Blockchain QA Testing: What Exactly Can You Test?

The innovation we know as blockchain is one of the most significant inventions in the 21^st century. Its technology has become so popular that it has generated a domino effect that has affected many sectors such as healthcare and manufacturing.

One sector that is beginning to explore and expand on blockchain’s capabilities is quality assurance in the form of blockchain testing.

What Is Blockchain From a QA Perspective

Blockchain was initially designed as a way to transfer and process cryptocurrency in a secure manner online. Today, it has started seeing uses in various industries with different types of data being processed.

Some examples of its current applications include sorting transactions for a faster or more affordable payment approach, digital health information of patients being encrypted for increased privacy, and more.

But what is blockchain testing, and how can it be applied from a QA perspective? First of all, blockchain can be used by QA specialists as a means to process payments digitally in a safer and more secure environment. This is made possible due to the various verification parameters involved for transactions using this technology.

Another way the QA sector can use blockchain is by reducing the costs and settlement time for transactions. Additionally, quality assurance services can be more transparent as it eliminates the need for third parties thanks to the secure ledger supplied in the blockchain.

Furthermore, the QA sector can also use blockchain technology to perform thorough testing of a product before it is introduced to its target audience. The ability to perform blockchain QA testing could be the difference between a product succeeding or failing in the market.

Here are a few of the many benefits the QA sector can experience:

• Numerous applications: Thanks to its revolutionary approach in processing transactions securely, blockchain technology has the ability to enhance the safety, functionality, and capabilities of many organizations in the QA sector.
• Importance of security: Since blockchain technology requires every user and all of its transactions to remain anonymous, transactions that go through here have increased security. Furthermore, blockchain also incorporates encryption which makes it a safe environment for various processes.
• Functionality is important: The technology leverages a functional blockchain testing framework to help assess and determine if a smart contract is viable.
• Speed is of the essence: Another advantage of using blockchain technology is that it is a faster and more efficient system for processing transactions.

What Can You Test In a Blockchain?

To give you a more in-depth idea of how to test blockchain and how it works, check out these aspects below of what you can test using this technology:

• Block size: Each block in the blockchain only has a maximum size limit of one megabyte but new innovations have led to potential transactions going past this limitation. QA testers can leverage its tools to see how a block operates if it goes beyond the 1MB limit.
• Chain size: Although there are no limitations to the chain size in blockchain, it’s still possible for QA staff to test for performance and functionality to see how far it can go.
• Smart contract testing: QA specialists can test smart contracts to see if all business logic combinations and their respective triggers will lead to the appropriate execution of specific transactions.
• Load: The blockchain continues to grow each day and the load it can handle is beginning to strain. Testing for load capacity would be an interesting project for QA testers to see how transactions will push through in case of overload.
• Security: Testers can also perform security tests in the blockchain especially since there are many costly assets stored in this network.
• Transmission of data: Data transmission is another aspect for testing the blockchain to ensure that all details remain anonymous while smart contracts remain secure.
• Addition of block: Every transaction that occurs in the blockchain adds one block to the chain as a way of saying the transaction is valid. QA testers can test each new block that comes in to make sure that there is no leakage in the block addition system and that each block added is authentic.
• Peer/node testing: The shared ledger that is made publicly available in the blockchain is the foundation of what makes this technology work. That’s why QA specialists can test for consistency of all transactions that go through here to guarantee validity.
• Crypto graphical data: Crypto graphical data is essential in the blockchain network so it is only practical to test that all information that goes in and out is encrypted and decrypted accordingly.
• Collisions: QA staff can test to ensure that their chain will remain intact even if 2 or more blocks are added simultaneously to it.
• API testing: External events or actions can trigger activity in the blockchain which is why API testing is necessary. One way API testers can work is to verify that application interactions in and out of the blockchain are correct with no redundancies involved.

Checklist for Effective Blockchain QA Testing

There are best practices that testers should follow to guarantee that their blockchain penetration testing stays accurate. Let’s take a look at each one below:

Choosing the Correct Testing Approach

Blockchain QA involves a combination of several testing approaches, each of which offers different possibilities:

Functional Testing for Blockchain Systems

Testing for the functionality of blockchain systems is possible for QA specialists to perform. The following functional tests that can be done include:

• Unit testing for smart contracts: Testing of smart contracts is possible and can be done by assessing all parts of a given contract. QA testers will need to take into account and predict all potential scenarios that would happen in case the logic of each contract is pushed to its limits.
• API testing: API is an interface that allows programs to work in conjunction with one another seamlessly. To learn how to test blockchain applications, developers utilize special software and tools to ensure accuracy in data output.
• Integration testing: Integration testing allows testers to pinpoint errors within integrated interactions. This is especially true since applications are unable to function by themselves.

Non-Functional Testing of Blockchain Applications

In non-functional testing of blockchain applications, the approach leans more towards validating processes to ensure productivity and security.

• Security testing: Apart from checking for potential cybercriminal activity, QA testers can also identify any potential problems from the system itself that could put the assets of blockchain users at risk.
• User interface testing: UI testing is when developers check to make sure that the end-user functionality is met by performing tests on reliability and continuity of the final product.
• Performance (load) testing: Load testing is designed to see how a product will operate despite heavy load in the system. This type of testing is a highly-recommended tutorial for new testers.

Blockchain QA Testing Tools

Quality assurance testers can use the following tools to carry out their blockchain testing processes in the network:

• Gremlin: Gremlin is a versatile tool that can be used to reproduce code updates and crashes in the real world that allows it to perform tests on blockchain stability.
• Madt: Users looking for a testing tool for assessing distributed systems with a Python background will find what they need with Madt.
• Truffle: Testers who want to run their test cases using Solidity or JavaScript will find the Truffle tool sufficient for their requirements.
• Corda Testing Tools: The open-source platform of Corda Testing Tools provides QA testers with all of the functionalities they need to perform a thorough test. It is particularly useful for conducting integration and load tests through IntelliJ and Java.
• MixByes Tank: Finally, MixBytes Tank offers testers a console system that allows them to quickly set up their own blockchain cluster for testing in just a few minutes. It also lets them highlight issues in their test blockchain that will provide them with insights regarding their problems.

Conclusion

Blockchain technology is one of the most revolutionary innovations created recently, and it continues to grow in usage each day. People have found many applications for the blockchain environment, with quality assurance testing being one of the newer sectors to adopt the technology.

The information provided in this post should provide companies with an idea of how they can leverage the blockchain to expand their QA testing for various applications. What makes this type of testing even better is that there are versatile tools available for QA specialists to carry out their tests.

QASource aims to provide a comprehensive range of quality assurance testing services for blockchain applications.

To learn more about how we can help solve your testing challenges, contact us today!!