{"id":1540,"date":"2023-01-31T10:12:48","date_gmt":"2023-01-31T10:12:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.softwaretestingstuff.com\/?p=1540"},"modified":"2024-01-03T06:30:27","modified_gmt":"2024-01-03T06:30:27","slug":"difference-between-testing-and-debugging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.softwaretestingstuff.com\/difference-between-testing-and-debugging\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the Difference Between Testing and Debugging [2024 Updated]"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As programmers, although we know how to code a program, we often don\u2019t know the technical terms related to it. But considering how often they\u2019re thrown around, it\u2019s handy to know some important ones. If you\u2019re new to coding, you might not know the difference between testing and debugging <\/strong>yet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Debugging is when you know your code has a bug, and you implement techniques to find it out. Whereas Testing is when you\u2019re not aware of any certain bug, but are in search of finding one, just in case one pops up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both processes include being patient and making your piece of software as error and bug-free as possible. Throughout this post, we\u2019ll delve deeper into the topic and provide tips on optimizing both processes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Comparison Table of Testing and Debugging<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before going into the detailed explanations of testing and debugging, let\u2019s first articulate testing vs debugging <\/strong>into a neat table: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Testing<\/strong><\/td>Debugging<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
It\u2019s the process of checking if a bug exists.<\/td>It\u2019s the process of eliminating the bug after it has been found during testing<\/td><\/tr>
Testing doesn\u2019t necessarily need to be done by a programmer <\/td>Debugging must be done by a programmer, preferably the person who wrote the code<\/td><\/tr>
No programming or design knowledge is required<\/td>Programming knowledge is a must, and design knowledge helps<\/td><\/tr>
Testing isn\u2019t secretive: anyone outside the company may be allowed to test<\/td>Debugging is strictly secretive and must be done by people within the company<\/td><\/tr>
It can be automated or manual<\/td>It\u2019s strictly manual<\/td><\/tr>
Testing can be done even after a project is complete<\/td>Debugging is done while developing a project<\/td><\/tr>
Costs of labor and buying testing tools are included.<\/td>It doesn\u2019t cost anything, besides the efforts of the programmer<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Difference Between Testing and Debugging: In-Depth Comparison<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As mentioned in our one-liner, debugging is knowing actively that an error exists and trying to exterminate it, whereas testing is setting out on a journey of trying to find any perceivable error. Let\u2019s now get into the nitty-gritties of testing vs debugging. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Testing?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Testing is the process of making sure that a piece of software is completely error-free. This activity isn\u2019t necessarily done by the programmer himself but rather can be outsourced to someone else who has ideas about a project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Features of Testing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While testing, quite literally every possible incurable scenario is emulated. In input fields, values that a user might not usually put in are entered just to check if the code can handle it. Corner cases are checked, like whether integer overflow occurs and how the software deals with it. Out-of-bounds and other boundary cases are examined too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Testing features also include checking design requirements, judging how well the software interacts on different sets of devices, and so on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overall, testing examines and verifies whether a program is ready enough to be published publicly and for the users to use so that there\u2019s no room for them to send in complaints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Types of Testing<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Testing is systematically carried out depending on the category. Depending on the tester, testing is of two types: manual and automated testing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Manual Testing <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As the name suggests, manual testing is done manually by a human being. They don\u2019t necessarily have to be software programmers or have coding knowledge, but it obviously helps. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only required knowledge is the steps for software testing going through the program and testing every bit of nook and cranny in search of a bug.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Manual testing is quite expensive, as you\u2019re using human time and might need to pay the testers at an hourly rate. Humans are also not the most efficient, and it\u2019s easily possible for the human tester to leave out certain cases or that bugs don\u2019t catch their eye. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sub-category: Beta Testing<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

To mitigate this, some popular companies make smart of their big fan base. When launching an app, they start a beta testing campaign, where enthusiast fans get to try out the app before anyone else, play around with it, and report back to the developers if they find anything fishy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the most popular apps now, Discord, has its own beta testing campaign<\/a>, where the community chimes in and help the developers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a win-win strategy in both ways: the fans feel included in the company\u2019s decision-making process, and the company just got real human testers without having to pay a professional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Automated Testing <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The exact opposite of manual testing, automated testing includes using special computer programs<\/a> or artificially intelligent algorithms to test their programs for them. This approach is much quicker and can handle higher datasets in less time. The script for automated testing is written by the programmer, who tries to go through every use case possible and test his software on rigorous workloads. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A downside of automated testing is the lack of human touch. As everything is done with yes\u2019s and no\u2019s, it\u2019s not quite possible to know how a user would perceive or encounter the error. Furthermore, the automated script writer knows beforehand which errors to look out for. So it has its pros and cons. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the second category, we have the actual processes carried out while testing on different components of the software, such as: <\/p>\n\n\n\n