Integration testing may be related to security testing, usually performed by a software testing company. Inside of every system (and software is not an exception), there are those parts where the components come together. In case of any software, code junction usually is a place where numerous bugs occur.
Although it is considered to be normal to conduct security testing of every component in isolation, this testing will not reveal the real state of a product, because the two components working perfectly well separately may create problems when put together.
That is why professional software testers should not treat the software as a set of separate components but rather as a well-coordinated interrelated system.
How to Conduct Integration Testing?
The procedure of integration testing doesn’t differ greatly from the process of testing separate components. Actually, applying separate component security concerns to the component interaction issues help to reveal and close holes in software security.
Before you start investigating integration of components, you should first make a list of all software components. A prototypical component list will look as follows:
- Database;
- Authentication mechanism;
- Rendering logic;
- Browser and the display of content in it;
- Operating system on client and server;
- Other server components;
- Language itself.
You can also introduce additional components that you perhaps wouldn’t be able to control (for example, Internet or other specific tools).
Following user-oriented approach to software testing and development, having finished integration testing and security testing and seeing the software weak points, you can shortly instruct your potential users on how to safely use the software.