Blockchain Application Testing

13 August 2020

What Is Blockchain?

It is a technology in which a series of unchangeable records of data is available which is shared across a network of computers. Record is very difficult to change after it has been added to the chain. Network continuously checks to make sure all the database copies are the same. In Blockchain technology data is collected into Blocks and these blocks are bound to each other using cryptography hence increasing the data security.

A Database is Records are packaged together into blocks and added to the chain consistently. The basic parts of Database are:

• Record: It is an information
• Block: Collection of records (A bundle of records)
• Chain: Every blocks connected together

Cryptocurrency which is an application of blockchain and blockchain is the underlying technology, cryptocurrencies like bitcoin which are financial instruments which is built on technology called Blockchain.

Bitcoin is an application out of cryptocurrencies based on a Technology called blockchain. Lots of applications that are built on blockchain which are not cryptocurrency like supply chain management, financial services, identity management.

Principles of Blockchain

• Public: It is available to all
• Decentralized: No central entity who manages the system.
• Open: Anyone can join, permission less.
• Disintermediation: No middlemen so less interference.
• Secure: Blockchain is dependent on cryptography and cryptographic hash function is one of the main reasons that make it so secure.

Blockchain is a well known and in fact confounded subject. At first the innovation was made to serve the Bitcoin currency. Anyway as time passed by the circle of the blockchain application broadened.

Today any item that utilizes databases can be relocated to the blockchain. blockchain is a type of a payment method in 90% of cases.Testing Blockchain application is same as when the Quality Assurance Engineer testing Payment method gateway system like verifying the transaction process, testing all payment segments, checking whether extra prerequisites are met (terms of a keen agreement) and no two fold spending open doors exist.

Uses of Blockchain Technology

In the following sectors blockchain is used prominently

• Insurance
• Financial Transactions
• Healthcare
• Supply Chain Management
• Movies industries.

Points to consider before testing applications based on the Blockchain technology

Testing environment: Transaction performed in the blockchain changes its present state. so as to feature or modify any entry, miners’ resources are needed. Miners are those who charge expenses for confirming transactions and adding it to the blockchain. That’s why it should seem to be too overpriced to perform tests within the live surroundings.

Transactions are permanent: All blockchain-based apps are localized. It is the main thought behind them. Decentralization means there is no central entity who is managing the system. Decentralization implies that the application lives on various systems and its code is accessible to everyone. Since there is no central repository, it is not possible to reverse 99 percent of faults, errors that make it to the blockchain.Therefore it becomes extremely essential to make certain all transaction info are accurate before sending to the system. Any flaw which has been overlooked will be crucial. It renders the work of the QA more and more responsible.

Every transaction is a paid transaction: This statement is in correlation with the first. The responsibility of the tester is to ensure that the transactions adding and storing within the network are error-free. Because any transaction in the blockchain requires the charge, however, this makes the testing process very precise.

What type of testing can be done with a Blockchain application?

• Functional testing: The ‘sanity check’ will be functional testing to ensure that everything works properly.
• Security testing: Security testing is basic to blockchain application troubleshooting, as blockchain discovers use in profoundly secure money related, government or administrative conditions. Blockchain really succeeds in the field of banking and finance app. Therefore it’s imperative to test verification and approval techniques. Their capacity to resist assaults of different harmful roots is essential for their dependability and security.
• Performance testing: One of most significant criteria of blockchain applications is speed. The exhibition and inactivity change with size of the system and size of exchanges. So testing the system (Network) size and it’s ability to perform the transaction is important, through this it also assists you with making sense of the potential expenses of running the application in the cloud or different conditions.
• Integration testing: Test interfaces among segments and various pieces of framework.
• Smart contacts: Real time auditing of transactions.
• Peer & node testing: Checking that there’s an agreement among hubs and that exchanges are effectively sequenced inside the system will guarantee its steadiness and efficiency for the end client.

Testing intensively blockchain applications will decrease the danger involved with the inexperience in the creation of blockchain applications. Testing is about the devices, particularly with regards to testing blockchain-based applications. There are numerous instruments accessible in the market incorporating advancement structure with testing capacities. We are going to fall flat if we don’t have proper tools. We will be able to run the tools directly.

Tools specifically designed to test applications based on the Blockchain technology

Testnets, Ethernet tester, Manticore, BitcoinJ

(Testnets: Consider them as alternate variants of the real blockchain, a network that is identical to the original but far smaller in size)

Different challenges while testing Blockchain Applications

Testing teams other than performing quality testing like Functional, Non-Functional testing, Performance testing, Security testing and Integration testing, they also need to perform Smart contacts and peer & node testing. Different challenges occur during creating blockchain applications.

• Absence of experience: It is the greatest setback for developing blockchain applications. So learning extra art in the field of Blockchain technology is the best way to develop Blockchain applications.
• Absence of tools: For testing the blockchain application we need different tools and if we don’t have tools then we are likely to fail. Testing blockchain applications required different ranges of tools like Testnets, Ethernet tester, etc.
• Transactions are permanent: Therefore it becomes extremely essential to make certain all transaction info are accurate before sending to the system.
• Block and Chain Size: Checking for Collection of records and chain size is very important. In the absence of appropriate testing for chain and block size it can result in collapse of blockchain application.
• Load and Performance: Unable to test for load and performance gives no input How Blockchain application will perform under specific load or at peak load.
• Security: Due to the absence of security testing prompts the development of Blockchain applications which are defenseless against assaults at the network and consumer level.