Compatibility Testing in Software Engineering

Prerequisite: Software Testing

What is Compatibility testing?

Compatibility testing is software testing that comes under the non-functional testing category, and it is performed on an application to check its compatibility (running capability) on different platforms/environments. This testing is done only when the application becomes stable. This means simply this compatibility test aims to check the developed software application functionality on various software, hardware platforms, networks and browsers, etc. This compatibility testing is very important in product production and implementation point of view as it is performed to avoid future issues regarding compatibility.

Types of Compatibility Testing

Several examples of compatibility testing are given below.

1. Software:

• Testing the compatibility of an application with an Operating System like Linux, Mac, Windows
• Testing compatibility on databases like Oracle SQL server, and MongoDB server.
• Testing compatibility on different devices like mobile phones, and computers.

Types based on Version Testing:

There are two types of compatibility testing based on version testing  

1. Forward compatibility testing: When the behavior and compatibility of software or hardware are checked with its newer version then it is called forward compatibility testing.
2. Backward compatibility testing: When the behavior and compatibility of software or hardware are checked with its older version then it is called backward compatibility testing.

2. Hardware:

Checking compatibility with a particular size of  

• RAM
• ROM
• Hard Disk
• Memory Cards
• Processor
• Graphics Card

3. Smartphones:

 Checking compatibility with different mobile platforms like android, iOS etc.

 4.Network:

Checking compatibility with different :

• Bandwidth
• Operating speed
• Capacity

Along with this there are other types of compatibility testing are also performed such as browser compatibility to check software compatibility with different browsers like Google Chrome, Internet Explorer etc. device compatibility, version of the software and others.

So for now we have known the uses of compatibility in different fields. Now the question rises is HOW TO PERFORM A COMPATIBILITY TEST?

How to perform Compatibility testing?

Testing the application in a same environment but having different versions. For example, to test compatibility of Facebook application in your android mobile. First check for the compatibility with Android 9.0 and then with Android 10.0 for the same version of Facebook App.

Testing the application in a same versions but having different environment. For example, to test compatibility of Facebook application in your android mobile. First check for the compatibility with a Facebook application of lower version with a Android 10.0(or your choice) and then with a Facebook application of higher version with a same version of Android.

Why compatibility testing is important?

1. It ensures complete customer satisfaction.
2. It provides service across multiple platforms.
3. Identifying bugs during development process.

Compatibility testing defects

1. Variety of user interface.
2. Changes with respect to font size.
3. Alignment issues.
4. Issues related to existence of broken frames.
5. Issues related to overlapping of content.