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Difference between Unit Testing and System Testing

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System Testing: 
System testing is done to check whether the software or product meets the specified requirements or not. It is done by both testers and developers. It contains System testing and Integration testing. It is done through more positive and negative test cases. 

Unit Testing: 
Unit Testing is the type of software testing level in which each individual component of the software is tested. Unit Testing is generally performed by the developer. Unit Testing can’t be used for those systems which have a lot of interdependence between different modules. It does not allow for parallel testing. 

Difference Between Unit Testing and System Testing:

Unit Testing System Testing
In unit testing, independent software module are tested separately. System testing is done to check whether the software or product meets the specified requirements or not.
Unit testing is performed by the developers. System testing is generally done by developers and testers.
Unit testing is also called white box testing. System testing is also called black box testing.
Unit testing generally focuses on functional verification. System testing generally focuses on system validation.
Unit testing comprise of independent modules. System Testing comprise of System and integration testing.
Unit testing follows the specification of modules. System testing follows the requirements specification.
It gives high performance because of single module testing at a time. It gives relatively low performance than unit testing.
Error finding is easy. Error finding is difficult as compared to unit testing.
Resource requirement is less. It needs more resources.
Maintenance is relatively less expensive. Maintenance is expensive.
It is cost effective as there is requirement of less number of resources. It is expensive.
Code details are visible in this type of testing. Code details are not visible in this type of testing.

Some of the frameworks used for unit testing are as follows:

  • NUnit (For C#)
  • JUnit (For Java)
  • Embunit (For C or C++)
  • HtmlUnit (For JavaScript) and more.

Some of the frameworks used for system testing are as follows:

  • Froglogic Squish
  • Robotium
  • Smart Bear’s Soap UI and more.
Features  Unit Testing  System Testing
 
Scope of testing  Tests individual units or components of the software application in isolation  Tests the complete system or software application
 
Timing of testing  Typically automated and performed by developers during the coding phase  Typically manual and performed by independent testers after the completion of integration testing
 
Focus of testing  Focuses on verifying the functionality of each unit or component of the software application  Focuses on verifying the functionality of the system as a whole
 
Testing environment  Tests are executed in a controlled environment, typically using mock objects or test doubles to isolate the unit being tested  Tests are executed in a production-like environment to simulate real-world usage scenarios
 
Testing frameworks  Uses unit test frameworks such as JUnit, NUnit, or PHPUnit to automate the testing process  Uses system testing frameworks such as Selenium, HP UFT, or IBM Rational Functional Tester to automate the testing process
 
Purpose of testing  Enables early detection and elimination of defects in the code  Enables validation of the entire software application to ensure it meets the specified requirements
Skills required  Requires a solid understanding of the code and the ability to write effective test cases  Requires a comprehensive understanding of the software application and the ability to write effective test cases
 
Feedback  Provides fast feedback on the quality of individual units or components  Provides a comprehensive understanding of the quality and readiness of the entire software application
Execution  Typically executed by developers in a continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) pipeline  Typically executed by independent testers in a separate testing environment
 
Types of testing  Tests for both functional and non-functional aspects of the software application  Tests for both functional and non-functional aspects of the software application, including performance, security, and usability testing

Last Updated : 07 May, 2023
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