"Alpha and beta testing are two of the most important testing techniques of software testing life cycle and are conducted at almost the end of the testing cycle. The quality, functionality, accessibility, usability and scalability of the software application or product can be thoroughly assessed and enhanced through the implementation of these two key testing types. The final product that is being released in the marketplace has to go through alpha and beta testing in order to ensure that a product is user-friendly and can be easily used by the customers. In this article, you will get a brief idea about alpha and beta testing."

1. What is Alpha testing?

It is a testing method that is performed to find and fix bugs before the software is going to be released. This test is conducted before the beta test. The aim of this testing method is to identify bugs that were not found in the previous tests and fix them at the earliest. Testers and developers are given the responsibility to test the product in this testing phase.
Alpha testing process:

Following are the steps involved in the alpha testing process:

• Design review: The design of the functional and specification requirement is reviewed

• Develop test case and test plan: Based on the requirement review outcomes, test development takes place. The test case and test plan are developed

• Test case execution: the test cases and test plan are executed

• Identifying defects: Logging the identified bugs that have been found in the application

• Fixing bugs: When all the bugs are logged and identified, then the process of fixing those bugs takes place

• Retesting: When all the relevant testing related issues are fixed and solved, then retesting is done.

The two phases of alpha testing:

In the first phase, in-house developers and testers will test the product by focusing on finding bugs as quickly as possible. In this phase, documents, missing features and bugs are found.

The second phase is where the software is passed on to the QA team for the purpose of conducting additional testing. The application of black box and white box techniques is involved in this phase.
This testing method is often conducted for Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) software, more like a sort of internal acceptance testing.

2. What is beta testing?

It is a type of user acceptance testing that is performed just before the software product is being released. Real users are involved in this testing method as they are given the responsibility to test the product in a real-time environment and provide their valuable feedback. The functionality, usability and accessibility of a software product are checked.
Points to be considered before performing a beta test:

Following are some of the important points that need to be taken into consideration before a beta test is performed:

• The product component is ready to undergo the testing phase

• The end-user documentation must contain all the important aspects of testing such as installation, uninstallation, setup, usage etc.

• The product functionality should be reviewed by the product management team in order to ascertain whether it is in a good condition so that it can be effectively used by the end-users for the purpose of testing

• Before publishing the product, identification of a proper methodology to collect feedback, bugs, etc., needs to take place.

Beta version of the software:

There are two types of beta versions which are as follows:

• Closed beta version: It is also known as private beta, wherein a group of selected people are invited to test the software product and thus evaluate the specifications and features.

• Open beta version: It is also known as public beta, where the product can be tested by the public in general. Any end-user can try and assess the beta version of the product and provide their feedback and reviews. The quality of the final release can be improved through this version and also undetected issues and errors can be found in this version.

Conclusion: If you are looking for strategic consultation for alpha or beta testing or both, then do get connected with a top-notch software testing services company that will provide you a methodical framework that is in line with your project requirements.