What is Unit testing, and Why is it Important?

Unit testing (UT) is a process to validate every individual unit/component of the software application and test it during the development phase. It is carried out to isolate sections of code to verify their accuracy. More code means more testing to check for errors, and avoiding UT can lead to higher bug correction costs. This kind of testing is usually automated, but manual testing is also an option. Manual UT is done with the help of an instructional document and performed on all varieties of mobile apps. In automated UT, code is pushed into the app to test functions and procedures. A part of Test Driven Development (TDD) methodology, it allows the developer to consider all possible inputs, outputs, and errors while writing failing tests. Drivers, frameworks, mock objects, and stubs are used to perform UT. It makes it easy to pinpoint bugs, recalibrate the application, and eliminate issues. Testing your application is crucial because it ensures security, user satisfaction, and is cost-effective.

Some key points to remember are:

• Code can be edited and removed even after the deployment of the app.
• When code and other units are reliant on each other, vigorous testing is needed to generate results consistently.
• Test codes one at a time and use consistent naming conventions.
• Every module should have a correlating unit test in case there are changes to the code.
• Before moving to the next step in development, ensure all bugs get fixed.
• Focus on tests that can affect the system’s behavior and then code to avoid errors.

Let’s list a few benefits of UT:

Makes the process Agile – when you add more features to the software, you need to change the old design and code. It can be both risky and costly, so if you have unit tests in place, then refactoring is possible.

Quality of Code – UT increases the quality of the code as it identifies every bug in the code that can come up before integration testing. Before coding, developers expose edge cases and prepare tests to solve problems better.

Bugs are detected – by developers early in the development stage when they test codes before integration can take place. Thus able to resolve issues without affecting the other codes.

Easy integration and enabling change – UT allows code refactoring and system library upgrades to ensure that the module works accurately. Helps with code maintenance and identify issues that could destroy a framework design contract.

Documentation – is available for developers to learn from the system and continually fix how a unit provides the functionality to the interface.

The debugging process – UT can simplify the debugging process because if a test fails, only the most recent code needs to be tested and fixed.

Design – Developers create tests keeping in mind what they are trying to accomplish with the code even before they write it. If a code’s purpose is well-defined and built for high cohesion, then it has a great chance of success.

Cost-effective – UT significantly reduces the overall cost of the project because it fixes bugs
early on in the process.

In short unit testing, increases the speed of development as it is modular and more reliable as a code. It’s also less time-consuming in comparison to system/acceptance testing. The only challenge, therefore, with UT is that it can’t catch all broader system and integration errors or check execution paths.

In conclusion

Unit testing is a hallmark of Extreme Programming (XP) , and as a Software Testing Services Companies , Codoid works towards fortifying our client’s codes to gain optimal results. Your developers should opt for TTD and get relevant tools that can further lower costs and testing efforts. Connect with us for a consultation and let us redefine the way you test your builds.