What is black box testing?

Black box testing is a software testing method by which test cases are based on requirements and functionality without any knowledge of internal structures or workings of the system. Instead, tests are based on externally visible behavior. In black-box testing, the tester tries to make inferences about internal structures or workings of the system when necessary. Key point: Black-box testing is not concerned with the system’s internal workings. It considers requirements and functional specifications only.

What is white box testing?

White box Testing is a software testing method in which an internal perspective of the system and programming skills are used to design test cases. Tests are based on visibility into the system’s internal structures. This knowledge can be derived through looking at the source code or design documentation for the system. Key point: White-box testing is concerned with the system’s internal workings. It requires programming skills.

What is gray box testing?

Gray box Testing uses a combination of both black-box and white-box testing methodologies. Testers are given limited information about the system’s internal structures being tested. With an incomplete understanding of the system, gray-box testers will develop tests based on requirements and functionality (white-box testing) and make inferences about the system based on observable inputs and outputs (black-box Testing).Key point: Gray-box testing uses both black-box and white-box testing methodologies. It is concerned with requirements, functionality, and the system’s internal workings under test.

Key differences between white-box testing, black-box testing, and gray-box Testing:

1. Testing approach: White-Box Testing, Black Box Testing, and Gray Box Testing use different approaches to test a system. White-box Testing is concerned with the system’s internal structures, whereas black box testing focuses on requirements and functional specifications. It does not consider the internal structures of the system. Gray-box Testing uses techniques from both black-box and white-box testing. It is concerned with requirements, functional specifications, and internal structures of the system under test.
2. Focuses on: White Box Testing focuses on what software does; Black Box testing focuses on what software is supposed to do, and Gray Box testing focuses on what a software is and how it does it.
3. Visibility: In White-box Testing, visibility refers to the system’s internal structures. In Black-Box Testing, visibility refers to requirements and functional specifications. And in Gray-box testing, visibility refers to requirements, functionality, and internal workings of the system.
4. Usecases: In White-Box Testing, code implementation defines use cases. In Black-box testing, they are defined according to the specifications. And in Gray-Box testing, a combination of both is used.
5. Objectives: In White-Box Testing, objectives are reached by exploring the system’s internal structures. In Black-Box Testing, they are based on requirements and functional specifications. In Gray-box Testing, a combination of both is used.
6. Categories: White Box Testing, Black Box Testing, and Gray Box Testing belong to different categories as white-Box testing is a software testing method, Black-Box Testing is a static testing technique, and Gray-box testing falls under the umbrella of dynamic testing.
7. Techniques: In White-Box Testing, statement coverage, decision coverage, and path coverage are used to come with test cases. In Black Box Testing, use case and specification-based testing are used to develop test cases. Finally, Gray-Box Testing uses a combination of both techniques.
8. Independence: In White Box Testing independence refers to the fact that components have no interrelationships, in Black-Box testing, it refers to the ability to modify each component without affecting other modules, and in Gray-Box testing, it refers to the ability to add new modules without affecting existing modules.
9. Execution: In White-Box Testing, execution is done from the component top down. In Black Box Testing is done from the outside in, and in Gray-box testing, both techniques are used.
10. Time Frame: In White-box testing, it takes a lot of time to develop test cases because internal structures of the components must be explored to develop test cases. Developing test cases in Black-Box testing takes less time because functional specifications are considered while creating test cases. In Gray-Box Testing, both internal structures and functional specifications of the system under test are considered while coming up with test cases.

Conclusion:

White-Box Testing, Black Box Testing, and Gray Box Testing are used to test a system in three different ways. In white-box testing, internal structures of the components are explored. In black-box testing, functional specifications of the system under test are considered while coming up with test cases. In contrast, gray box testing combines both techniques for exploring internal structures as wellas functional specifications of components to come up with test cases.

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Equivalence Partitioning & Boundary Value Analysis

This is a black box test design technique that aims to identify the minimum number of test cases that will cover all boundary conditions, equivalence classes, subclasses etc., for an input domain.For this, the equivalence classes of input conditions are first identified. Then these classes are divided into more homogeneous equivalence partitions such that each partition represents a distinct testable region of the program.The purpose of this technique is to eliminate unnecessary or redundant tests while providing maximum testing coverage by executing tests on boundary values, which are likely to uncover errors.

Decision Table Testing

This black-box test design technique is used when several alternative paths exist in the program code, leading to the execution of different code blocks. In this method, a table with 2 columns, i.e. input conditions and corresponding output conditions, is created for each decision in the switch statement or several conditionals. This method is beneficial if there are many decisions in the program to be tested, as it reduces the number of test cases required, hence covering all possible input conditions. For testing boundary values also decision table testing can be used.

State Transition Testing

State transition testing is a black-box test design technique in which a state transition diagram is created for the program under test. Then using the information from the state transition diagram, test cases are designed to cover all possible transitions from an initial state to any specific end-states. If a node in the graph is -current state and outgoing edges of this node represent possible next states- then we can say that this node is a decision point. This kind of testing is useful in programs that require a high level of data security or access control mechanisms. This method can test login screens, password entry fields etc.

Use Case Testing

Use case diagramming as a UML modelling technique. The use cases are identified for a program module or system under test, then the functionalities of each use case are described in either text or diagrams. This method is beneficial for systems whose functionality can be broken down into smaller tasks. The most important advantage of this technique is that it helps understand and document how users interact with a system and thereby enables testers to design better test cases.

Error Guessing

Another black-box test design technique is error guessing, a “knowledge-based” testing approach in which the tester assumes what the program will do in a given situation and then verifies that assumption by running the program. If any unexpected result is received during this process, which was not expected by the tester, then it is assumed that the program has some error, and this condition will be reported as a bug. This method can be applied if there is no documentation available for designing test cases. Hence, this black-box testing technique is mostly used by beginners to start their testing careers.

Equivalence Partitioning

Equivalence partitioning is a black-box test design technique in which classes of input conditions are identified for a program. These equivalence partitions are created such that each partition contains sets of equivalent conditions that result in the same execution paths.

This technique aims to create small sets of test cases that can be used to cover all the different condition sets. This method is useful in testing functions with many arguments that cannot cover with a few test cases.

Boundary Value Analysis

Boundary value analysis is a black-box test design technique in which test cases are designed based on boundary conditions. Values lying at each equivalence partition’s minimum and maximum boundaries are tested.

This method is beneficial in cases where several equivalence partitions are very high because it reduces the number of tests that have to be designed and executed for a test case. This method can also be applied in testing programs with set limits on input variables.

State Transition Table Testing

State transition table testing is another black-box test design technique in which a state transition table is developed for the program under test. Then using this information, inputs are selected and executed to verify the correctness of each program behaviour, i.e., to cover all possible paths.This method follows a top-down approach because it starts testing from a higher level and continues until the lowest module is tested.

Fuzz testing

Fuzz testing or fuzzing is a technique that can be used as a black-box test design technique to improve the quality of software products. It is an automated technique that involves providing malformed/semi-malformed data to the program input points and collects any error messages caused by such inputs.This method aims to check how the system reacts to unexpected inputs that might cause a fault. The main advantage of this testing method is that it helps identify security loopholes and detects errors due to incorrect handling of exceptional conditions.

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Conclusion

To conclude, black box testing is a very important aspect of software testing services. There are different black-box test design techniques available to choose from, based on the requirements and complexity of the system under test. These methods can be used by testers depending upon their experience level. Testing without any planned strategy is not advisable as it may miss many issues/defects.

Tools like selenium, Silk test and IBM Rational functional tester make black-box testing even easier by automating the process of creating scripts to test a system under different conditions.

So it is always better to use a combination of these methods during the software testing life cycle because each method has its advantages and disadvantages, which can be used to the best advantage of the tester. Though this planning phase for testing is not much documented or discussed among testers, it can significantly impact the result of software testing services.

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What is black box testing?

Black box testing is an approach to software testing that assumes the tester has no inside knowledge of the product and knows nothing about programming or coding. All they have available to them is the requirements documentation for the system and any relevant details regarding its environment (operating system, browser compatibility etc.).

 Any known bugs found during black box testing should have already been logged in the bug tracking system. Black box testing is also known as functional, specification-based, behavioral, opaque-box or general compatibility testing. It tests how well the code meets the requirements and performs its intended functions. 

Testers using this method are not required to know about programming languages but should understand what the software is supposed to do. It can be particularly useful in cases where creating a test environment would be difficult or impossible, such as with networked applications, mobile apps and third-party software.

Black box testing tests the functionality of your code based on how it is documented. The tester should not rely on their business knowledge or specific domain expertise, as this information could lead to a confirmation bias. It is important to note that a black box test can only identify faulty modules. It cannot establish whether the product being tested meets requirements until they have been identified. A bug could be caused by a requirement not being met rather than the code itself being at fault.

Pros of Black Box testing

You can test early

Testing much earlier in the development process is possible with black box testing because you don’t need to wait for code completion. This means there’s less lag between when a bug is introduced and spotted. It also reduces the risk of scope creep. After all, if you haven’t written any code, how can it change?

It is less time-consuming

Black box testing requires less test preparation than other approaches. You don’t need to create test scripts or learn the programming language, although knowing the subject is useful for making judgments about how likely certain bugs will be caught during testing. This means you can build out the qa services plan much more quickly for these types of projects.

You can test third party software

It is often impossible to create a full test environment for third-party software because that would require creating a replica of the server and any other hardware involved in running that product. Black box testing requires whatever details you have available and can still give insight into how well the product works.

You can test for compatibility across different browsers and operating systems

Black box testing is not limited to just web applications; it can be applied to any software project where all you have available is the documentation. For example, if you were building a mobile app that required an internet connection, you would not create a local testing environment. Black box testing is the developer’s only option in this case because it does not require an account on the relevant app store (Apple, Google etc.).

Cons of Black Box Testing

It Is Difficult To Prioritize Bugs

As mentioned earlier, black box testing can only identify faulty modules, not establish whether they meet requirements. This is why it’s important to distinguish between bugs caused by incorrect implementation versus those missed during testing and qa services. Without access to the code or documentation, there is no way of knowing what has been done correctly and what hasn’t. Prioritizing bugs can be difficult.

It Can Identify Requirements Gaps

Black box testing is only useful when there are no undocumented requirements. If a requirement has not been specified, how can you test it? In this case, black box testing would be completely redundant because all you would find are ‘bugs’ that don’t exist in the product.

It Doesn’t Provide A Complete Picture

As the name suggests, black box testing is simply a matter of looking at what’s on the outside and making assumptions based on that. For this reason, it’s important to use black box testing in conjunction with other approaches such as the grey box or white box testing, where possible.

Final thoughts

Black box testing is a valuable tool to have in your arsenal, but it should not be the only one. It can take your part in building confidence in your project’s quality. However, if there are any undocumented requirements, black box testing will not be used when prioritizing bugs.

At HikeQA, a leading software testing company where . We use black box testing to help us develop automated tests for our client’s web applications. Black box testing is particularly helpful during the earlier stages of development when client projects are in an MVP (minimum viable product) phase.

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In the following article, we will review black-box testing in 2022, its advantages and disadvantages. We’ll also show some examples of how it can be performed using open source tools such as Selenium WebDriver and JMeter. We’ll also review some software testing tools that may become a part of every testers arsenal in 2022.

When did black box testing become popular?

Black box testing is one of the oldest software testing techniques. It has been around since the mid-1950s. Unlike white box testing, it’s based on requirements and functionality only without considering internal program logic (it can be compared to integration testing). This makes it impossible for testers to know what to test (which can be advantageous in some cases, for example, when testers are afraid of breaking the system).

Black box testing is based on specifying coverage criteria. These criteria allow you to determine which parts of the code were executed during black-box testing and which weren’t. It’s especially useful when there is no access to source code (e.g., commercial software or an internal corporate application).

Advantages of black-box testing:

It doesn’t require implementation knowledge (thus, it makes the testing process easier). It can be performed by testers and developers alike (all required skills are programming experiences and basic knowledge about the product). Black box testing is usually less time consuming when compared to white box testing.

Disadvantages of black-box testing:

No access to source code can limit what can be tested, making it less thorough. Furthermore, black box testing is only effective when there are no logical dependencies between input and output data. This limits its usage even further (e.g. if you can not provide the expected data as an input).

What’s new in black box testing?

Currently, there are two major types of automated black-box testing techniques: record and playback (the most popular one) and keyword-driven. Both can be used to automate functional regression tests and smoke tests. Thanks to the wide range of open-source tools that support automation, it’s easier to perform black-box testing.

Tools used to implement black-box testing

1. UFT (HP QuickTest Professional) – seems like the most popular tool designed for automated regression, smoke and functional testing. It’s widely used by many big companies like Microsoft, IBM, Apple…Problems with UI generating capabilities make it difficult to use on GUI-rich browser-based applications.
2. Selenium WebDriver – designed as a language-independent automated black-box testing tool. It’s the most popular open-source solution for web application functional and regression testing (can also be used as a record and playback tool).
3. Watir – Ruby library lets you automate and test web applications using the Watir API to take screenshots and control the mouse. It’s often used for testing browser-based software (such as web-based email, online games or CMS).
4. Apache JMeter is an open-source tool designed to test functional behaviour and measure performance. It can effectively determine how a system performs under a heavy load. It’s a great tool for black-box functional testing, but it should be noted that JMeter cannot check if the application is working correctly.
5. TestComplete – commercial Windows-based test automation solution fromSmartBear Software that supports automated black-box testing on desktop applications and software, including mobile apps(Android and iOS) and web-based software (including JavaScript). It’s designed for both functional and regression testing.
6. Ranorex Studio is a commercial automated black-box solution for testing desktop, mobile and web applications on Windows OS. It supports various technologies like UFT, TestComplete, Selenium WebDriver, Watir, etc.
7. SilkTest is a commercial automated black-box solution for testing web applications on Windows, Linux or Solaris platforms. Supports automation through Selenium WebDriver and supports UI generating tools like Silk Performer, SoapUI Pro and BlazeMeter.
8. QF-Test is an open-source automated black-box test tool that supports Windows, Linux, macOS, and Solaris OS. In addition, it has selenium support and scripting capabilities with JavaScript for automated black-box testings on multiple platforms.
9. Squish – commercial cross-platform GUI functional testing tool supporting Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. That lets you record tests using your browser or custom applications (graphical user interface objects can be added to the recorder).

Final thoughts

As you can see, there are plenty of automated black-box testings tools to choose from. The only difficulty is deciding which one suits your needs the best.

It’s important to remember that automated black-box testings solutions don’t provide 100% accuracy. That’s why it’s a good idea to combine both white and black box techniques in test automation.

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1. Auto Italia Online

Auto Italia online is an open-source tool that is free to use. This tool is designed to allow users to record the actions and replay them on any Windows application. Using this tool, the user will generate scripts for testing. This tool can be used by testers who are not familiar with programming or scripting languages.

2. AutoHotkey

AutoHotkey is open-source software automation that runs on the Windows platform. Using this tool, the user will be able to automate tasks through scripts, which means that you can automate any task that is manually performed. Some tasks include sending keystrokes and mouse clicks to applications from your keyboard and mouse.

3. OWASP ZEBEDIA

This tool has been developed by OWASP, which provides users the ability to input the URL they want to test for testing purposes. This is an automated tool and anyone who doesn’t have any programming knowledge.

4. AegisWeb 

This tool is available free to use. It has been designed to provide functionalities like recording and playback, editable configuration files, and a simple interface for easy use.

5. Selenium IDE

 Selenium is an open-source tool that is a web-based application. It is available for free to use. The features of this tool include recording and playing back scripts, exporting and importing test cases from one language to another, debugging capabilities, and creating custom commands.

6. Ranorex 

This is a commercial tool designed in such a way that it can automate both desktop and web applications. Some of the features available with this tool include UI object identification, high processing speed, screenshots, support for multiple browsers and generating code in different programming languages.

7. Squish by froglogic

 Squish is another commercial tool designed to use automatic test generation capabilities to test applications and virtual desktops. This tool is available in different editions with varying features. Some of the features found in this tool include recording scripts for testing purposes, generating test code and identifying UI objects.

Black Box Testing: An Important Functional testing Technique.

8. SilkTest 

This tool has been designed as a functional testing platform that allows users to test various applications without needing to have any programming languages.

9. Katalon 

This tool is available for free use and has been designed in such a way that it allows users to record test cases, create and edit scripts, export tests into different formats and share scripts with other testers.

10. QTP/UFT

 This is an automated testing tool widely used by software testers to develop functional qa services for various applications.

11. IBM Rational Functional Tester 

This is another automated testing tool that every software tester must have come across. It provides functionality to test various applications and interact with them through APIs and supports manual and automatic testing processes.

12.MbUnit

 MbUnit is a unit testing framework that allows users to write and run repeatable tests the same way they write code. This tool can be used by software testers familiar with C, C++ and VB languages and for anyone looking to write test cases.

13. Gremlins 

Gremlin is an open-source testing framework for Java that is free to use. This tool has been designed so that it can be used by developers who are not much familiar with the automated testing process to write test cases.

14. Selendroid 

This is another open-source tool that can automate android applications testing and qa services in different environments ranging from emulators to real mobile devices. Some of the key features include Test case creation through recording. There is no need to modify the existing android application. A test case can be exported as JUnit test suite and runs on a selenium grid for parallel execution.

15. Watir 

This tool is a Ruby library that allows users to write web application tests in the Ruby programming language. Some of the features available with this tool include support for webdriver API, recording capabilities, and can be extended using different libraries.

Final thoughts

Every software tester must have a list of different automated testing tools in their arsenal to perform functional test automation. Here is a quick recap of the top 15 best open source and commercial tools mentioned above, which every software tester should have come across atleast once during their lifetime.

At HikeQA, we have a team of highly experienced software testers who provide test automation services to various clients worldwide; we use all the tools mentioned above and more to build an automated testing framework for our clients. Our software testing services company is always open to new ideas and suggestions.So contact us if you need any assistance in building an automated testing framework featured with UI object identification capabilities using image recognition.

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Types of Black Box Testing:

1. Functional Black Box Testing: 

This testing is done to check whether all basic functions of an application are working properly or not. For instance, let’s say you have developed software that can be used for data entry work. A person knowing nothing about its internal working needs to know how it works and what functions are provided in the software.

Example- An e-commerce website is developed. Here a user needs to know how to add items to the shopping cart and proceed for checkout. If these functionalities are working properly, then the testing of this software is said to be successful.

2. Regression Testing: 

In this testing, one needs to check whether all the existing software functions are working properly as expected or not after any change has been made. Suppose you have developed a data entry program now can check details from only one website and only with a single click of mouse button after some changes have been made in the application whether it can be used to check details from multiple websites and needs more than one click of the mouse. This is Regression testing.

Example- Suppose you have developed an application that calculates the total amount of bills. If needed, calculate the total amount of receipts when items are added or deleted. This is regression testing.

3. Sanity Testing: 

In this type, the tester needs to test that whether the basic functionality of the software work properly or not. For instance, you have developed new software for data entry work, and you need to know if the software is giving expected results or not. This is also popularly called Smoke testing

Example- A e-commerce website is developed. The tester needs to check if all the categories are present. He can search products in all categories or not etc.

4. Alpha Testing: 

This testing is done to check whether the software system under test is working as per user requirement or not. It is done at the developer’s site, and only internal staff will be allowed to participate in this testing.

Example- You have developed an ecommerce website. Now it needs to test by Company’s employees who have experience in using applications like this.

Types of Gray Box Testing:

1. Security Testing: 

In this testing, one needs to check whether an application is secure or not. For instance, if you develop the web application need to check for Cross-Site Scripting(XSS), SQL Injection vulnerabilities etc.

Example- A e-commerce website has been developed by you need to check whether it is safe for users.

2. Penetration Testing: 

It is also known as Network testing that how secure the software will be when it goes live in the market. This testing needs an experienced person to perform this testing because the tester needs to check application vulnerabilities by using tools like burp suite, OWASP ZAPetc.

Example- A e-commerce website has been developed by you need to check whether it is secure from network attacks. If the vulnerabilities are found in the application, this testing will only stop after reporting.

3. Performance Testing: 

In this type of testing, one needs to check how much load an application can take and what performance issues may arise after putting it under load. This testing needs an experienced person to perform this testing because the tester needs to check for memory leaks, excessive database queries, high CPU usage etc.

Example- A e-commerce website has been developed by you need to check how much load can be put on application and whether the performance is up to the mark.

4. Usability Testing: 

In this testing, one needs to check whether the software is developed as per requirement and can be easily used by its intended users. For instance, if you have developed a new application ecommerce website, you need to check whether the application is user-friendly or not.

Example- A e-commerce website has been developed by you need to check whether it is easy to use.

Final thoughts

Gray box testing is done to check how much robust the application is. If you are doing regression, security or sanity testing, it’s called half-baked testing. This test is done by internal staff without involving customers. So need to involve the experienced person in this type of testing as this type of testing needs some tools and tricks to perform this testing. So need to know the tools and tricks used in this type of testing.

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What is Black Box Testing?

Black box testing is a type of functional testing that involves testing the functionality of an application or system without knowing anything about the internals of the code. In other words, you test the application as if you were a user who doesn’t know anything about how it works. This can be a challenging task, but it’s also very important because it helps you find problems with the application that you might not find otherwise.

Black Box Testing is an Important Functional testing Technique.

You can use black-box testing in combination with other techniques, including white-box testing and grey box testing. Black box testing is often the first step in the testing process because it’s a good way to identify major problems with an application before testing other aspects. You can treat black box testing as a kind of “sanity check” to ensure that your application is working as expected before you test for other types of problems.

Why You Should Use Black Box Testing

Black box testing is an important technique because it helps you find issues related to how users will interact with your application. For example, if you have a login screen, black box testing can help you encounter problems with the login process, including issues with the user interface and the underlying code.

How to Do Black Box Testing

There are many different ways to do black-box testing, but the most common approach is test cases. A test case is a set of test data and instructions that you can use to test an application’s particular feature or functionality.

When creating test cases, it’s important to think about how a user would interact with the application. For example, if you’re testing a login screen, you might want to test cases that include the user’s full name, a wrong password, an incorrect username, and other similar scenarios.

Why Problems Can Occur with Black Box Testing

The biggest problem with black-box testing is that it can be difficult to test certain types of functionality. For example, if you’re trying an application that relies on a database, you might not be able to test it properly without access to the database. In such cases, you might need to rely on other techniques, such as white box testing or grey box testing.

When to Use Black Box Testing

Black box testing is a good tool for finding major problems with an application. It would help if you used black-box testing at the beginning of the testing process before testing other aspects of the application. Once you’ve used black-box testing to identify major issues, you can use different techniques, such as white box testing or grey box testing, to identify more subtle problems.

Tips for Using Black Box Testing Effectively

Here are a few tips for using black-box testing effectively:

• Always test the application as if you’re a user who doesn’tknow how the application works.
• When creating test cases, think about how a user would interact with the application.
• Use black-box testing to identify major problems with the application before you start using other techniques.
• Familiarize yourself with the functionality of the application before you start testing it.
• Be patient and take your time when testing an application.
• Be prepared to spend a long time application/ software testing  that has many different features.
• Black box testing can be challenging, but it’s one of the best ways to test an application before releasing it.
• This testing technique isn’t perfect, but it can still be useful in certain situations.
• Make sure that you’re thinking like a user when you test the application. If you focus on these issues, you should have no problem testing applications effectively.
• Always take your time when testing an application, and be prepared to spend a lot of time on it. 

In conclusion, black box testing is an important technique to help you find major problems with an application. You should use it at the beginning of the testing process, and you should also try to test with real data. It would help if you also wrote detailed test cases for each application area that you want to test. This will help you make sure that you test all of the important aspects of the application.

Why us?

At HikeQA, we believe that everyone, regardless of their level of expertise, should be able to find and fix software problems quickly. That’s why we offer various software testing services, including black-box testing, that are designed to help you solve your most challenging testing problems. Contact us today to find out how our services can help you.

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