Software Testing Glossary

A

Acceptance Testing (UAT)

Testing conducted by end users to validate the system meets needs

A

Acceptance Criteria

Conditions a product must meet to be accepted by stakeholders

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Ad-hoc Testing

Informal testing without formal test cases or documentation

A

Accessibility Testing

Ensuring applications are usable by people with disabilities

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API Testing

Verifying application programming interfaces function correctly

A

Alpha Testing

Internal testing before product release to external users

A

Automation Framework

A set of guidelines and tools for structured test automation

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Appium

Open-source tool for automating mobile app testing

A

AI Testing

Using AI/ML to design, generate, or execute software tests

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AI Test Generation

Automatically creating test cases using AI models

B

Bug / Defect

A flaw in software that causes it to behave unexpectedly

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Bug Report

A document describing a defect with steps to reproduce

B

Black Box Testing

Testing without knowledge of internal implementation

B

Beta Testing

External testing by real users before official launch

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Compatibility Testing

Verifying software works across browsers, OS, and devices

C

Cross-Browser Testing

Testing web applications across multiple browsers

C

Contract Testing

Verifying API contracts between service consumers and providers

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Cypress

JavaScript-based E2E testing framework for web applications

C

CI/CD

Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery/Deployment pipeline

C

Continuous Testing

Running automated tests continuously throughout development

D

Defect Life Cycle

The workflow of a bug from discovery to closure

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Entry / Exit Criteria

Pre-conditions to start testing and standards to mark it complete

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Exploratory Testing

Simultaneous test design and execution without predefined scripts

E

End-to-End (E2E) Testing

Testing complete user workflows from start to finish

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False Positive / Negative

Incorrect pass or fail result from a test execution

F

Functional Testing

Verifying software behaves according to specified requirements

G

Grey Box Testing

Testing with partial knowledge of internal structure

I

Integration Testing

Testing how multiple components work together as a group

I

Infrastructure as Code (IaC) Testing

Validating cloud infrastructure configurations

L

Load Testing

Verifying system behaviour under expected concurrent user load

L

LLM Evaluation

Measuring the quality, accuracy and safety of LLM outputs

L

LLM Testing

Testing applications that use Large Language Models

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Mobile Testing

Testing on mobile devices and operating systems

M

Mutation Testing

Introducing code changes to verify tests can detect them

N

Non-Functional Testing

Testing attributes like performance, security, and usability

P

Pass / Fail

Basic outcome categories for any given test case execution

P

Performance Testing

Evaluating speed, stability, and scalability under load

P

Playwright

Modern end-to-end testing framework by Microsoft

P

Pipeline Gate

A quality check that blocks a build from progressing if tests fail

P

Prompt Testing

Verifying that AI prompts produce expected, safe outputs

Q

Quality Assurance (QA)

Systematic process to ensure product quality meets defined standards

Q

Quality Control (QC)

Activities that check the quality of finished software

R

Regression Testing

Re-testing after changes to verify no existing functionality broke

R

Root Cause Analysis

Identifying the underlying reason a defect occurred

S

Software Testing

The process of evaluating software to find defects and ensure quality

S

Smoke Testing

Quick tests to verify critical functionality before deeper testing

S

Sanity Testing

Narrow regression check after a minor change or bug fix

S

System Testing

Testing the complete, integrated system against requirements

S

Stress Testing

Testing beyond normal capacity to find breaking points

S

Security Testing

Identifying vulnerabilities, threats, and risks in software

S

Selenium

Open-source browser automation framework widely used in QA

S

Shift-Left Testing

Moving testing earlier in the development lifecycle

S

Shift-Right Testing

Testing in production using monitoring and observability

S

Self-Healing Automation

AI-driven test maintenance that adapts to UI changes

T

Test Case

A set of conditions used to verify whether a feature works correctly

T

Test Plan

Document that outlines the scope, approach, and resources for testing

T

Test Suite

A collection of test cases grouped by feature or functionality

T

Test Script

A set of instructions that automate a test case execution

T

Test Environment

The hardware, software, and configuration used to run tests

T

Test Coverage

Percentage of application code or requirements exercised by tests

T

Test Data

Input values and conditions used to execute test cases

T

Test Execution

The process of running test cases and recording outcomes

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Test Artefacts

Documents and files produced during the testing process

T

Traceability Matrix

A document linking requirements to corresponding test cases

T

Test Automation

Using software tools to execute tests automatically

T

Test Runner

Tool that executes test suites and reports results

T

Test Automation in CI

Running automated test suites within CI/CD pipeline gates

T

Test Containerisation

Running tests inside Docker containers for consistency

U

Usability Testing

Evaluating ease-of-use and user experience of the software

W

White Box Testing

Testing with knowledge of internal code structure