Alpha Test and beta test

A cursory look at the alpha and beta tests.

1.Alpha Test

Alpha testing is a test performed by a user in a development environment, or it can be a test conducted by a user within the company in a simulated actual operating environment. The purpose of alpha testing is to evaluate the functionality, localization, usability, reliability, performance, and support of software products. Especially focus on the product interface and features. Alpha testing can start at the end of the software Product code, or after the module (subsystem) test is complete, or after confirming that the product has reached a certain level of stability and reliability during testing.

In short, alpha testing is the company's internal employees pretend to be a variety of users, to use, so as to find the use of the process will eventually appear problems, software performance, interface and so on. To find out where the software needs to be improved. Versions after Alpha testing are also known as beta versions.

2.Beta Test

Beta testing is a test performed by multiple users of the software in a real-life environment, and these users return information about the error to the developer. When testing, developers are usually not on the test site. As a result, beta testing is a software field application that can be performed in an environment that is beyond the developer's control. In beta testing, the user notes all issues encountered, including real and subjective, and reports to the developer on a regular basis. Beta testing primarily measures product functionality, localization, usability, reliability, performance, and support, focusing on product support, including documentation, customer training, and support for product productivity.

To put it simply, beta testing is for users who really know nothing about the software to use the software, find out what they think is wrong, and submit it to the programmer.

Before large-scale software release, must undergo very strict alpha test and beta test, so as to improve the reliability of the software, but at the same time due to the alpha and beta testing is difficult to organize, high testing costs, testing randomness, testing period is longer, testing quality and testing efficiency is difficult to guarantee, so, Many professional software may no longer perform beta testing. With the improvement of testing techniques and the proliferation of professional testing services, many software beta tests are outsourced to these specialized testing institutions for testing.

3.Alpha and Beta

The biggest difference between alpha and beta testing is that the location and programmer's position, alpha testing is usually within the company, the programmer is around, and the environment is provided by the company. Beta testing, in the actual operating environment, the programmer is not around, all by the user-led.

Alpha Test and beta test