Non Functional Testing

What is non-functional testing?

Non-Functional Testing is a type of software testing that verifies the non-functional requirements like performance, usability, security etc. of the application. It is a black-box testing technique that is performed by the testing team in the software industry.

Objectives of Non-Functional Testing

In Non Functional Testing, the testing team verifies the following:

• Performance - The application should perform well under different load conditions.
• Usability - The application should be user-friendly and easy to use.
• Security - The application should be secure and protect the data from unauthorized access.
• Compatibility - The application should be compatible with different browsers, devices, and operating systems.
• Reliability - The application should be reliable and provide accurate results.
• Scalability - The application should be scalable and handle the increasing load.

Example of Non-Functional Testing

Let's take an example of Non-Functional Testing. Suppose we have an e-commerce application. The testing team needs to verify the following:

• Performance - The application should perform well under different load conditions like 100 users, 500 users, etc.
• Usability - The application should be user-friendly and easy to use. The users should be able to navigate through the application easily.
• Security - The application should be secure and protect the data from unauthorized access. The users should be able to login securely.
• Compatibility - The application should be compatible with different browsers like Chrome, Firefox, etc.
• Reliability - The application should be reliable and provide accurate results. The users should be able to place the order without any issues.
• Scalability - The application should be scalable and handle the increasing load. The users should be able to place the order without any issues.

Types of Non-Functional Testing

There are different types of Non-Functional Testing. Some of them are:

• Performance Testing - It verifies the application's performance under different load conditions.
• Usability Testing - It verifies the application's usability and user-friendliness.
• Security Testing - It verifies the application's security and protects the data from unauthorized access.
• Compatibility Testing - It verifies the application's compatibility with different browsers, devices, and operating systems.
• Reliability Testing - It verifies the application's reliability and provides accurate results.
• Scalability Testing - It verifies the application's scalability and handles the increasing load.

Tools for Non-Functional Testing

There are different tools available for Non-Functional Testing. Some of them are:

• JMeter - It is an open-source tool for performance testing.
• LoadRunner - It is a commercial tool for performance testing.
• Selenium - It is an open-source tool for compatibility testing.
• QTP - It is a commercial tool for reliability testing.
• TestComplete - It is a commercial tool for usability testing.
• Rational Functional Tester - It is a commercial tool for security testing.
• SoapUI - It is an open-source tool for scalability testing.

Challenges in non-Functional Testing

There are many challenges in Non-Functional Testing. Some of them are:

• Requirement Changes - The requirements keep changing during the development phase.
• Test Data - The testing team needs to create the test data for testing.
• Test Environment - The testing team needs to set up the test environment for testing.
• Test Execution - The testing team needs to execute the test cases and verify the results.
• Defect Management - The testing team needs to track the defects until closure.

Advantages of non-Functional Testing

There are some advantages of Non-Functional Testing. They are:

• Quality - It improves the quality of the application by verifying the non-functional requirements.
• Requirements Verification - It verifies the non-functional requirements like performance, usability, security, etc.
• User-Friendly - It makes the application user-friendly and easy to use.
• Defect Detection - It detects the defects early in the development phase.

Disadvantages of Non-Functional Testing

There are some disadvantages of Non-Functional Testing. They are:

• Time-Consuming - It takes more time to perform non-functional testing.
• Complex - It is complex to verify the non-functional requirements.
• Costly - It is costly to perform non-functional testing.
• Resource-Intensive - It requires more resources to perform non-functional testing.
• Defect Tracking - It is difficult to track the defects until closure.

Difference between Functional Testing and Non-Functional Testing

Functional Testing	Non-Functional Testing
It verifies the application's functionality against the requirements.	It verifies the non-functional requirements like performance, usability, security etc.
It is performed before non-functional testing.	It is performed after functional testing.
It focuses on user requirements.	It focuses on user expectations.
It is easier to automate.	It is harder to automate.
Examples include unit testing, integration testing, system testing, and UAT.	Examples include performance testing, usability testing, security testing, and compatibility testing.

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