What is Web Application Testing?

Web application testing is a software testing and quality assurance process wherein flaws and defects that may cause the app to become inoperable are identified and fixed. Web application testing ensures that all the bugs are removed before the apps are live. Web applications are accessible via various browsers, operating systems, and networks. There are many benefits for businesses with web application testing which ensures their users get the best possible UX. Before deep-diving into the concept of web app testing, let us have an understanding of web apps and their types.

An overview of web apps and their types

A web application is an app that can be accessed via a web browser and does not require any specific installation process. These apps simplify user interaction and enable the users to send and receive data via web browsers. This interaction can be as simple as listening to music or as complex as making online transactions. Web apps may be classified into two major categories of static and dynamic web apps based on their features.

Types of Web Apps

1. Static Web Apps: These apps appear to the end-users as they are stored on the server. Common examples of static web apps are portfolios and website landing pages.

2. Dynamic Web Apps: These apps fetch data in real-time as per the user’s request. Since the databases are located on the server-side, the end-user gets updated information in real-time. These are mostly the dynamic web apps further divided into the below sub-categories.

 2.1. Single-page apps: These apps continuously rewrite the current page rather than loading new pages from a server. Example Gmail app.

2.2. Multi-page apps: Multi-page apps reload and display new content from the server whenever the user performs a new action. Some examples of multi-page apps are Amazon and CNN.

2.3. Portal web apps: These web apps provide a range of categories on the home page. The home page may contain features such as a cart, profile, etc. like student and patient portals.

2.4. Progressive web apps: These apps rely on web browser APIs and features of mobile devices to provide a native experience across different devices. Some examples of progressive web apps are Spotify and Pinterest.

2.5. eCommerce web apps: These apps are online stores that offer primary features of any eCommerce app, such as searching and adding products, making a transaction, buying products, etc. some of these apps examples are Amazon Flipkart, etc.

2.6. Animated web apps: Apart from the features provided by traditional web apps, animated web apps enable businesses to represent content using various animated effects. Some of the examples are Apple, Squadeasy, etc.

2.7. Rich internet apps: These apps are used by businesses to resolve browser restrictions as they depend on plugins like Flash and Silverlight. Rich internet apps (RIA) have features similar to their desktop version and offer an interactive user experience. Some examples are Adobe Flash and MS Silverlight.

2.8. JavaScript (JS) web apps: These apps are built using the JS frameworks such as Angular.js, React.js, and Vue.js. These JS web apps provide enhanced user interaction as well as SEO optimization. Due to the ability to handle user requests and respond, most client portals are JavaScript web apps. Some examples are LinkedIn and Uber.

Different web apps perform multiple buying activities, listening to songs, reading books, performing online transactions, etc. There are many benefits for businesses with these apps, and these apps should perform seamlessly and deliver a great UX.

Benefits for businesses with web application testing

1. Improves app efficiency:

By performing web app testing, it improves the app efficiency to ensure scalability, robustness, and seamless app navigation.

2. Enhances user experience:

GUI testing ensures that the UI of the web application is customer-centric and meets the end users’ expectations. It ensures that the app is verified for common UI defects such as font, color, navigation, etc. GUI testing enhances the user experience, converting more users into customers.

3. Improves app scalability:

Maintaining the optimal user load and verifying it using load testing ensures high-speed functioning of the web applications even during peak times.

4. Prevents data breaches:

Security is fundamental to gaining customers’ confidence and creating a good brand reputation. Security testing safeguards a web app against critical security issues such as data breaches, threats, and vulnerabilities.

5. Ensures cross-platform compatibility:

Compatibility testing of web apps ensures these apps are accessible across OS and browsers.

6. Increases user conversions:

Usability testing aims to optimize the user experience and ensures that app features are easy to navigate and the users can consume the app’s content without any hindrance.

1. Functional testing:

QA engineers verify that the initial build works as expected. Common features tested in functional testing are link testing, cookie testing, HTML & CSS validation, etc.

2. Usability testing:

Security testing method ensures that the app navigation is user-friendly and the web application’s content is easily accessible.

3. Compatibility testing:

This test method verifies whether the web app design is compatible with most browsers and devices.

4. GUI testing:

Ensures the UI of the web app meets the customer requirements and that the app is seamlessly accessible to users.

5. Cross-browser testing:

Users may run a web app on any browser. So, cross-browser testing is performed to ensure the app runs without any issues on all of them.

6. Database testing:

This testing includes reporting errors found while executing queries and maintaining data integrity while managing data in the database.

7. Performance testing:

Validates the web app against different load and stress conditions and at different internet connection speeds to ensure proper scalability of the web app.

8. Security testing:

This testing method helps identify potential vulnerabilities in a web app and subsequently strengthens its security.

9. Accessibility testing:

Business apps should be accessible to all people, including people with specific disabilities like hearing loss, impaired vision, cognitive disabilities, etc. This testing method ensures that the app follows all accessibility guidelines like W3C’s WCAG 1.0/2.0/2.1/2.2, BITV 1.0, Section 508 & Stanca Act, etc. This test method ensures equal access to apps for all and helps in expanding the user base.

Key challenges while performing Web application testing

1. Uncontrolled web app environments:

Testing a web app is relatively diverse and challenging compared to traditional software application testing. Since web applications work on a wide range of screen resolutions, operating systems, hardware, etc., comprehensive test coverage across all environments is impossible and needs testers’ proper evaluation.

2. Frequent UI changes:

As businesses add new features to these web apps, it becomes difficult to integrate these new functionalities or add third-party tools or new logic to the code. Moreover, these recent UI changes make the testers struggle to maintain the UI test scripts and need to balance with the changes.

3. Difficulty handling image comparisons:

While performing web automation testing, managing image comparisons becomes a challenge. The usability testers should carefully handle the different pixel variations, such as shape, size, color, etc., so seamless image conversions are done.

4. Usability issues:

Typically, these usability issues are one of the key reasons behind a web app failure. Web apps usually fall behind user expectations when they inefficiently deliver multiple features into a few screens. The QA teams should create the test plans and calls by leveraging proper usability testing tools to ensure seamless navigation across the web apps.

Six Important facts to look for in Web app testing

1. When testing web applications, evaluate some key areas such as HTML page interactions, TCP/IP communications, and JavaScript

2. Validate applications for CGI scripts, database interfaces, dynamic page generators, etc.

3. Test the web applications across browsers and OS and also test for the localization and globalization

4. Test the web URLs for their proper functioning

5. Check the website for any typos, grammar mistakes, and incorrect punctuation

6. Ensure that old pages are mapped to new ones to avoid loss of content during the transition

Some web application testing scenarios

•  The user navigation flow across different pages of the website

•  Whether the user can select/deselect checkboxes, radio buttons, etc.

•  If the user can select required values from the Dropdown list

• Whether all the command buttons such as Save, Next, Upload, Reload, etc. are working well

• If the Search functionality across the web pages is working correctly

•  That there are no broken links

•  For the proper functioning of the tab order across pages

•  If the Default values for each web page are displayed

•  For the Email functionality, if any

Trending web application testing tools in 2022

1. UiPath:

An RPA tool leveraged by businesses for large-scale end-to-end automation via test robots that execute tests on-demand, continuously, and at scale.

2. TOSCA:

An automated testing tool that enables functional and regression testing of GUIs and APIs from a business perspective.

3. AccelQ:

An AI and ML-powered tool that provides a codeless automation testing facility for API and web application testing.

4. TestComplete:

A functional automated testing platform that enables QA engineers to create automated tests for Windows, Web, Android, and iOS apps.

5. Selenium:

An open-source test automation tool that offers test automation facilities over a wide range of OS such as Windows, Mac, and Linux and leading web browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, and Edge.

6. HP UFT:

HPE Unified Functional Test is a reliable cross-platform web UI testing tool. UFT is integrated with HP ALM (Test Management Tool) and HP LoadRunner.

7. Cypress:

An open-source tool that QA engineers use to test web apps using JavaScript frameworks. Cypress enables testers to view the execution of test cases simultaneously and in real-time as they create the test cases.

8. Leapwork:

A point-and-click test automation tool that enables QA testers to design and execute web automation test cases via visual flowcharts.

10. LambdaTest:

A cloud-based cross-browser testing tool validates JavaScript, CSS, HTLM5, and other web app elements across the leading web browsers. LambdaTest offers support for manual, visual, as well as automation QA.

Conclusion

Web applications have become an essential medium for businesses with seamless accessibility over various operating systems, screen resolutions, and browsers. However, the true potential of these web apps revolves around their scalability, robustness, and high performance to deliver a great UX. Therefore, these web apps should be tested thoroughly before releasing them into the market. Leverage web app testing services from a next-gen testing services provider to get web apps with seamless functionality and navigation to deliver a great UX.

How can TestingXperts help?

TestingXperts follows a comprehensive QA strategy that handles the unique requirements and challenges of web application testing. Our in-house accelerators, frameworks, and our core differentiators help businesses to quicken releases and ensure quicker time-to-market

TestingXperts differentiators for web application testing:

• Ready-to-use next-gen AI-accelerator (Tx-SmarTest) and Robot-Led UiPath test automation framework helps deliver faster outcomes.

• Ready-to-use in-house test automation accelerator ‘Tx-Automate’ reduces the regression cycle time by 80% and increases test coverage

• Flexible engagement models to meet customer business needs

• Tool partnerships with leading vendors like UiPath Test Suite, Tricentis Tosca, AccelQ, etc.

•  IP-led services accelerate delivery and optimize costs significantly

Connect with our web application testing experts to improve the overall user experience of your web applications with our next-gen specialist testing services.

The post Web Application Testing – A Complete Guide for Businesses first appeared on TestingXperts.

Web applications are more than just simple information-based websites. The increase in size and complexities together with shorter development cycles in Agile and recurrent changes in requirements present numerous QA and testing challenges.

Contents 1. Web Application Testing 2. Web Application Testing Practices 3. What are the benefits of web application testing? 4. How to test Web Application? 5. What are the challenges faced in web application testing? 6. What are the tools for Web Application testing? 7. Conclusion

Web Application Testing

With all the impending issues, web app testing holds more importance than ever. However, testing a web application is not just an ordinary task, and depends on several factors such as compatibility across various browsers, application performance, user experience, user acceptance, ensuring proper security, etc.

The enterprises must deploy skilled testers to assess all aspects of the website across platforms, browsers, and devices. The testers must always implement web application testing best practices in order to produce accurate and reliable test results without increasing testing times.

Web application testing Practices:

1. Emphasis on Cross-Browser Compatibility Testing

With more and more users accessing websites on their mobile phones and tablets, enterprises are exploring more ways to make their websites mobile-friendly. Responsive web design makes the web applications deliver a rich user experience on every device. To ensure that the web application is able to work well on all browsers and devices, developers build responsive websites by using open web technologies like HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript. Hence, it becomes important to perform cross-browser compatibility testing to ensure that the website is accessible on every available version of individual web browsers.

2. Evaluate the Application’s Performance Under Various Conditions

In addition to assessing the proper working of the application on all devices and browsers, it is also equally important to ensure that it does not crash under heavy loads. Sometimes minor flaws in the coding or design can affect the website’s performance adversely. Therefore, it is important to perform load testing and evaluate how the application performs under varying loads. There are various automation load testing tools available to accelerate load testing.

3. Choose the Right Parameters for Usability Testing

Usability and the user-experience of the web applications are of the utmost importance to keep the visitors engaged and convert them into customers. Hence, it is important to evaluate the usability of the applications based on most appropriate parameters. Performing usability testing on the application before its release is a best practice. Usability testing involves several parameters such as UI design, speed, navigability, content readability, and accessibility.

4. Validate all Security Issues with Security Testing

Underestimating the significance of web application security is a ticking time bomb. Even a single vulnerability can lead to a massive data breach that can shake even the largest of companies down to its grounds, causing a negative impact, substantial financial consequences, and the loss of public trust. It is therefore imperative to ensure that the web application is thoroughly tested on the security front. A number of strategies that should be incorporated into the web application security testing are as follows:

• Defining coding standards and quality controls

• Creating strategies based on both internal and external challenges

• Using industry standards as a benchmark

• Implementing a cross-functional approach to policy building

5. Integrate Exploratory Testing in the Software Development Lifecycle

Exploratory testing reduces testing time and discovers more defects. As a regular practice in the software testing approach, testers write and execute test cases simultaneously. When failing to understand the shortcomings of exploratory testing, they are surrounded by more defects. By integrating exploratory testing with other black-hat and white-hat software testing techniques, the limitations of web app testing can be easily overcome. The integration can help in producing more reliable test results while reducing the testing time significantly.

How to test Web Application?

There are six important steps to test a web application:

1. Functionality testing:

This step ensures that the functionalities of a web application are properly functioning or not. Functional testing takes place in the source code.

Functionality testing includes:

• Determining the data input and entry
• Test case execution
• Functions need to be properly identified because the software runs effectively through the integration of functions
• Actual results must be analysed

2. Usability testing:

This testing type focuses on how user experiences while using a particular web application. Efforts are put in to ensure that the application is built in-line with user needs. This testing method makes it a point to see that a user is able to easily navigate through the various functions of an application. The content that is displayed in the web application must also be clearly visible.

3. Interface testing:

This testing method ensures that the three main components of a web application which are web server, web browser and database are running harmoniously. This testing type checks whether there is any interruption while the data is being transferred. Upon that, the communication taking place between various interfaces is also thoroughly checked.

4. Compatibility testing:

This testing methodology ensures that a particular web application is compatible with all browsers. Compatibility testing takes place at three levels which are browser compatibility, operating system compatibility and device compatibility.

5. Performance testing:

In here, a specific web application is tested in terms of how better it can perform under stress conditions and heavy load. How the application is able to perform under different internet speeds, networks and browsers are also worked upon. Stress testing is one form of testing which is used to determine what amount of stress a web application can go through until it ceases to function. Also, how an application performs when it is running through various hardware configurations and what are the mechanisms that need to be strategized in order to prevent the application from crashing. All the above-mentioned aspects are thoroughly scrutinized and tested under the scope of performance testing<.

6. Security testing:

The final and most important step of testing a web application is Security testing. When a web application is being built, there is a lot of data that is being used and stored. Some of this data can be sensitive and needs to be protected at any cost, failure of which can cause a lot of technical issues for a web application to function properly. In order to fully secure these types of mission-critical data, security testing is implemented.

What are the benefits of web application testing?

Compatibility across browsers:

The practice of web application testing helps the applications to be compatible across all web browsers. Every user uses different browsers while surfing websites. The practice of web application testing effectively helps the apps to function the same for every user using different browsers.

Improves website performance:

The methodology of web application testing successfully helps to overcome the slow app performance. Applications with slow performance are not the choice for any user and Google even. Web app testing helps to resolve the load time delays caused due to the graphics, code, etc. and maintains a quality application.

Secures App from vulnerabilities:

Security is one of the important concerns for every application. Day-by-day the rate of website hacks is excessively increasing, so there is an immediate need for every small and large enterprises to practice the web app testing to ensure that the applications are free from the different kinds of threats.

Ensures high quality of the application:

The end-to-end testing practice effectively helps in enhancing the performance and functionality of the app. And, this way of testing helps to find and resolve the bugs at earliest. Thus, a high-quality app will be achieved before the release.

Reduces the Time and Cost Consumption:

The end-to-end testing practice through automation tools reduces the occurrence of errors and the performance of repetitive test cases. This will help the enterprises to achieve quality results with reduced time and cost.

What are the challenges faced in web application testing?

Challenge in interacting with Firewalls:

There are several instances where a firewall or a port can block a web application due to the issues of security certificates. Therefore, to avoid these scenarios, it is mandatory to test the application across various firewalls.

Challenge for validating Web Services:

The modern web applications are prominently depending on the web service layers such as JSON/REST or XML/SOAP to exchange data between systems or applications. So, the need for testing these web services has become huge, but the web automating testing tools are not the ones to tackle the services. Hence, testing web services is one of the important challenges faced by the teams.

Challenge to maintain consistency across browsers:

Interactive and Scalable web applications are always the preference of any user. If any inconsistency is experienced by the user while surfing on different browsers, then this can become a huge negative affecting the enterprise brand and growth. Hence, while performing usability testing, the developers need to monitor the interactivity and scalability of the app across different browsers by using different hardware.

Challenge to overcome performance issues:

An application with slow loading time is not a choice for any user and this drive affects the enterprise’s brand and app future. Hence, to overcome this challenge, developers should find the reasons influencing performance testing such as extending application features, interoperability, and integration issues, etc.

Challenge to secure app from data breaches:

Cyber threats are exceptionally increasing in number and affecting the user’s sensitive data which is available in the apps. In order to avoid data breaches and loss of information, it is important to regulate security testing practices. This will help to avoid the issues related to DDoS attacks and other cyber attacks and if there are any found, they can be resolved at the earliest.

What are the tools for Web Application testing?

Selenium: 

Selenium is one of the leading open-source web automation tools. It helps to perform automation across different devices and browsers. Also, there are several options to choose the language for writing test scripts such as C#, Python, Java, PHP, JavaScript, etc.

TestComplete:

This is an easy-to-use functional test automation tool. It allows in creating and maintaining automated regression tests on various devices. This tool is efficient to run 1,500 tests in parallel across remote test environments.

Qase:

This is a modern cloud-based test automation tool that is designed for helping QA and development teams. This tool doesn’t limit to run test cases or projects.

Zephyr:

Zephyr is also a top tool providing end-to-end solutions for many small and big enterprises. A one-click can enable to integrate with Jenkins, JIRA, Bamboo, etc. Also, it provides a good number of deployment choices for the user.

Robot Framework:

This is an open-source tool with an test automation framework. It helps to drive a keyword-driven approach for acceptance test-driven development and acceptance testing.

Conclusion

Every application whether web, mobile, or desktop-based, is experiencing more users. Considering the device variety, the ease of access has grown fundamentally over the past few years. With so much going on in the software domain, there is no way that testing will get easier. TestingXperts follows a comprehensive QA strategy that handles the unique requirements and challenges associated with web application testing. Connect with our experts to improve the overall user experience of your application with our testing strategies.