Introduction of Compatibility Testing:
Compatibility testing is a type of non-functional testing that ensures that a software application works correctly on different hardware, software, and network configurations. It is important to perform compatibility testing to ensure that users have a positive experience with the application, regardless of their environment.
Compatibility testing can be a complex and time-consuming process, but it is essential to ensure the quality of the application. Tester may prevent cost and humiliating issues in the future by doing compatibility testing.
Types of compatibility testing:
Browser compatibility testing is a type of non-functional testing that ensures that a website or web application works correctly on different browsers. This is important because different browsers render HTML and CSS differently, and they may support different features.
There are a number of things to consider when performing browser compatibility testing, including:
• The different browsers that we need to test on. The different browsers that we need to test on. This will depend on our target audience and the browsers that they are most likely to us.
• The different browser versions that we need to test on. It is important to test on both the latest and legacy versions of browsers, as not all users will be using the latest version.
• The different devices that we need to test on. Not all browsers behave the same way on different devices, so it is important to test on a variety of devices, including desktops, laptops, tablets, and phones.
Hardware compatibility testing is a type of non-functional testing that ensures that a piece of hardware will work correctly with a particular piece of software. This is important because not all hardware is compatible with all software, and compatibility problems can lead to crashes, errors, or other unexpected behavior.
There are a number of things to consider when performing hardware compatibility testing, including:
• Check if the hardware components are compatible with the system requirements of the software or application they are intended to operate.
• Identify the minimum and recommended system requirements of the software or application. Then, check if the hardware components meet or exceed the minimum requirements.
• The different configurations of hardware and software that we need to test. This will help us to identify any potential compatibility problems.
Mobile device compatibility is the ability of a software application to run on a variety of mobile devices. This is important because there are many different types of mobile devices on the market, and testers need to make sure that their applications are compatible with as many devices as possible.
There are a number of things that we can do to improve the mobile device compatibility of our application, including:
• Check responsive design so that our application will automatically adjust its layout to fit the size of the screen. This will help to ensure that our application looks good on a variety of devices.
• A mobile-friendly framework is a set of tools that can help us to create mobile-friendly applications. These frameworks can help us to save time and effort, and they can help to ensure that our application is compatible with a variety of devices.
• Before release we need to check the application thoroughly & make sure to test it on a variety of devices. This will help us to identify any compatibility problems and fix them before they affect our users.
OS Compatibility Testing ensures that a software application works correctly on different operating systems (OS). This is important because different OSs have different features and capabilities, and compatibility problems can lead to crashes, errors, or other unexpected behavior.
There are a number of things to consider when performing OS compatibility testing, including:
• The different OSs that we need to test on. This will depend on our target audience and the OSs that they are most likely to use.
• The different versions of each OS that we need to test on. It is important to test on both the latest and legacy versions of OSs, as not all users will be using the latest version.
• The different hardware that we need to test on. Not all OSs behave the same way on different hardware, so it is important to test on a variety of hardware, including desktops, laptops, tablets, and phones.
Versions Compatibility Testing: ensures that a software application works correctly with different versions of the same software. This is important because software developers are constantly releasing new versions of their software, and it is important to ensure that the application will continue to work correctly on these new versions.
There are two main types of version compatibility testing:
• Backward compatibility testing ensures that an application continues to work correctly on older versions of hardware and software. This is important because many users may be using older versions of software, and they should not be forced to upgrade in order to use the application.
• Forward compatibility testing ensures that an application will work correctly on future versions of hardware and software. This is important because developers are constantly releasing new versions of software, and it is important to ensure that the application will continue to work correctly on these new versions.
Some of the common defects found during web applications compatibility testing:
Display issues: These are issues that affect the way the web application is displayed on different devices and browsers. For example, the web application may not be displayed correctly on a mobile device, or it may not be displayed at all on an older browser.
Functionality issues: These are issues that affect the way the web application works. For example, a form may not submit correctly, or a link may not take the user to the correct page.
Performance issues: These are issues that affect the speed and responsiveness of the web application. For example, the web application may take a long time to load, or it may be slow to respond to user input.
Security issues: These are issues that affect the security of the web application. For example, the web application may be vulnerable to SQL injection attacks, or it may not be properly encrypted.
Compatibility testing tools:
There are a number of compatibility testing tools available, both commercial and open source. Some of the most popular commercial tools include:
Browser Stack: It is a cloud-based cross-browser testing platform that allows us to test our website or web application on a variety of browsers and devices.
Sauce Labs: This one is also another cloud-based cross-browser testing platform that offers a wide range of features, including parallel testing, visual testing, and mobile testing.
Lambda Test: Lambda Test is a cloud-based cross-browser testing platform that offers a free tier for small teams.