apps

Examples: PentaStagiu, GitHub, Gmail, Yahoo!Mail, etc.

*** a graphical representation of these models comes up next

Web testing is the process of checking websites and/or web-based applications to

 Cookies & Local / Session Storage – check encryption, persistence, behavior on

 Color schema (the content is easy to read)

 Overall content rendering and correctness

 Readability in forms / fields

 The application is checked for consistency in rendering and printing content in

 Check the interaction between web server and application server

 Check the interaction between application server and database server

 Check behavior on large number of simultaneous connections

 Check compliance with security standards that may apply

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