QA Glossary
76+ software testing terms explained in plain language. From fundamentals to advanced concepts — the reference every QA engineer needs.
QA Fundamentals
11 terms
Test Management
6 terms
ISTQB Terms
1 terms
Test Types
14 terms
Performance Testing
3 terms
Security Testing
4 terms
Test Design
8 terms
Test Automation
13 terms
CI/CD & DevOps
2 terms
API Testing
3 terms
Testing Tools
2 terms
Agile Testing
6 terms
QA Metrics
2 terms
Mobile Testing
1 terms
QA Fundamentals
Software Testing
The process of evaluating software to find defects and verify it meets requirements.
Read full definition →Quality Assurance (QA)
A systematic approach to preventing defects through process improvement and standards.
Read full definition →Bug (Defect)
A flaw in software that causes it to behave differently from its specification or user expectation.
Read full definition →Bug Report
A document describing a software defect with enough detail for a developer to reproduce and fix it.
Read full definition →Test Case
A set of conditions and steps used to verify a specific feature or requirement works correctly.
Read full definition →Test Suite
A collection of test cases grouped together for execution, usually covering a specific feature or area.
Read full definition →Severity vs Priority
Severity measures impact on the system. Priority measures urgency of the fix. They don't always align.
Read full definition →Quality Control (QC)
Product-oriented activities focused on detecting defects in the finished product.
Read full definition →Defect Lifecycle
The stages a bug goes through from discovery to closure — New, Assigned, Fixed, Verified, Closed.
Read full definition →Test Environment
A configured setup of hardware, software, and data where tests are executed.
Read full definition →Regression Bug
A bug introduced by a code change that breaks previously working functionality.
Read full definition →Test Management
Test Plan
A document describing the scope, approach, resources, and schedule of testing activities.
Read full definition →Test Strategy
A high-level document defining the testing approach, types, tools, and standards for a project or organization.
Read full definition →Risk-Based Testing
Prioritizing testing efforts based on the probability and impact of potential failures.
Read full definition →Test Data Management
The practice of creating, maintaining, and managing data used in testing to ensure reliable test results.
Read full definition →Entry & Exit Criteria
Conditions that must be met to start testing (entry) and to declare testing complete (exit).
Read full definition →Requirements Traceability Matrix (RTM)
A document mapping requirements to test cases, ensuring every requirement has corresponding tests.
Read full definition →ISTQB Terms
Test Types
Regression Testing
Re-testing software after changes to ensure existing functionality still works correctly.
Read full definition →Smoke Testing
A quick set of tests to verify the most critical functionality works before deeper testing begins.
Read full definition →Sanity Testing
Narrow, focused testing to verify a specific piece of functionality after a change or bug fix.
Read full definition →Acceptance Testing (UAT)
Testing performed by end users or stakeholders to determine if the software meets business requirements.
Read full definition →Exploratory Testing
Simultaneous learning, test design, and test execution — guided by the tester's skill and intuition.
Read full definition →Integration Testing
Testing the interaction between integrated components or systems to find interface defects.
Read full definition →Unit Testing
Testing individual components or functions in isolation to verify they work correctly on their own.
Read full definition →End-to-End Testing (E2E)
Testing complete user flows from start to finish, simulating real user behavior across the entire system.
Read full definition →Usability Testing
Testing how easy and intuitive the software is for real users to accomplish their goals.
Read full definition →Accessibility Testing
Testing that software is usable by people with disabilities, following WCAG guidelines.
Read full definition →Cross-Browser Testing
Verifying that a web application works correctly across different browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge).
Read full definition →Non-Functional Testing
Testing qualities of the system like performance, usability, security, and reliability — not specific features.
Read full definition →Ad-Hoc Testing
Informal testing without documentation or formal test cases — relying on the tester's intuition and experience.
Read full definition →Beta Testing
Pre-release testing by real users in real environments to gather feedback and find issues before launch.
Read full definition →Performance Testing
Performance Testing
Testing how the system behaves under various load conditions — speed, stability, scalability.
Read full definition →Load Testing
Testing system behavior under expected user load to verify it meets performance requirements.
Read full definition →Stress Testing
Testing system behavior beyond normal capacity to find the breaking point and observe recovery behavior.
Read full definition →Security Testing
Security Testing
Testing to identify vulnerabilities, threats, and risks that could lead to unauthorized access or data loss.
Read full definition →Penetration Testing
Simulated cyberattacks performed by ethical hackers to find security vulnerabilities before real attackers do.
Read full definition →OWASP Top 10
A regularly updated list of the 10 most critical web application security risks, maintained by the OWASP foundation.
Read full definition →Vulnerability
A weakness in software that can be exploited to cause unintended behavior, data exposure, or system compromise.
Read full definition →Test Design
Equivalence Partitioning
Dividing input data into groups (partitions) where all values in a group should behave the same way.
Read full definition →Boundary Value Analysis (BVA)
Testing at the edges of equivalence partitions, where bugs are most likely to occur.
Read full definition →Decision Table Testing
A technique using tables to map combinations of inputs (conditions) to expected outputs (actions).
Read full definition →State Transition Testing
Testing based on how the system transitions between different states in response to events.
Read full definition →Black-Box Testing
Testing based on requirements and specifications without knowledge of internal code structure.
Read full definition →White-Box Testing
Testing based on knowledge of internal code structure — verifying code paths, branches, and logic.
Read full definition →Checklist-Based Testing
Testing guided by a checklist of items to verify, less formal than detailed test cases.
Read full definition →Use Case Testing
Designing tests based on use cases that describe how users interact with the system to achieve goals.
Read full definition →Test Automation
Test Automation
Using software tools to execute tests automatically, compare results, and report findings without manual effort.
Read full definition →Selenium WebDriver
The industry-standard open-source framework for automating web browser interactions.
Read full definition →Playwright
A modern, fast browser automation framework by Microsoft with auto-wait, parallel execution, and multi-browser support.
Read full definition →Cypress
A JavaScript-based testing framework known for developer-friendly experience and real-time browser debugging.
Read full definition →Page Object Model (POM)
A design pattern that creates an object-oriented representation of web pages to separate test logic from page structure.
Read full definition →Test Pyramid
A testing strategy model with many unit tests at the base, fewer integration tests in the middle, and minimal E2E tests at the top.
Read full definition →Test-Driven Development (TDD)
A development approach where you write failing tests first, then write code to make them pass.
Read full definition →BDD (Behavior-Driven Development)
A collaborative approach where tests are written in natural language (Given-When-Then) that everyone can understand.
Read full definition →XPath
A query language for selecting elements in HTML/XML documents, commonly used in Selenium for locating web elements.
Read full definition →Mocking (Test Doubles)
Using fake objects to simulate dependencies in tests, isolating the code under test.
Read full definition →Flaky Test
A test that sometimes passes and sometimes fails without any code changes — unreliable and harmful to trust in the test suite.
Read full definition →Data-Driven Testing
Running the same test logic with different sets of input data to verify behavior across many scenarios efficiently.
Read full definition →Keyword-Driven Testing
A test automation approach where test steps are defined by keywords (actions) in external files, not in code.
Read full definition →CI/CD & DevOps
CI/CD (Continuous Integration / Continuous Delivery)
Automating the build, test, and deployment pipeline so every code change is automatically tested and deployable.
Read full definition →DevOps
A culture and practice of collaboration between development and operations, automating the software delivery pipeline.
Read full definition →API Testing
API Testing
Testing application programming interfaces directly to verify functionality, reliability, performance, and security.
Read full definition →REST API
An architectural style for web APIs using HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) to manage resources.
Read full definition →HTTP Status Codes
Three-digit codes returned by servers indicating the result of an HTTP request (200 = OK, 404 = Not Found, etc.).
Read full definition →Testing Tools
Agile Testing
Agile Testing
Testing practices adapted for Agile development — continuous, collaborative, and embedded in the development process.
Read full definition →Scrum
An Agile framework organizing work into fixed-length sprints with defined roles, events, and artifacts.
Read full definition →Acceptance Criteria
Specific conditions a user story must satisfy to be considered complete and accepted by the Product Owner.
Read full definition →User Story
A short, simple description of a feature told from the perspective of the person who desires it.
Read full definition →Shift-Left Testing
Moving testing activities earlier in the development lifecycle to find and fix defects sooner and cheaper.
Read full definition →Sprint
A fixed-length iteration (usually 2 weeks) in Scrum where the team completes a set of planned work.
Read full definition →