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Black Box Testing - Software Testing Fundamentals

Black box testing is a software testing method where the internal structure of the software is unknown to the tester. It involves testing the functionality of the software without knowledge of its internal implementation. Some key techniques for black box testing include equivalence partitioning, boundary value analysis, and cause-effect graphing. Black box testing is useful for integration, system, and acceptance testing levels and evaluates the software from an external user perspective.

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250 views

Black Box Testing - Software Testing Fundamentals

Black box testing is a software testing method where the internal structure of the software is unknown to the tester. It involves testing the functionality of the software without knowledge of its internal implementation. Some key techniques for black box testing include equivalence partitioning, boundary value analysis, and cause-effect graphing. Black box testing is useful for integration, system, and acceptance testing levels and evaluates the software from an external user perspective.

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Black Box Testing

BLACK BOX TESTING, also known as Behavioral Testing, is a software testing method
(http://softwaretestingfundamentals.com/software-testing-methods/) in which the internal
structure/design/implementation of the item being tested is not known to the tester. These
tests can be functional or non-functional, though usually functional.

This method is named so because the software program, in the eyes of the tester, is like a black
box; inside which one cannot see. This method attempts to find errors in the following
categories:

Incorrect or missing functions


Interface errors
Errors in data structures or external database access
Behavior or performance errors
Initialization and termination errors

Definition by ISTQB

black box testing: Testing, either functional or non-functional, without reference to the
internal structure of the component or system.
black box test design technique: Procedure to derive and/or select test cases based on
an analysis of the specification, either functional or non-functional, of a component or
system without reference to its internal structure.

Example
A tester, without knowledge of the internal structures of a website, tests the web pages by using
a browser; providing inputs (clicks, keystrokes) and verifying the outputs against the expected
outcome.

Levels Applicable To
Black Box Testing method is applicable to the following levels of software testing:

Integration Testing (http://softwaretestingfundamentals.com/integration-testing/)


System Testing (http://softwaretestingfundamentals.com/system-testing/)
Acceptance Testing (http://softwaretestingfundamentals.com/acceptance-testing/)

The higher the level, and hence the bigger and more complex the box, the more black-box
testing method comes into use.

Techniques
Following are some techniques that can be used for designing black box tests.

Equivalence Partitioning: It is a software test design technique that involves dividing input
values into valid and invalid partitions and selecting representative values from each
partition as test data.
Boundary Value Analysis: It is a software test design technique that involves the
determination of boundaries for input values and selecting values that are at the
boundaries and just inside/ outside of the boundaries as test data.
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Cause-Effect Graphing: It is a software test design technique that involves identifying the
cases (input conditions) and effects (output conditions), producing a Cause-Effect Graph,
and generating test cases accordingly.

Advantages
Tests are done from a user’s point of view and will help in exposing discrepancies in the
specifications.
Tester need not know programming languages or how the software has been
implemented.
Tests can be conducted by a body independent from the developers, allowing for an
objective perspective and the avoidance of developer-bias.
Test cases can be designed as soon as the specifications are complete.

Disadvantages
Only a small number of possible inputs can be tested and many program paths will be left
untested.
Without clear specifications, which is the situation in many projects, test cases will be
difficult to design.
Tests can be redundant if the software designer/developer has already run a test case.
Ever wondered why a soothsayer closes the eyes when foretelling events? So is almost
the case in Black Box Testing.

Black Box Testing is contrasted with White Box Testing


(http://softwaretestingfundamentals.com/white-box-testing/). Read Differences between Black
Box Testing and White Box Testing. (http://softwaretestingfundamentals.com/differences-
between-black-box-testing-and-white-box-testing/)
 Ad hoc Testing (http://softwaretestingfundamentals.com/ad-hoc-testing/)

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