Integration testing is a type of software testing that verifies how different components of software work together. It involves small tests of individual system integration to verify the interaction between software components. This is in contrast to unit testing, which tests individual units and modules in isolation without worrying about how they interact with other parts of the system. Test driven development helps developers write code that can be easily tested later using Integration Testing. Read this article to learn more about what integration testing is, why you need it, and how you can implement it for your next project.

What is Integration Testing? #

Integration testing is a software testing technique that tests a software application as a whole. It runs tests on the combined application to verify that it works correctly. It is the phase in software testing that comes after unit testing and before validation testing. It is usually combined with other types of software testing such as functional, regression, etc. Integration testing is a process of testing the interfaces between the various parts of an application to verify that they work correctly. It verifies that the modules work correctly when integrated with each other. This is in contrast to unit testing, where the focus is on testing the functionality of a single module in isolation without worrying about how it interacts with other parts of the system.

Why Is Integration Testing Important? #

Integration testing is a critical part of your testing strategy, so it’s important to understand what it is and how to do it correctly. Successfully implementing integration testing ensures that your application is ready to be deployed. Integration testing ensures that all the modules are communicating correctly, and it checks to see that the expected data is flowing between the modules correctly. It also verifies that none of the modules are producing unexpected data. Integration testing ensures that the project is ready for system testing.

How to Perform an Integration Build? #

First, you create a build of your software that includes all of the modules that need to be tested. Next, you run integration tests against the module. These tests might include running database queries against the database that is used by the application. Integration testing is performed when the modules of the application have been coded and tested to a sufficient level that the project stakeholders agree that the project is ready for system testing. When performing integration testing, you need to make sure that you have a full copy of the production database. You can then execute your database queries against the database copy to test the modules that use the database.

Types of Software Integration Tests #

There are many different types of software integration tests that can be performed during the integration testing phase. The following list describes the most common integration tests: –

Database Testing – Database testing verifies that the application can successfully connect to the database and run queries against the database.

Distributed Testing – Distributed testing verifies that the application can communicate with remote systems as expected.

Load Testing – Load testing verifies that the application can handle the expected load.

Parallel Processing – Parallel processing verifies that the application can complete tasks in parallel while still producing correct results.

Security Testing – Security testing verifies that the application is protected against malicious attacks.

System Testing – System testing verifies that the entire application works correctly as a whole.

Limitations of Integration Testing #

{Integration testing} is not intended to {test} the user interface or the quality of the system documentation. It also does not test the functionality of an application. Rather, it verifies that the application’s modules are communicating correctly with each other and that the expected data is flowing between them. It also verifies that none of the modules are producing unexpected data. During {integration testing}, you should not be verifying that the application’s buttons work correctly. Instead, you should be verifying that the expected data is being passed between the buttons and the rest of the application.

When to Use Integration Testing? #

{Integration testing} is performed when the modules of the application have been coded and {tested} to a sufficient level that the project stakeholders agree that the project is ready for system {testing}. Integration {testing} should be completed before any type of user acceptance {testing} is performed. {Integration} {testing} is performed after unit {testing} has been completed and the individual modules have been {tested} to make sure they are working correctly. After {integration testing} is complete, the project is ready for system {testing}. System testing is used to make sure that the entire application works correctly as a whole.

Conclusion #

{Integration testing} is a critical part of your {testing} strategy, so it’s important to understand what it is and how to do it correctly. Successfully implementing {integration testing} ensures that your application is ready to be deployed. {Integration testing} is performed when the modules of the application have been coded and {tested} to a sufficient level that the project stakeholders agree that the project is ready for system {testing}. During {integration testing}, you should verify that the application’s modules are communicating correctly. You should also verify that the expected data is flowing between the modules correctly, and that none of the modules are producing unexpected data.