Nonfunctional tests - knowlesy/AZ400 GitHub Wiki

Nonfunctional tests check nonfunctional aspects of an application, such as performance and reliability.

Nonfunctional testing always tests something that's measurable. The goal is to improve the product. You might do that, for example, by improving how efficiently the application uses resources or by improving response times when many customers use it simultaneously. Here are some of the questions that nonfunctional tests can answer:

• How does the application perform under normal circumstances?
• How does the application perform when many users sign in concurrently?
• How secure is the application?

Performance testing

The goal of performance testing is to improve the speed, scalability, and stability of an application.

Load testing

Load tests determine the performance of an application under realistic loads. For example, load tests can determine how well an application performs at the upper limit of its service-level agreement (SLA). Basically, load testing determines the behavior of the application when multiple users need it at the same time.

Stress testing

Stress tests determine the stability and robustness of an application under heavy loads. The loads go beyond what's specified for the application. The stress tests determine whether the application will crash under these loads. If the application fails, the stress test checks to ensure that it fails gracefully. A graceful failure might, for example, issue an appropriate, informative error message.

Security testing

Security testing ensures that applications are free from vulnerabilities, threats, and risks. Thorough security testing finds all the possible loopholes and weaknesses of the system that might cause an information breach or a loss of revenue.

Penetration testing

Penetration testing, or pen testing, is a type of security testing that tests the insecure areas of the application. In particular, it tests for vulnerabilities that an attacker could exploit. An authorized, simulated cyber attack is usually a part of penetration testing.

Compliance testing

Compliance testing determines whether an application is compliant with some set of requirements, inside or outside the company. For example, healthcare organizations usually need to comply with HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996), which provides data privacy and, security provisions for safeguarding medical information.