An application can broadly be divided into two categories: frontend and backend. Before releasing a product in the market, it&#8217;s essential to test whether both the frontend and backend of the application are working correctly. Frontend testing is the testing of the user interface visible to the user by which users interact with the application. In contrast, backend testing is about testing the actual database and server logic under the hood, which is not visible to the application users.
In this article, you will learn about fronted and backend testing and the difference between both tests. You will also learn about the various tools and techniques used in frontend and backend testing.
<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#What_is_Frontend_Testing">1 What is Frontend Testing?</a></li><li><a href="#What_are_the_types_of_frontend_testing">2 What are the types of frontend testing</a></li><li><a href="#How_to_Create_a_Frontend_Testing_Plan">3 How to Create a Frontend Testing Plan?</a></li><li><a href="#What_are_some_frontend_Testing_Tools">4 What are some frontend Testing Tools?</a></li><li><a href="#What_is_Back-end_Testing">5 What is Back-end Testing?</a><ul><li><a href="#Backend_testing_types">5.1 Backend testing types</a></li><li><a href="#How_to_Create_the_back_end_testing_plan">5.2 How to Create the back end testing plan?</a></li><li><a href="#What_are_the_backend_Testing_Tools">5.3 What are the backend Testing Tools?</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Frontend_Testing_vs_Backend_Testing_8211_Differences">6 Frontend Testing vs Backend Testing &#8211; Differences</a></li><li><a href="#Summary">7 Summary</a></li><li><a href="#FAQ">8 FAQ</a><ul><li><a href="#What_is_the_difference_between_front_end_testing_and_backend_testing">8.1 What is the difference between front end testing and backend testing?</a></li><li><a href="#What_is_backend_testing">8.2 What is backend testing?</a></li><li><a href="#What_is_the_front_end_testing">8.3 What is the front end testing?</a></li></ul></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="bb0sh">What is Frontend Testing?</h2>
The frontend of an application is the visual appearance and user interface that users see and use to interact with the application&#8217;s features and functionality. In the testing life cycle, frontend testing is the process of testing the frontend side of the application to ensure there are no any glitch, functionality breaks, or significant problems present in the application.
A well-driven frontend testing makes your product bug free and ensures the user will get a great user experience.
<figure class="image strchf-type-image regular strchf-size-regular strchf-align-center"><picture><source srcset="https://images.storychief.com/account_36412/frontend-vs-backend-overview_b36361426658e71ee1ef4a1c862511c1_800.jpeg 1x" media="(max-width: 768px)" /><source srcset="https://images.storychief.com/account_36412/frontend-vs-backend-overview_b36361426658e71ee1ef4a1c862511c1_800.jpeg 1x" media="(min-width: 769px)" /><img src="https://images.storychief.com/account_36412/frontend-vs-backend-overview_b36361426658e71ee1ef4a1c862511c1_800.jpeg" /></picture><figcaption>Frontend and backend overview</figcaption></figure>
<h2 id="390qu">What are the types of frontend testing</h2>
In frontend testing, different types of testing methods participate in different layers of testing; for example- unit testing is performed in the initial phase of software development of the life cycle, then component testing and integration testing are done.
That to say, frontend testing of an application involves performing various types of testing on the subject application; some of the frequently performed test types are listed below:
Unit Testing: Unit testing is the process of testing the individual units of software, i.e., a function, module, method, or class, in isolation. It helps to catch the bug issue early in the development and reduces the cost. It also enables code reusability. You can migrate both your code and test into a new project quickly.
Integration Testing: Integration testing is the process of ensuring the integration of two more units and interface links between them are working correctly. For example- testing whether or not I can see my Gmail home page by signing in on the login page of Gmail, here login page and Gmail home page are both individual units, and I am testing their integration.
Regression testing: Regression testing is continuous testing to ensure that newly added functionality is working correctly without affecting other functionality in the application. It helps to ensure that a newly added functionality will not introduce any possible bug issues.
System testing: System testing validates the working of whole integrated software at different layers. It involves the combination of various other tests like usability testing, load testing, software, hardware testing, etc. System testing is black box testing that involves testing the software from the user&#8217;s perspective.
<h2 id="869df">How to Create a Frontend Testing Plan?</h2>
Before creating a frontend testing plan, you should ask why creating a frontend testing plan is essential.
Creating a frontend testing plan is very important at the beginning of your front-end testing journey. During the testing journey, you will have to check various application features and functionality that require writing nested and complex test cases. A frontend testing plan should be made to ensure you create the required test case to cover the application&#8217;s frontend.
A testing plan is nothing but planning at the beginning of your testing cycle. Generally, a testing plan is created per the project requirement, but some actions in the testing plan are everywhere. When creating a frontend test plan, you should remember the following points:
<ul>
<li>Application workflow: Before testing an application, you should understand it and how it works. So, make sure before the testing you use the application yourself and understand the application workflow from the user’s point of view. That will help you create the test cases and write test steps later.</li>
<li>Application users: Nowadays, an application is available across all devices. A user can access an application in a browser by navigating to the URL or can download it as an application. When you know the application user, you can run your test cases test lab by selecting the combinations of devices the user is using.</li>
<li>Create a checklist: After learning about the application workflow and user, create a list of actions you will take during the front end. This checklist will keep you accountable for the test cases you have made and ensure you do not forget them in a rush.</li>
<li>Select your tools: The selection of tools is essential in the testing plan. If you select the wrong tool, the whole software development life cycle will slow down, so be careful when choosing a testing tool for your front-end testing.</li>
</ul>
As we have seen above, selecting a good tool is essential in testing; let’s discuss some of the capable, flexible, and powerful tools in the market that can help with your application frontend testing.
<h2 id="c8g72">What are some frontend Testing Tools?</h2>
There are two types of testing tools: the developer-focused tool, and the low code no code tools that require little or no coding knowledge. If you are not from a developer background or have little understanding of coding, choose no code low code GUI(graphical user interface) based tools for the frontend testing.
There are too many available tools in the market, and I am listing down below some of the best, which are capable and powerful enough automation tools:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://website.testsigma.com/">Testsigma</a>: Testsigma is an open-source and cloud-based AI-driven test automation tool. It provides NLP’s written in plain English to write test steps, or you can also use the test step recorder using the Testsigma extension. The cloud version also supports test labs, and you can run your test cases on various devices by selecting a combination of devices and browsers in the test lab. Testsigma is a no-code test automation tool, meaning, by using it, you can perform end-to-end testing even if you have never written a single line of code.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.selenium.dev/">Selenium</a>: Selenium is an open-source project introduced early in the software testing age. Selenium is an umbrella project providing various tools and libraries which enable browser test automation. Selenium WebDriver is a language-independent protocol that helps to instruct the browser&#8217;s behavior. Selenium also provides an add-on to record the user interaction with the browser named Selenium IDE. Selenium is not a no-code tool; to use Selenium, one requires a developer background.</li>
<li><a href="https://appium.io/">Appium</a>: Appium is an open-source test automation framework used to test native, hybrid, and mobile web apps. Appium uses the same API to write the test cases in test cases on android, ios, and windows, which means you don’t have to write the different test cases for other devices. Using Appium also requires the developer’s background or knowledge of javascript.</li>
<li><a href="https://getopentest.org/">OpenTest</a>: OpenTest is a free and open-source test automation framework for web applications, mobile apps, and APIs. OpenTest is a low-code, no-code tool for scalable and extensible test automation. OpenTest is a feature-rich automation framework focused on enabling modern test automation practices.</li>
<li><a href="http://watir.com/">Watir</a>: Watir stands for web automation testing in ruby; it&#8217;s a lightweight and open-source web automation testing tool. It provides support for various web browsers and elements and advanced interaction functionality with the browser, like, browser certificate, proxies, cookies, etc.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="8l004">What is Back-end Testing?</h2>
Backend testing is white box testing. It ensures an application&#8217;s database and server-side functionality are working as intended. For example, testing whether a user can log in after signing in will come under the backend testing.
<h3 id="4mvov">Backend testing types</h3>
These are the following types of testing done in the backend testing:
<ul>
<li>Structural testing: Structural testing ensure that all the database elements are mainly responsible for storing the data. Types of Structural testing are: schema testing, table testing, column testing, trigger testing, and database server validation testing.</li>
<li>Functional testing: Functional testing ensures the application functionality works together with the database properly.</li>
<li>Non-functional testing: Non-functional testing measures the stress and load over the database, which helps to optimize database and application performance. Types of non-functional testing are stress testing and load testing.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="3rr9p">How to Create the back end testing plan?</h3>
A test plan reminds you to run the all-important test operations and ensure you do not forget to run any test. These are some points that you should keep in your mind creating a backend testing plan:
<ul>
<li>Backend language: Unlike the frontend, you will not have any graphical user interface(GUI). That&#8217;s why you should know and understand the language used in the backend to perform any testing.</li>
<li>Database: You should have a level of understanding of the database to perform various testing like schema testing, table, and column testing, trigger testing, etc.</li>
<li>Create a checklist: Create a list of test cases and functionality for which you will write test cases during the testing process of the application backend.</li>
<li>Select your tools: Select a good tool that will ease the overall testing process in the test development life cycle.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="4loru">What are the backend Testing Tools?</h3>
Tools are abundant in the market, but these are some best ones out there to test your application backend:
Testsigma: Testsigma is an open-source and cloud-based test automation tool; by using it, you can test the front end as well as the back end of your application. You can perform various backend testing like structure, functional, and non-functional testing.
Data Factory: You can use the Data factory to create an automated workflow to perform data-driven test cases using your database as a data source. It provides a programmatic UI for ease of testing.
Data Generator: Using Data Generator, you can generate any data row and schema objects per your backend testing requirement.
TurboData: TurboData helps to generate test data with foreign keys and select, update and delete SQL commands.
<h2 id="96tb6">Frontend Testing vs Backend Testing &#8211; Differences</h2>
The primary difference between Frontend Testing and Backend Testing is that frontend testing checks the user interface of application whereas backend testing checks the database and server side of application.
Here’s a table depicting key differences between frontend testing and backend testing:
<figure class="wp-block-table">
<table style="border: 1px solid black; border-collapse: collapse;">
<tbody>
<tr style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;">
<td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;">Frontend testing</td>
<td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;">Backend testing</td>
</tr>
<tr style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;">
<td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;">Frontend testing is about testing the user interface of an application that the user sees and interacts with.</td>
<td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;">Backend testing is about testing the database and server side of an application and ensuring that it’s working properly.</td>
</tr>
<tr style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;">
<td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;">Frontend testing is black box testing, meaning the tester will not be able to see the code logic behind the user interface and functionality.</td>
<td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;">Backend testing is white-box testing, meaning the tester will interact with the code logic behind any functionality.</td>
</tr>
<tr style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;">
<td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;">Frontend testing doesn’t require any knowledge of programming language.</td>
<td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; border-collapse: collapse;">Backend testing required knowledge of the database and the language used in the backend.</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h2 id="9ns2c">Summary</h2>
To ensure an application&#8217;s overall functionality of an application, it’s important to test both the backend and frontend sides of an application. Frontend testing ensures that an application&#8217;s overall functionality works as intended in all operating systems and browser combinations. Whereas backed testing ensures the database side of the application is working properly.
<h2 id="7reuq">FAQ</h2>
<h3 id="6mfng">What is the difference between front end testing and backend testing?</h3>
Frontend testing is performed to ensure that the user interface of an application is working as intended. In contrast, backend testing is performed to ensure that the database side of the application is working correctly.
<h3 id="iks9">What is backend testing?</h3>
Backend testing is white box testing, meaning code logic is visible to the tester in this testing. It is performed to ensure that an application&#8217;s database and server-side functionality is working correctly. Backend testing requires knowledge of coding and database.
<h3 id="durcv">What is the front end testing?</h3>
Frontend testing is black box testing, meaning the tester will not be able to look into the code logic behind the user interface. It is performed to ensure that an application is working correctly in all combinations of operating systems and browsers. Frontend testing doesn’t require any knowledge of coding.
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Data is the new asset for any business use case for drawing insights. Similarly, Automation Testing is the new standard that tech companies set for testing their software products.



XPath plays a vital role in any of the uses above, in scraping data from multiple websites or testing products and functionality. XPath allows testers like us to navigate around various locators of the web page with the help of numerous properties such as ID, Tag Name, Group Index, and Predicates.



This blog post walks you through various examples of XPath locators and their definitions.



We have shown the Java implementation of the XPath locator in our cheat sheet for Selenium locators. Let&#8217;s begin with this comprehensive XPath cheat sheet, which will be quite helpful while performing <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/automated-testing">automated testing</a> or scraping data through Selenium.



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#What_is_XPath">1 What is XPath?</a></li><li><a href="#The_XPath_Syntax">2 The XPath Syntax</a></li><li><a href="#Different_types_of_XPath_in_Selenium">3 Different types of XPath in Selenium</a><ul><li><a href="#Absolute_XPath">3.1 Absolute XPath</a></li><li><a href="#Relative_XPath">3.2 Relative XPath</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#XPath_Expressions_in_Selenium">4 XPath Expressions in Selenium</a></li><li><a href="#XPath_Selectors_in_Selenium">5 XPath Selectors in Selenium</a><ul><li><a href="#Descendant_Selectors">5.1 Descendant Selectors</a></li><li><a href="#Attribute_selectors">5.2 Attribute selectors</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Axes_in_XPath">6 Axes in XPath</a></li><li><a href="#Functions_in_XPath">7 Functions in XPath</a></li><li><a href="#Operators_in_XPath">8 Operators in XPath</a></li><li><a href="#Browser_console_to_locate_XPath">9 Browser console to locate XPath</a></li><li><a href="#Wrapping_Up">10 Wrapping Up</a></li><li><a href="#Frequently_Asked_Questions">11 Frequently Asked Questions:</a><ul><li><a href="#What_is_the_easiest_way_to_find_XPath">11.1 What is the easiest way to find XPath?</a></li><li><a href="#Which_XPath_is_faster_in_Selenium">11.2 Which XPath is faster in Selenium?</a></li><li><a href="#Which_XPath_is_best">11.3 Which XPath is best?</a></li></ul></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="a9l6r">What is XPath?</h2>



XPath is the path of elements on the HTML tree. XPath allows us to use different selectors on the HTML page.



We represent the current webpage in XPath by using(.) and (/) to represent child elements to navigate through different elements in HTML and XML documents.



<h2 id="an6t2">The XPath Syntax</h2>



Since we’ve discussed XPath, let’s check how we can generate XPath. The example below shows XPath syntax with single and multiple attributes.



XPath Syntax for Single Attribute



<pre class="wp-block-preformatted">//tag[@AttributeName = ‘Attribute Value’]</pre>



XPath Syntax for Multiple Attributes



<pre class="wp-block-preformatted">//tag[@AttributeName1=’Attribute Value’ and @AttributeName2=’AttributeValue2’]</pre>



<pre class="wp-block-preformatted">//tag[@AttributeName1=’Attribute Value’ or @AttributeName2=’AttributeValue2’]</pre>



<h2 id="5jra6">Different types of XPath in Selenium</h2>



XPath allows us to navigate through the webpage in two different types:



<ol type="1"><li>Absolute XPath</li><li>Relative XPath</li></ol>



<h3 id="ah60n">Absolute XPath</h3>



This locator uses the whole expression from the parent tag and starts with a single tag representing child elements.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://images.storychief.com/account_36412/image21_f18e3ccf352df315c83ba66d2d308d79_800.jpeg" alt=""/><figcaption>Absolute XPath</figcaption></figure>



Below attached is one more example of using a selector with multiple divisions. In such cases, we can use the index in the path. We define the array index inside the bracket according to the node position.



Example:



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://images.storychief.com/account_36412/image41_683ed70a11a138af40f1613fc6159b9e_800.png" alt=""/><figcaption>Absolute XPath</figcaption></figure>



<h3 id="cgcr0">Relative XPath</h3>



Relative XPath can start from anywhere from the HTML structure. We use Relative XPath when we don’t want to write the complete XPath expression from the root node.



The Relative XPath starts from a double forward slash, whereas the Absolute XPath starts from a single slash.



Example:



In the below example, we are choosing the image selector. Unlike Absolute XPath, we need not start from HTML.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://images.storychief.com/account_36412/image51_a4abbc3843692c896c7e258429f40666_800.jpeg" alt=""/><figcaption>Relative XPath</figcaption></figure>



<h2 id="3v3qt">XPath Expressions in Selenium</h2>



XPath expressions navigate and select appropriate elements in HTML and XML documents.



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table style="border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse;"><tbody><tr style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;
 border-collapse: collapse;"><td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;
 border-collapse: collapse;">Symbol</td><td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;
 border-collapse: collapse;">Definition</td></tr><tr style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;
 border-collapse: collapse;"><td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;
 border-collapse: collapse;">/</td><td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;
 border-collapse: collapse;">The single forward slash is used for selecting the child element,to create absolute XPath, to select elements from the root node, and to traverse through child elements from the parent node.</td></tr><tr style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;
 border-collapse: collapse;"><td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;
 border-collapse: collapse;">//</td><td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;
 border-collapse: collapse;">The double forward slash symbol is used for the descendant child(child,grandchild,etc.)in relative paths to select any elements present in the document.</td></tr><tr style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;
 border-collapse: collapse;"><td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;
 border-collapse: collapse;">.</td><td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;
 border-collapse: collapse;">The single dot selects the current node.</td></tr><tr style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;
 border-collapse: collapse;"><td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;
 border-collapse: collapse;">@</td><td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;
 border-collapse: collapse;">Select attributes</td></tr><tr style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;
 border-collapse: collapse;"><td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;
 border-collapse: collapse;">//a/..</td><td style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;
 border-collapse: collapse;">Backward traversing is where we use (.) dot notations to go up the tree or reach the parent node.The expression attached will get the parent element of the anchor tag.</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<h2 id="2uro4">XPath Selectors in Selenium</h2>



XPath selectors allow us to select a specific part of HTML documents.



<h3 id="geni">Descendant Selectors</h3>



To select child elements of the current parent node, Descendant selectors are used. We use a double forward slash or single forward slash to select the child or grand-child elements in the HTML.



The Syntax for Descendant selectors:



<pre class="wp-block-preformatted">/tag or //tag</pre>



<h3 id="61apm">Attribute selectors</h3>



Attribute selectors are used for elements based on the attribute present in a single HTML node.



The Syntax for Attribute selectors:



<pre class="wp-block-preformatted">//tag[@AttibuteName= ‘Attribute Value”]</pre>



XPath by Group Index



XPath by Group Index is used to match a single element. We write the index inside the bracket and the elements outside the block element.



It executes the XPath inside the brackets and stores the matching elements in the XPath array. Then, it will identify the elements based on the index from the elements mentioned outside the bracket.



Example: If we follow the XPath by Group index, we can get a single result of our Choice.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://images.storychief.com/account_36412/image11_371c5e1a0c201202c5190835f8a81db5_800.jpg" alt=""/></figure>



<h2 id="3tsg7">Axes in XPath</h2>



Axes represent the relationship between the current element and its relative element. It could be anything, such as a child or sibling, parent nodes etc.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://images.storychief.com/account_36412/AttributeSelectors_e6a2e96fcf9ba933ef65e84902ea3668_800.png" alt=""/><figcaption>Axes in XPath</figcaption></figure>



<h2 id="cnc5">Functions in XPath</h2>



A set of operations can be used for making Functions in XPath. It could be adding two HTML or getting the count of images present in a webpage.



Node Functions



XPath has several node functions such as name(), text(), position(), last(), comment() and name(). This Function provides the name of the HTML node.



<pre class="wp-block-preformatted">Xpath=//[starts-with(name(), ‘h’)]</pre>



text()



This function is used to locate the HTML elements based on the text of the web element.



<pre class="wp-block-preformatted">Xpath=//td[text()='login']</pre>



comment()



This function selects the elements with comments.



<pre class="wp-block-preformatted">/span/comment()</pre>



last()



This function selects the last element in the current Node.



<pre class="wp-block-preformatted">/span/img[last()]</pre>



position()



This function provides the position of the element.



<pre class="wp-block-preformatted">Ex: (//a)[position() ≤= n]</pre>



<h2 id="cuhf3">Operators in XPath</h2>



We can use operators combined with XPath to check certain conditions and verify requirements. It behaves like the if-else condition. XPath predicates come in square brackets after the parent elements are tested. With the following attached XML below, we’ve provided different examples for the operator:



<ul><li>Greater than(&gt;)</li><li>Less than(&lt;)</li><li>OR operator ( OR )</li><li>AND operator ( AND )</li><li>Not Equal to ( != )</li><li>Equal to ( = )</li></ul>



<pre class="wp-block-preformatted">&lt;eCommerce&gt; &lt;mobile&gt; &lt;Iphone supplier="mother" id="1"&gt; &lt;year&gt;2020&lt;/year&gt; &lt;amount&gt;1000&lt;/amount&gt; &lt;store&gt;ABC&lt;/store&gt; &lt;/Iphone&gt; &lt;Samsung supplier="store" id="2"&gt; &lt;year&gt;2018&lt;/year&gt; &lt;amount&gt;700&lt;/amount&gt; &lt;amount&gt;700&lt;/amount&gt; &lt;store&gt;XYZ&lt;/store&gt; &lt;/Samsung&gt; &lt;/mobile&gt; &lt;/eCommerce&gt;</pre>



Less than operator ( &lt; )



We can use this operator with XPath to check if the result is less than the number



Example:



<pre class="wp-block-preformatted">eCommerce/mobile/iphone[year &lt; 2019]</pre>



Result: In this expression, all the phones are listed with a year Lesser than 2019.



Greater than operator ( &gt; )



We can use this operator with XPath to check if the result is greater than a number.



Example:



<pre class="wp-block-preformatted">eCommerce/mobile/iphone[year &gt; 2019]</pre>



Result: In this expression, all the phones are listed with a year greater than 2019.



Equal to operator ( = )



We can use this operator for comparing or checking if the value is equal to the expected value.



Example:



<pre class="wp-block-preformatted">eCommerce//[@store=’ABC’]</pre>



Result: In this expression, all the stores with the name ABC are listed. Thus, the result will be an iPhone.



Not Equal to operator ( != )



We can use this operator to check if the operator is not equal to the expected value



Example:



<pre class="wp-block-preformatted">eCommerce//[@store!=’ABC’]</pre>



Result: In this, we will have all stores not named ABC. The result will be Samsung.



AND operator ( and )



We use this operator in cases where we want both conditions to be true.



<pre class="wp-block-preformatted">eCommerce//[@store=’ABC and @store=’XYZ’’]</pre>



OR operator ( or )



We use this operator in cases where we want any one of the conditions to be true.



<pre class="wp-block-preformatted">eCommerce//[@store=’ABC or @store=’XYZ’’]</pre>



<pre class="wp-block-preformatted">//input[@value=’A’ or @value=’B’]</pre>



<h2 id="eamk2">Browser console to locate XPath</h2>



We can test our XPath in browsers before checking it programmatically. With the help of debugging tools such as a console, we can test our XPath in the console.



We can write our XPath or with help of an inspector, we can get the XPath of any element on the webpage.



To validate XPath programmatically, follow these steps:



<ol type="1"><li>Visit any website (for example, Testsigma) and press F12 on the keyboard.</li><li>Click on the console as shown in the image below.</li><li>$x(&#8220;//img[@class=&#8217;img-responsive&#8217;]/@src&#8221;)</li><li>Entering the above XPath, we can select the Testsigma logo element on the left top corner as shown in the below image.</li></ol>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://images.storychief.com/account_36412/Testigma_72645294d8e4483227a806635149da97_800.png" alt=""/></figure>



Validating XPath with help of inspector XPath:



<ol type="1"><li>Visit any website and press F12 on the keyboard.</li><li>Click on Elements and right click element of your choice</li><li>Hover the cursor over Copy and select Copy full XPath.</li></ol>



Once done we can place the copied XPath inside the $x(`place your XPath copied from elements`) and check your results.



<h2 id="bfbuv">Wrapping Up</h2>



XPath is used to select or find elements on a webpage. We can use XPath in combination with other programming languages as well.



XPath allows us to navigate through the webpage in two different types:



<ol type="1"><li>Absolute XPath.</li><li>Relative XPath.</li></ol>



Relative XPath is more reliable and efficient while testing or scrapping a webpage. Since it supports dynamic operations, we can continue to extract data or automate tasks using the same code, even if the website is updated.



<h2 id="ffu0t">Frequently Asked Questions:</h2>



<h3 id="64mh2">What is the easiest way to find XPath?</h3>



The easiest way to find XPath is by using browser developer tools. Follow the below steps to generate XPath quickly.



<ol type="1"><li>Right-click on the element of your choice and select inspect; this will launch the inspector tool for elements HTML code.</li><li>Copy the XPath by right-clicking the HTML element.</li><li>Test the copied XPath to locate the same element in Chrome.</li></ol>



<h3 id="6bbqu">Which XPath is faster in Selenium?</h3>



The Relative XPath is faster in Selenium than the Absolute XPath. Absolute XPath is slow because it starts from the root node. Relative XPath is faster and most preferred because it starts from the middle of the HTML structure.



<h3 id="dek6t">Which XPath is best?</h3>



Relative XPath is best in major scenarios as there&#8217;s minimum code maintenance required if there&#8217;s any update on the website.



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Quick XPath Locators Cheat Sheet

When it comes to software development, we are often swamped with varied quality assurance terms that seem to have the same meaning. For instance, we confuse <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/the-different-software-testing-types-explained/">software testing types</a> with software inspection.



To give you a brief background: developed by IBM in the early 1970s, the term software inspection came into the picture when it was noticed that software testing wasn’t enough to attain high-quality software.



So, what’s the difference between inspection and testing? Don’t these processes involve bug or defect detection to ensure software quality?



Software inspection and software testing refer to two different stages in a broader software quality assurance strategy. Through this post, let&#8217;s explore the difference between these two terms.



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#What_is_Software_Inspection">1 What is Software Inspection?</a><ul><li><a href="#What_is_the_purpose_of_software_inspection">1.1 What is the purpose of software inspection?</a><ul><li><a href="#Who_are_the_key_parties_involved">1.1.1 Who are the key parties involved?</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#What_is_the_software_inspection_process">1.2 What is the software inspection process?</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#What_is_Software_Testing">2 What is Software Testing?</a><ul><li><a href="#What_is_the_purpose_of_software_testing">2.1 What is the purpose of software testing?</a></li><li><a href="#What_is_the_software_testing_process">2.2 What is the software testing process?</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#SDLC_without_Inspection">3 SDLC without Inspection</a></li><li><a href="#SDLC_with_Inspection">4 SDLC with Inspection</a></li><li><a href="#Key_differences_between_Software_inspection_and_Software_testing">5 Key differences between Software inspection and Software testing</a></li><li><a href="#Conclusion">6 Conclusion</a></li><li><a href="#Frequently_Asked_Questions">7 Frequently Asked Questions</a><ul><li><a href="#What_are_the_similarities_between_software_testing_and_inspection">7.1 What are the similarities between software testing and inspection?</a></li><li><a href="#What_is_SDLC_software_testing">7.2 What is SDLC software testing?</a></li><li><a href="#Why_is_software_inspection_more_important_than_testing">7.3 Why is software inspection more important than testing?</a></li></ul></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="4tbo6">What is Software Inspection?</h2>



Software inspection refers to a peer review of software to identify bugs or defects at the early stages of SDLC. It is a formal review that ensures the documentation produced during a given stage is consistent with previous stages and conforms to preestablished rules and standards.



Software inspection involves people examining the software product to discover defects and inconsistencies. Since it doesn’t require system execution, inspection is usually done before implementation.



<h3 id="f2b5v">What is the purpose of software inspection?</h3>



Software inspection aims to identify software defects and deviations, ensuring the product meets customer requirements, wants, and needs. In a broader context, the objective of the inspection is to inhibit defective software from flowing down the subsequent operations, thereby preventing loss to the company.



Software inspection is designed to unravel defects or bugs, unlike testing, which is done to make corrections. It is divided into two types:



<ul><li>Document inspection: Here, the documents produced for a given phase are inspected, further focusing on their quality, correctness, and relevance.</li><li>Code inspection: The code, program source files, and test scenarios are inspected and reviewed.</li></ul>



<h4 id="84k44">Who are the key parties involved?</h4>



<ul><li>Moderator: A facilitator who organizes and reports on inspection.</li><li>Author: A person who produces the report.</li><li>Reader: A person who guides the examination of software; more of a paraphraser.</li><li>Recorder: An inspector who logs all the defects on the defect list.</li><li>Inspector: The inspection team member responsible for identifying the defects.</li></ul>



<h3 id="9o8uk">What is the software inspection process?</h3>



Software inspection involves six steps – Planning, Overview, Preparation, Meeting, Rework, and Follow-up.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://images.storychief.com/account_36412/in-article-33_ca5b036bf79da572a00db450c247de72_800.jpg" alt="What is the software inspection process?" /></figure>



Planning



The planning phase starts with the selection of a group review team. A moderator plans the activities performed during the inspection and verifies that the software entry criteria are met.



Overview



The overview phase intends to disseminate information regarding the background of the product under review. Here, a presentation is given to the inspector with some background information needed to review the software product properly.



Preparation



In the individual preparation phase, the inspector collects all the materials needed for inspection. Each reviewer studies the project individually and notes the issues they encounter.



Meeting



The moderator conducts the meeting to collect and review defects. Here, the reader reads through the product line by line while the inspector points out the flaws. All issues are raised, and suggestions may be recorded.



Rework



Based on meeting notes, the author changes the work product.



Follow-up



In the last phase, the moderator verifies if necessary changes are made to the software product, compiling a defect summary report.



<h2 id="f62kk">What is Software Testing?</h2>



Software testing refers to verifying and <a href="https://recruitcrm.io/blogs/questions-to-ask-while-evaluating-applicant-tracking-system/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">evaluating</a> that software does what it is expected to do. It is done to discover bugs, <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/software-testing-errors-to-look-out-for-with-examples/">errors</a> or defects before the software is used.



When you test a software product or application, you execute a program using artificial data and verify the results of the test run for errors, variations, or information about the program&#8217;s non-functional attributes.



Software Testing enables teams to identify and resolve potential problems before they affect actual users. The QA professionals must test the software with a proper <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/blog/software-testing-strategy/">Software Testing strategy</a> to ensure the software’s performance, efficiency, and reliability.



Software Testing is part of a more general verification and validation process. It reveals the presence of errors, not their absence.



<h3 id="3ltqd">What is the purpose of software testing?</h3>



The purpose of software testing is to identify errors, disparities, or missing requirements contrary to actual requirements.



Software testing identifies bugs and defects in the development process so they&#8217;re repaired before the launch. This is done to ensure that only quality products reach consumers, ensuring customer satisfaction.



<h3 id="9utl6">What is the software testing process?</h3>



Software testing is a process rather than a single activity. Let’s look at the components that make up the whole.



Requirements Analysis



The first step requires the QA team to comprehend the software requirements. They meet different organizations, stakeholders, teams, etc. Once the requirements are understood, the next step is identifying the components or parts of software that ought to be tested.



Test Planning



This stage involves the team planning the strategy and approach. Typically, the test manager carries out this activity to look after certain factors such as how much effort testing requires how much testing costs, and which types of testing to do.



Test Case Designing



The team develops the test case based on specific criteria and scope. Once the test planning is done, the development of test cases begins. Here, the testing team designs the test cases for execution, which are then delivered to the QA team for an examination.



Test Environment Setup



This means setting up all software and hardware resources for the testing team to execute all the test cases. Simply put, this stage decides the conditions on which the software is tested.



Test Execution



The testing team now executes tests based on test planning and marks the test report. If the test case is successfully completed, it is marked as passed. If the test case is failed, it is marked as failed, and the corresponding defect or error is reported to the development team. If the test case is blocked due to a mistake, it is marked as blocked.



Test Closure



This phase ensures the completion of test execution. Several activities are undertaken, such as test completion reporting, collection of test completion matrices, and test results. Once this cycle is completed, the test cycle closure report is prepared.



<h2 id="ec0dg">SDLC without Inspection</h2>



Imagine a software development life cycle without inspection. What possibly could go wrong? Aren’t we testing our software to detect defects?



Usually, we assume that defects or bugs are related to code only, which can be identified by testing! Does that mean there are no other defects? Well, that’s not true.



Defects can occur before coding even starts. Such defects can originate in all stages due to inaccurate specifications, insufficient requirements, or incorrect feature implementation.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://images.storychief.com/account_36412/In-article-35_48d6f05fa91f7cdbd2c5aaca3c75dc21_800.jpg" alt="SDLC without Inspection" /></figure>



As shown above, defects in the previous stages of SDLC get identified in the maintenance stage, which adds stress to the maintenance stage.



This increases costs and time to repair or resolve defects, leading to late delivery, low production, and longer release cycles.



<h2 id="35d0c">SDLC with Inspection</h2>



Imagine where defects found in each stage get removed or fixed before moving on to the next phase. Great, isn’t it? That’s what inspection helps you with.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://images.storychief.com/account_36412/In-article-34_9699058c243c2cb6134d27d984e17d5a_800.jpg" alt="SDLC with Inspection" /></figure>



When inspections are incorporated and applied, they save us from chaos zone and minimize the cost of solving defects. This leads to increased production and shorter release cycles, ensuring software quality.



<h2 id="6ak5b">Key differences between Software inspection and Software testing</h2>



Software inspection involves examining a product to ensure it complies with the end user’s requirements and specifications. In contrast, software testing tests the product to ensure it does what it is supposed to do and is ready to be used by consumers.



To understand the underlying difference between the two, we have listed the types of errors identified by both processes:



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table style="border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse"><tbody><tr style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse"><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Types of Bugs/Errors</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Software Inspection</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Software Testing</td></tr><tr style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse"><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Checks the complexity of Code</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Yes</td><td style="padding: 10px">No</td></tr><tr style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse"><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Reviews Code Structure</td><td style="padding: 10px">Yes</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">No</td></tr><tr style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse"><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Identifies interface defects at module level</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Yes</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">No</td></tr><tr style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse"><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Checks if new features are to be added</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Yes</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">No</td></tr><tr style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse"><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Identifies and resolves boundary level defects</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Yes</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Yes</td></tr><tr style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse"><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Resolve performance errors</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Yes</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Yes</td></tr><tr style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse"><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Checks if any features are implemented incorrectly</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Yes</td><td style="border: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;border-collapse: collapse">Yes</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<h2 id="9grd2">Conclusion</h2>



In software engineering, quality is the primary focus of any project. As evident, software testing and inspection are two different steps that are carried out when ensuring the overall quality of a product.



However, these processes are not mutually exclusive. Instead, they complement each other, so you shouldn’t ignore one in favor of the other.



<h2 id="b8b3o">Frequently Asked Questions</h2>



<h3 id="9kvlg">What are the similarities between software testing and inspection?</h3>



Both testing and inspection are integral in ensuring that not only is your software of the highest quality, but it also meets customer requirements. Simply put, both processes help detect and prevent quality issues and defects before the product is released to the consumer market.



<h3 id="braa7">What is SDLC software testing?</h3>



In SDLC, software testing is a method of verifying whether the actual software product meets the standard requirements. Testing checks the software’s quality, reliability, and adherence to requirements, ensuring the product is free of defects.



<h3 id="388do">Why is software inspection more important than testing?</h3>



Software inspection is more involved than testing as it covers a broader context regarding ensuring software quality.



Software testing is the process of evaluating the product and whether it works appropriately per specifications/requirements. Software inspection is testing plus code review to ensure that it is correct, optimized, and maintainable. Simply put, the goal of the inspection is to remove errors and reduce the cost of rework.



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Software Inspection v Software Testing: How do they differ? cover

Software Inspection v Software Testing: How do they differ?

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End To End Testing vs Regression Testing: A Comprehensive Comparison

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Web Application Testing Checklist & Template [2022 Updated] cover

Website Testing Checklist & Template [Updated]

Designing software is no easy feat, so it&#8217;s disheartening when the final product is full of bugs. This means that you must redo all the previous work, and everyone on the development and testing teams has to start from scratch. Every piece of software now necessitates updates and enhancements depending on user feedback. However, for optimum functionality, each version should be thoroughly tested.
One of the areas where a lack of software quality can have negative business consequences is deployment. You might have a software product that is doing well in the market and generating good revenue. Still, a software deployment failure can hurt the organization in many ways. You must first be aware that deployment is not &#8220;just a build&#8221; and involves many moving parts across the organization.
To avoid this stressful and costly scenario, software developers and testers should ask the right questions before releasing their products. This blog provides a list of questions you should ask, as well as an explanation of why each question is essential. Following this checklist before pushing any code to production will help ensure a high-quality final product.
<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#The_Purpose_of_the_Software_Release_Checklist">1 The Purpose of the Software Release Checklist</a></li><li><a href="#Pre-Release_Checklist_Template">2 Pre-Release Checklist Template:</a></li><li><a href="#Releasing_Checklist_Template">3 Releasing Checklist Template:</a></li><li><a href="#Questions_to_consider_before_creating_a_software_release_checklist">4 Questions to consider before creating a software release checklist</a><ul><li><a href="#Is_the_product_viable">4.1 Is the product viable?</a></li><li><a href="#Is_there_a_rollback_plan">4.2 Is there a rollback plan?</a></li><li><a href="#Is_there_enough_documentation_in_place">4.3 Is there enough documentation in place?</a></li><li><a href="#Has_the_designer_seen_the_final_designsrelease">4.4 Has the designer seen the final designs/release?</a></li><li><a href="#Is_the_support_team_well-educated_on_the_software_being_released">4.5 Is the support team well-educated on the software being released?</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Summary">5 Summary</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="cl6kh">The Purpose of the Software Release Checklist</h2>
The purpose of software release checklist is to provide a clear guide on &#8220;what you need to make sure of&#8221; and &#8220;how to do it&#8221; while releasing software. A release management checklist is a great way to ensure you hit all the critical points during software development. The checklist should include items for every stage of development, from product management to development to testing and final deployment.
<figure class="image strchf-type-image regular strchf-size-regular strchf-align-center"><a href="https://media.giphy.com/media/l4KihljLh97qrS9EI/giphy.gif" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener"><picture><source srcset="https://d37oebn0w9ir6a.cloudfront.net/account_36412/giphy_cf081d75de5fb46a6dd60665d37a91fa.gif 1x" media="(max-width: 768px)" /><source srcset="https://d37oebn0w9ir6a.cloudfront.net/account_36412/giphy_cf081d75de5fb46a6dd60665d37a91fa.gif 1x" media="(min-width: 769px)" /><img src="https://d37oebn0w9ir6a.cloudfront.net/account_36412/giphy_cf081d75de5fb46a6dd60665d37a91fa.gif" /></picture></a><figcaption>source</figcaption></figure>
Remember that this checklist is not entirely exhaustive. Every team and every project is different, so not every item will apply to every situation. The release management checklist is a starting point for more detailed conversations with your team.
The following checklist is for creating a software deployment plan that organizations can use to ensure they are doing the right things.
<h2 id="f5dd">Pre-Release Checklist Template:</h2>
<figure class="image strchf-type-image regular strchf-size-regular strchf-align-center"><picture><source srcset="https://images.storychief.com/account_36412/notebook-with-list-desk-with-cup-coffee-beside_33f0c25daacdd0c3346616f6026b05f1_800.jpg 1x, https://images.storychief.com/account_36412/notebook-with-list-desk-with-cup-coffee-beside_33f0c25daacdd0c3346616f6026b05f1_1600.jpg 2x" media="(max-width: 768px)" /><source srcset="https://images.storychief.com/account_36412/notebook-with-list-desk-with-cup-coffee-beside_33f0c25daacdd0c3346616f6026b05f1_800.jpg 1x, https://images.storychief.com/account_36412/notebook-with-list-desk-with-cup-coffee-beside_33f0c25daacdd0c3346616f6026b05f1_1600.jpg 2x" media="(min-width: 769px)" /><img src="https://images.storychief.com/account_36412/notebook-with-list-desk-with-cup-coffee-beside_33f0c25daacdd0c3346616f6026b05f1_800.jpg" /></picture></figure>
A product launch is the most critical event of the year for most businesses. And usually, product launches are hinged on several moving parts. From external factors like having a first-mover advantage and fending off competition to internal factors like having the right product components, there are a lot of elements to consider. In many cases, the key to a successful product launch is having a pre-plan that factors all these elements. But the company does little to prepare a Pre-Release Checklist Template for the plan.
This checklist will help limit any potential risks that could come up. Here&#8217;s what to remember:
&#8211; Only release a limited number of items at a time so you can keep track of everything more easily.
&#8211; Plan to release frequently, so your customers always have something new and exciting to look forward to.
&#8211; Make sure every feature is &#8220;done&#8221; before releasing, which means:
<ul>
<li>All unit tests are written with proper code coverage.</li>
<li>All automated functional tests are executed to validate new features and make sure old features don&#8217;t regress.</li>
<li>All usability/accessibility testing is completed.</li>
<li>Performance testing is carried out (this is especially important).</li>
<li>The code is scanned for security vulnerabilities.</li>
<li>Any technical debt is documented.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="8fvh2">Releasing Checklist Template:</h2>
When considering a new release, we must ask ourselves a few key questions to ensure everything goes smoothly. This checklist provides a structured framework for streamlining the release planning process.
Before we deploy our code, we must ensure it&#8217;s checked into version control and tagged appropriately. We must also update our production configuration and ensure our code dependencies are deployed in production.
We also need to test our application&#8217;s scalability under heavy load. This will help us identify any potential issues that could arise during deployment.
Also, check the following:
<ul>
<li>Do we have any feature toggles configured for Canary or A/B testing?</li>
<li>Have we considered access control for any applications that need it?</li>
<li>Have we confirmed the availability of the observability information required to debug in production?</li>
<li>Can we capture and analyze metrics, traces, and logs? 
(Note: numerous commercial and <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/">open-source solutions</a> are available to assist you in this space)</li>
<li>Is there a contingency plan in place?</li>
<li>If necessary, can the feature be turned off?</li>
<li>If necessary, can we go back to the earlier code version?</li>
<li>If the release goes wrong, can users work around issues?</li>
</ul>
By ensuring we&#8217;ve covered all of our bases before deployment, we can avoid any potential headaches with this Software Releasing Checklist Template.
<h2 id="f0tt2">Questions to consider before creating a software release checklist</h2>
<figure class="image strchf-type-image regular strchf-size-regular strchf-align-center"><a href="https://www.netflix.com/in/"><picture><source srcset="https://d37oebn0w9ir6a.cloudfront.net/account_36412/Stranger_Things_Steve_GIF_by_NETFLIX_-_62d788e94c7cfcf9121d0669c4e6ee74.gif 1x" media="(max-width: 768px)" /><source srcset="https://d37oebn0w9ir6a.cloudfront.net/account_36412/Stranger_Things_Steve_GIF_by_NETFLIX_-_62d788e94c7cfcf9121d0669c4e6ee74.gif 1x" media="(min-width: 769px)" /><img src="https://d37oebn0w9ir6a.cloudfront.net/account_36412/Stranger_Things_Steve_GIF_by_NETFLIX_-_62d788e94c7cfcf9121d0669c4e6ee74.gif" /></picture></a><figcaption>Source</figcaption></figure>
<h3 id="1a3d">Is the product viable?</h3>
Making perfect software that never has to be updated or changed is impossible. The digital landscape is constantly evolving, and every digital product must keep up with new user preferences, expectations, and competitive impacts.
The goal is to produce and release a viable product &#8211; helpful, something that can be released within the specified time frame and meets end-user needs significantly. End users are fully aware that software will invariably require changes over time.
The initial release will never be complete, but it must be functional. It must perform well enough to provide consumers with the primary functions they seek.
Make a Strategy.
Creating a deployment plan allows you to gather feedback from all parties. Once in place, the plan provides vital information and directions for the deployment.
At each level of deployment, plans may include both manual and automated testing. Risk assessments, checklists, roles, and contact information for each stakeholder play a part. All stakeholders should examine and endorse the proposal.
<h3 id="bgc9o">Is there a rollback plan?</h3>
How can a feature be fixed if it causes problems in production? Is it possible to turn off the feature? Will this necessitate another round of deployment? How long will it take if so? What will the feature&#8217;s downtime be as a result?
It is reasonable to anticipate that some problems will arise once end-users access the software. Have a system in place to handle points of failure swiftly and effectively. Without it, issue resolution becomes a time-consuming, labor-intensive procedure that wastes developers&#8217; time and leads to an unpleasant user experience.
Include a rollback strategy in your testing plan to account for the possibility of failed deployments. Having a plan in place ahead of time will help you revert to the previous version of the program more quickly and reduce downtime.
Determine who is in charge of the rollback strategy and make sure they are available during the deployment. Create a method that can be quickly adapted to reduce downtime. Consider using feature flags to obtain more granular control over how each feature is deployed.
<h3 id="3hkii">Is there enough documentation in place?</h3>
This question must be posed at the start of any software development project. However, it must also be included in the software release checklist.
Every project involves a diverse group of developers, testers, designers, and other stakeholders. All team members can&#8217;t be on the same page unless documentation is on all fronts. This applies to both manual and <a href="https://website.testsigma.com/automated-testing">automated testing</a>. Because the agile technique relies mainly on cooperation, accurate and adequate documentation is a make-or-break factor in each project.
However, the requirement for documentation does not end with the launching of a product. User feedback must be gathered for effect to be enhanced.
It turns out that documenting people is also essential:
<ul>
<li>Do we have a list of critical technical contacts we can contact promptly if our release does not go as planned?</li>
<li>Do we know which users will be impacted by our changes?</li>
<li>Have we verified that our activated feature toggles include and exclude the correct people?</li>
<li>Have we confirmed that access control includes and excludes the appropriate people?</li>
<li>Have we arranged for somebody to help us demonstrate our release?</li>
<li>Do we have engineers who assist throughout the process?</li>
<li>Do we have enough people who should notice our modifications?</li>
<li>Have we finished any other release preparations that could help our deployment?</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="502v9">Has the designer seen the final designs/release?</h3>
The UI/UX team should ensure the product design is complete, reviewed, and well-documented. The product design is one of the most critical aspects of the release. Suppose a feature has a high potential impact on end users. In that case, it should be thoroughly tested to ensure it is usable and meets performance expectations. Once completed, the UE team should review this new version in conjunction with the design document to determine whether or not any changes are needed before being released to production. Moreover, if there are bugs that were not detected during this process, they should be addressed before releasing the product.
What has been updated/changed in this release? To collect the information, the designer should carefully review the release notes. If there are new or revised features or any bugs that have been fixed that may impact users, the designer should log them onto a list. Finally, is the UE team satisfied with this release? The answer to this question would be determined after meeting with the team to discuss the release and how it&#8217;s impacting their current workflow/project-at-hand [maybe use a User Story].
<h3 id="ffstn">Is the support team well-educated on the software being released?</h3>
In reality, a poorly equipped support crew may do a lot of damage to a brand&#8217;s and a product&#8217;s credibility.
To ensure everything is in line with the plan, follow up with these questions:
<ul>
<li>Is the support team familiar with the program being released?</li>
<li>Do they know what issues users are most likely to encounter?</li>
<li>Are they aware of the software&#8217;s capabilities so they can manage user expectations?</li>
<li>Can they provide the consumer with help documentation?</li>
</ul>
To ensure a successful release cycle, check if the support team is aware of any features that may confuse them. A skilled support team is essential for any software rollout. Customer-facing difficulties can be significantly decreased if the support team is adequately trained and understands how an application operates. Customers are rarely satisfied by generic responses.
Give them as much relevant information as possible to set them up for success. This will ensure a successful release cycle and save engineers and product managers from later dealing with repetitive questions.
To streamline the process and ensure that development teams and customers receive what they need with less effort, determine the nature of the software release cycle.
A software release checklist speeds up product delivery by ensuring that each release is tested for maximum viability via a dependable pipeline. Include the above questions in every release checklist to ensure that each release provides the most significant possible user experience.
<h2 id="cbh3n">Summary</h2>
As you can see, there&#8217;s a lot to consider (and remember!) when releasing a new software application. The key takeaway from this should be that the questions you should ask and the criteria you should use to judge each release are subjective. And, since every environment is unique, you will need to create your list of questions to ask.
But remember that any list of final criteria needs to encompass every aspect of a release—performance, security, and usability, foremost among them. Remember that it&#8217;s better to cover all the bases than to miss one. And before shipping out your software, ensure it meets your checklist&#8217;s requirements. Your users will thank you for it!
You don&#8217;t want to get through the entire project only to realize that you forgot to ask one of these questions. Which question do you think is the most important? Have you ever forgotten to ask one of these questions before releasing software? Let us know in the comments!
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Software Release Checklist For Applications: Things to include cover