Negative Testing: When you put an invalid input and receive errors is known as negative testing.
Positive Testing: When you put in the valid input and expect some actions that are completed according to the specification is known as positive testing.
Positive testing and negative testing are two distinct approaches in software testing, and they serve different purposes in ensuring the quality and reliability of software applications.
- Positive Testing:
- Definition: Positive testing, also known as “happy path testing,” involves validating that a system or application behaves as expected under normal or valid conditions.
- Objective: The goal of positive testing is to ensure that the software functions correctly when provided with valid inputs and follows the expected paths through the code.
- Examples: Verifying that a login page accepts valid credentials, checking if a form submits successfully with all required fields filled, or confirming that calculations are accurate when using valid input data.
- Negative Testing:
- Definition: Negative testing, on the other hand, focuses on testing the system’s ability to handle unexpected or invalid inputs and unusual scenarios.
- Objective: The primary objective of negative testing is to identify potential vulnerabilities, weaknesses, and error-handling capabilities of the software when faced with invalid or unexpected conditions.
- Examples: Testing if the application displays appropriate error messages when incorrect login credentials are entered, validating that the system rejects invalid input data, or checking how the software behaves when unexpected events occur.
In summary, positive testing ensures that the software works correctly under normal conditions, while negative testing investigates how well the software handles unexpected or invalid inputs and scenarios. Both types of testing are crucial for comprehensive quality assurance, as they help identify and address different types of issues that may impact the functionality and reliability of the software.