Manual testing
Manual testing is the evaluation of software by a person who performs test actions and inspects the resulting behavior rather than relying on automated test execution.
Lead Developer Career Guide
Testing performed by a person who evaluates software behavior without relying entirely on automated test execution.
- How it is used
- Uses human evaluation alongside automated checks to assess software quality and user experience.
- How deep it goes
- Defines the role and places it within documented QA stages, but stops short of detailed test procedures.
- Examples
- Uses an e-commerce QA process and checks whether design and user experience match requirements.
- What you can do after
- Apply it alongside unit and integration testing to evaluate user experience and broaden software quality coverage.
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Bootstrapping Microservices, Second Edition: With Docker, Kubernetes, GitHub Actions, and Terraform
The evaluation of software behavior by a person executing test steps rather than by an automated test program.
- How it is used
- Supports early validation of prototypes and MVPs before investing in automated testing infrastructure.
- How deep it goes
- Explains visual inspection and repeatable local setup, but stops short of defining detailed test procedures or coverage.
- Examples
- Uses local application execution, visual output inspection, startup scripts, Docker Compose, and database fixtures.
- What you can do after
- Apply manual checks efficiently during early development and recognize when repetitive testing should become automated.
Related concepts
- testkind of · A test is a procedure or check that evaluates behavior using specified inputs or evidence against expected results or criteria.
- quality assuranceused by · Quality assurance is the planned, systematic evaluation and improvement of products or processes to prevent or detect defects and ensure they meet defined quality requirements.
- browser developer toolsuses · A suite of browser-integrated utilities for inspecting, debugging, testing, profiling, and analyzing web pages, applications, and browser-executed code.
- acceptance testingcontrasts with · Acceptance testing evaluates whether a system or software satisfies specified user, business, or other stakeholder requirements and is acceptable for its intended purpose.
- pipelinealternative to · A pipeline is an ordered or coordinated sequence of connected processing stages or tasks that passes data, work, or results toward an outcome.
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