Difference Between Testing and Debugging

The main difference between testing and debugging is that the testing is the process of finding and locating defects of the software while debugging is the process of fixing the identified defects.

Software development is a complicated process that involves several phases such as requirement analysis, designing, development, testing, and maintenance. Testing and debugging are two activities in software development. Testing is the process of finding the defects in the software. Debugging is the process that helps to solve the recognized defects. Both testing and debugging help to provide a quality, working software to the users.

Key Areas Covered

1. What is Testing
     – Definition, Functionality
2. What is Debugging
     – Definition, Functionality
3. What is the Difference Between Testing and Debugging
     – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

Debugging, Functional Testing, Nonfunctional Testing, Software Testing

What is Testing

Testing is the process of verification and validation of software. It ensures that software is working as expected. In other words, it checks whether the software has achieved the expected output. Testing is performed by a team of testers. They identify defects in the software. When the testers find a defect they record it and inform it to the development team. Testers create a complete report with all the details of the defect. It includes details such as defect ID, description, occurrence, what happened due to the defect, etc. The development team uses this report for debugging.

There are two main types of testing. They are functional testing and nonfunctional testing. Functional testing verifies that the software has achieved the expected level. The unit testing is used to check whether each module is functioning as expected. It is the testing of the individual modules. Unlike other testing types, unit testing is performed by developers, not by testers. Integration testing is the testing of two modules. It checks the data flow between the two modules. System testing is the testing of the entire software. Those are some common functional testing types. Nonfunctional testing checks the nonfunctional aspects of the system such as performance, load, scalability, usability, etc.

What is Debugging

Debugging is performed by the testing team after receiving the test report from the testers. The developer goes through the reports and tries to find the cause of the defects. He or she goes through the section of the code where the defect occurred and checks each line of the program. After detecting the defect, he/she modifies that section of the code and rechecks again to ensure that the defect has been eliminated. After fixing the defect, the developer sends the software back to the testing team. Nowadays, most development environments consist of a special tool called debuggers to support debugging process.

Difference Between Testing and Debugging

Definition

Testing is an activity to check whether the actual results match the expected results of the software and to ensure that it is defect-free. Debugging is the process of finding and resolving defects or problems within a computer program, which prevent correct operation of computer software or a system.

Main Task

The main difference between testing and debugging is that testing is the process of finding and locating defects of the software whereas debugging is the process of fixing the identified defects. 

Performed By

Also, the testing is performed by the testing team while the debugging is performed by the development team.

Purpose

Another difference between testing and debugging is in the purpose. The purpose of performing testing is to find many defects as possible. However, the purpose of debugging is to remove the detected defects.

Method of Performing

Although testing can be done manually or automatically, debugging is done manually.

Conclusion

Both testing and debugging are important activities in software development. The difference between testing and debugging is that testing is the process of finding and locating defects of the software while debugging is the process of fixing the identified defects.

 Reference:

1. “What Is Software Testing? Introduction, Basics & Importance.” Meet Guru99 – Free Training Tutorials & Video for IT Courses, Available here.
2. “Debugging.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 4 Sept. 2018, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “13394” (CC0) via Pixabay