What is dynamic testing?

Dynamic testing is a software testing technique that deals with the dynamic behavior of the system. The purpose of dynamic testing is to observe the function of dynamic variables in the runtime environment and highlight any performance flaws or bugs in the system. Dynamic testing falls under both functional and non-functional testing categories. Test cases are designed in accordance with the resources and time frame available to execute the tests.

Types of dynamic testing

Dynamic testing is divided into two categories:

• White-box testing: In this testing technique, the tester is familiar with the internal structure of the system. White-box testing aims to test the system on the basis of the code of each module, object, and instruction.
• Black-box testing: In this testing technique, the tester has no knowledge of the internal structure of the system. Black-box testing aims to test the functionality of the system as a whole and does not require programming knowledge about the software.

Example

Suppose you’re designing a login page in your software and you want to display custom error messages for each type of incorrect user input. These messages could include “Password too short”, "Password does not contain Upper Case letter, “Password is too weak”, and so on. In this example, the code for password validation acts dynamically based on the user input. The expected and output behavior of the system are then compared, and any bugs are reported. These kinds of software modules and dynamic variables are tested in dynamic testing.

Advantages of dynamic testing

• A thorough testing method that evaluates every condition and parameter of code modules.
• Complex defects that may be missed during the inspection process can be caught.
• Automated tools can be used to perform dynamic testing.

Disadvantages of dynamic testing

• Although dynamic testing is a detailed and thorough method, it’s also a time-consuming process that requires lots of resources.
• Since dynamic testing is done after the development process is complete, defects are found at the later stage of the project, which can incur high costs.