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Difference between Unit Testing and System Testing
Unit testing and system testing are two different types of software testing techniques. The focus of unit testing is to ensure that each unit of a software product works as intended. System testing, on the other hand, tests the entire software product as a whole.
Read this article to learn more about unit testing and system testing and how these two testing techniques are different from each other.
What is Unit Testing?
Unit testing is a type of testing in which a single module is tested at a time. Unit testing checks if the individual units of an application function as intended. Unit testing is also known as white box testing. As a single module is tested at a time, the focus of the tester is on the internal design of the application as well.
Unit testing is performed as the first stage of testing; it is generally performed by developers of the application. Unit tests are carried out every time the code is changed to ensure that no bugs have been introduced and that existing functionality is still intact. Defects get easily identified and are locked as per module.
Unit testing generally does not depend on the size of project so it can be performed in both small and large sized projects. Parallel testing is not supported in unit testing because a single module is tested at a time.
What is System Testing?
System Testing is a testing which is used to validate the functionality of a software product developed. It is also known as black box testing. This testing involves the behavioral as well as functional testing of the software product as per the documents provided for testing.
System testing is generally performed by developers as well as testers. It includes both the module basis testing and integration testing with multiple modules.
System testing is generally executed after the development and before the delivery of the software product. Since the system testing is performed by a group of testers, thus it would contain more negative test cases. The system testing uses all the possible dummy inputs for testing purpose.
It is a great advantage of the system testing that it supports parallel testing as multiple modules can be tested in parallel. However, the system testing's cost is comparatively higher because a large number of resources is required in this type of testing.
Difference between Unit Testing and System Testing
The following table highlights all the important differences between unit testing and system testing −
Key |
Unit Testing |
System Testing |
|---|---|---|
Definition |
Unit testing is a testing in which tester tests only single module at a time and not the integrated version of the application. |
System testing is a type of testing where each module is treated as separate target for testing and these modules are getting integrate one by one after testing completed on them. |
Approach |
A single module is tested at a time. |
It comprises the bottom-up approach testing and top-down approach testing along with all modules in integrated mode. |
Defects |
As single module is tested in Unit testing so defects get easily identified and are locked as per module. |
In System testing, modules get integrated after testing so defects are not easily identified as modules get dependent on each other up to some extent. |
Abbreviation |
Unit testing is also called white box testing. |
System testing is also called black box testing. |
Parallel Testing |
Parallel testing is not supported in case of Unit testing as single module plays role in case of Unit testing. |
It supports Parallel testing as multiple modules can be get tested in parallel. |
Cost effective |
Unit testing have less cost as compare to System testing as a smaller number of resources are required in this type of testing. |
In System testing, the cost is comparatively higher as a greater number of resources are required in this type of testing. |
Performance |
Performance of unit testing is high as compare to System testing as single module is get tested at a time. |
System testing has lower performance as compare to Unit testing as multiple and integrated modules get tested at same time. |
Conclusion
From the above discussion, we can conclude that unit testing focuses on individual units of a product, while system testing focuses on the entire software application. However, both the techniques play an equally important role in ensuring the quality and reliability of a software application.
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