Advantages and Disadvantages of White box testing

White Box or clear box testing is the one where internal structure and components of the application are exposed to the tester. In the earlier article I have discussed White Box testing and its techniques in detail, you can refer to them before we get to the benefits and drawbacks of white box testing.

Software developer does a bit of glass testing at his end too while performing unit testing. A software tester, who wants to perform this testing, needs to have good knowledge of the coding language and logic to be efficient.

Advantages of White Box testing

1.  Testing can commence even before the GUI is ready.
2.  As internal functionality is considered, all the possible conditions are considered and test cases are generated. Hence all the functionalities are being tested.
3.  It identifies the specific procedure accuracy within the application.
4.  It minutely verifies whether the program can be successfully executed with other parts of the application.
5.  It identifies error in the hidden code and thus makes debugging process swift.
6.  It removes extra lines of code which are not required in the program thereby optimizing the program and increases the efficiency.
7.  As the internal coding of the application is considered while preparing test cases, it becomes very easy to identify the input and the expected output data.
8.  It helps in evaluating all the loops and paths.
9.  It can provide stability and usability of the test cases.
10.  Thoroughness achieved in white box testing is far more than black box testing.
11.  Various hidden defects get unearth while conducting clear box testing.

Disadvantages of White Box testing

1.  As the internal code of the application has to be considered while preparing the test cases, skilled testers are required who have knowledge of programming also. Hence the cost of the resources is high.
2.  It is not possible for the tester to look into every bit of the code and identify the hidden errors. This may result in failure of the application.
3.  Sometimes a change in the code may be required and thus all the scenarios may need to be tested again.
4.  White box testing is an exhaustive method.
5.  It takes time to tester to develop the test cases.
6.  Test cases are a waste if changes in the implementation code are done frequently.
7.  If the application is large then complete testing through white box techniques is not feasible.

Read More:
What is Black box testing? Techniques
Advantages and Disadvantages of Black Box testing
Benefits of Unit Testing

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