What Are Blockchain Applications?
Blockchain applications are made up of smart contracts, or sets of rules, that are carried out through programming when certain conditions are met. When Blockchain applications were originally released they were primarily supporting the financial tech and cryptocurrency markets, but their ability to store and manage data in a secure environment has quickly expanded their uses to other industries like healthcare, government and retail.
Why Is Blockchain Testing Important?
Unlike most data structures, once a smart contract is deployed to the blockchain, changes can not be made, so ensuring the efficacy of a contract is very important. It’s up to QA engineers to perform comprehensive and custom sets of tests to make sure that mistakes, which cannot be fixed, are identified and mitigated.
When a defect is discovered in production the smart contract can’t be updated or rolled back, and a new version of the smart contract must be created and deployed. These new versions have to be manually created by applying the previous data into the new contract - an endeavor costly in time and resources for business leaders.
Blockchain Testing Challenges
QA engineers face a unique set of challenges when testing blockchain applications and smart contacts due to them being relatively new and evolving at a rapid pace. A few of the most common challenges that teams encounter are:
Challenges
Implementing blockchain without the utmost care is risky to organizations and their users because of the transactions being irreversible. Not having controls in place to avoid redundancy and provide additional safety measures is one of the most common challenges teams encounter.
Blockchain is a new technology and needs to be tested by well-trained experts with domain knowledge.
Blockchain technology is meant to be used to store and process large amounts of data, but in order to accomplish this, new blocks are added at a quick and consistent pace. These continuous additions can create a strain on QA engineers and can easily become a QA testing bottleneck.
Integration testing must be carried out frequently to avoid any failures, since there are multiple components involved in designing a Blockchain application.
The primary goal of blockchain is the transmission of encrypted data. There is a high risk of failure if the transmission of the data is not tested properly during the development and QA processes.
Failing to do performance tests on blockchain applications can leave testing teams unaware of possible adverse effects caused by load levels or bandwidth constraints.
There are very limited tools that can be used for blockchain testing. Moreover, these tools can be best leveraged by testers who have specific experience and knowledge of using them.
Blockchain Testing Services
At QASource, our expert testers have extensive knowledge of tools for blockchain software testing, and can provide the following services:
Functional Testing Services
This type of testing is done to ensure that functional parts of the blockchain application are working as expected. Functional testing in blockchain focuses on smart contracts, balances, correct previous and current transaction details. QA testers can ensure that once the block is added, there is no data loss during the transmission of data from one block to another.
Peer/Node Testing Services
Since blockchain functions in a peer-to-peer distributed network through network nodes using authentication protocols, it’s important to run node tests to ensure that the majority of nodes approves the block for its validity to make transactions. Therefore, it is important to check all heterogeneous nodes independently.
Integration Testing Services
Blockchain in itself is an ecosystem which consists of the various connected interfaces and components. It’s important to ensure that all these different interfaces integrate consistently with one another, and there are no disconnects. Integration testing will help to ensure that all interfaces are syncing well with each other, and having the correct response time.
API Testing Services
API testing for a blockchain helps to ensure that there is effective communication between the client/business party network and blockchain node. It makes sure that the API response is error-free and securely transfers the transaction data.
Security Testing Services
Shared ledger and node are the most important aspects for the security of a blockchain application. For example, if a network node is attacked by DDoS, then the application hosted on the blockchain will also be affected. Security testing of a blockchain application will test the access, authentication, security hash, wallet signature method and private keys. It will help to identify loopholes and misconfiguration which leads to security threat to the data.
Load And Performance Testing Services
Performance testing in blockchain is done to identify performance issues before deployment of the application. During this, testers look at the number of transactions per block , speed of transaction and also test the response time from smart contracts. Various issues like network latency for specified block size and network size are identified during performance testing.
Our Blockchain Testing Tools Include
Ethereum Tester
This platform is designed to test web3 integrations, smart contracts, APIs, and other blockchain technologies.
Hyperledger Composer
Hyperledger Composer supports three types of testing in blockchain applications: interactive testing, automated unit testing and automated system testing.
Corda Testing Tools
Corda has a built-in testing feature to help with contract tests and flow tests, and running integration and load tests.
Exonum Testkit
This tool allows testers to test transactions executed and APIs in the coincident environment.
Truffle
Truffle is a combination of a development environment, testing frameworks, and asset pipelines. It leverages ethereum logic and is helpful when teams are releasing distributed applications.
Ganache
It is the most-used library for testing Ethereum contracts locally and helps to compile a contract, deploy it, determine its cost, and debug it locally.
Embark
The goal of Embark is to make testing smart contacts as easy as possible. This is done by allowing developers or testers to choose what features make most sense to you when building or testing decentralized apps.
Populus
This is a framework known for its relatively easy integration due to it being developed around the pytest framework.
Components of Blockchain Architecture
It’s important to understand the different kinds of terminologies used in Blockchain. Listed below are the ones that are used most commonly:
Why Partner With QASource’s Blockchain Testing Team?
- Nearshore, offshore or hybrid outsourcing options.
- A dedicated team of QA experts familiar with blockchain applications and their testing needs.
- Access to state of the art testing facilities, test labs and tools.
- A team well versed in specific blockchain rules, regulations and laws.
- Non-billable engineering leadership and US customer support.
- Access to an advanced technology group constantly improving our Automation, Database, DevOps, Dev, and IT capabilities.
Blockchain Testing Resources
Here are some more blog posts:
Blog PostPerformance Testing of Blockchain Applications
This perfcast expert series cover test environment preparation key points, relevant load testing tool, metrics to capture, factors influencing Blockchain performance, and best Practices.
Blog PostA Guide To Developing Blockchain Wallet Apps
Did you know that over 300 million users, which is close to the U.S. population, have already embraced the use of cryptocurrencies? In September 2021, the cryptocurrency market
Blog PostUnderstanding Cybersecurity Through the Lens of Blockchain Applications (Infographic)
The first thing that companies think of when managing networks and applications is security.
Are You Ready To Take Your Blockchain Software Platform to the Next Level?
Let’s Talk.
Speak with one of our blockchain software specialists to learn how we can help your team deliver an exceptional user experience:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is QA in blockchain?
Quality Assurance (QA) in blockchain technology ensures blockchain applications and systems' reliability, security, and performance. It involves comprehensive testing, including:
- Smart Contract Auditing
- Consensus Mechanism Validation
- Data Storage Security
- Transaction Processing Accuracy
- Security Audits
- Performance Testing
- Data Integrity and Consistency
Does QASource offer tailored testing solutions for various blockchains?
Yes, we provide customized testing services for blockchain-based applications. We include specialized techniques and methodologies for functional and automation testing explicitly designed for blockchain applications, ensuring the reliability, security, performance, and compliance of blockchain-based systems.
Why is testing critical to blockchain development?
Testing throughout the development lifecycle is crucial to building robust, secure, and reliable blockchain solutions. Some reasons are:
- Complexity Management
- Security Assurance
- Smart Contract Verification
- Performance Optimization
- Interoperability Checks
- Regulatory Compliance
- User Experience Evaluation
- The immutable nature of blockchain
Why are blockchain testing services crucial?
- Improved Quality
- Ensured Integrity
- Enhanced Security
- Assured Performance
- Maintained Reliability
- Compliance Verification
Why choose QASource for blockchain testing services?
Choosing QASource for blockchain testing services offers several advantages:
- Expertise in Blockchain
- Comprehensive Testing Services
- Advanced Tool Utilization
- Customized Testing Solutions
How does QASource ensure the integrity and security of blockchain networks and smart contracts during testing?
We ensure the integrity and security of blockchain networks and smart contracts through a multi-layered approach:
- Detailed Test Planning
- Isolated Security Testing Environment
- Code Review
- Security Testing of Third-Party Library Integration
- Penetration Testing
- Smart Contract Audits
- Continuous Support and Optimization
- Tools Proficiency
How does QASource handle sensitive data during blockchain testing?
While conducting security testing, sensitive data is handled with the utmost care. Here's our protocol:
- Secure Testing Environment
- Data Anonymization
- Data Masking
These measures guarantee the secure handling of sensitive data during blockchain testing, minimizing the risk and maintaining data confidentiality and integrity throughout the testing process.