Code Coverage Vs Test Coverage

Code coverage and test coverage are two conventional methods used to measure the efficiency of a code. Both of them follow principles that are almost the same, but should not be used interchangeably. The type of coverage we need to use solely depends on the requirements of the project.

Understanding code coverage and test coverage –

• Code Coverage: This type of coverage is mainly based on unit testing. It essentially focuses on performing all the statements in a particular code. It provides test cases through manual testing, automation testing, and other frameworks.
• Test Coverage: Test coverage focuses on functional, software, and other requirements. It always tries to validate the system’s compatibility.

Code coverage includes the percentage of testing and, Test coverage indicates the number of features performed during a testing process.

Let us now discuss Code Coverage and Test Coverage in detail.

Code Coverage

Code coverage follows the unit testing technique. Developers create unit testing and give the best output. Code coverage always tries to add recent features. The basics of Code Coverage are solely based on Unit Testing.

Steps to perform in Code Coverage

Different levels to perform Code Coverage are discussed below –

• Branch Coverage: This type of coverage is very similar to the decision coverage technique. It involves decision-making techniques and helps to resolve issues created for decision-making statements.
• Function Coverage: Function coverage tests the correctness of functions, types of parameters given as input, and the logic in a code.
• Statement Coverage: In this case, statements must be written in a manner so that they can execute all statements of the source code at least once.
• Loop Coverage: Loop coverage helps to execute each block of code and ensure that each loop will run at least once

Advantages of code coverage

• Provides efficiency to the test code and a way to perform it in a better way.
• Always try to make the code better than it was before and focus on the quality of the code.

Disadvantages of code coverage

• Most of the tools are based on Unit Testing only.
• Search for the best tool is a challenge in this type of coverage.
• There exist very few tools to support this type of coverage because this cannot support many programming languages.

Test Coverage

Test coverage involves usability testing and software testing.

Test Coverage Mechanisms –

• Unit Testing: Unit Testing gets performed at module levels. Bugs that arise in the case of Unit Testing are different from the bugs of Integration Testing.
• Functional Testing: Functional Testing checks the basic features and functions in the FRS (Functional Requirement Specification).
• Integration Testing: Integration Testing can be referred to as System testing as it tests at the system level. After that, it integrates all the system-level modules.
• Acceptance Testing: Acceptance Testing helps to release the final product to the client. It is responsible for deciding the final output.

Steps to perform Test Coverage –

The Test Coverage tool follows some particular steps that can be mentioned below –

• Features Coverage: Features Coverage provides maximum coverage for all the test cases. This kind of feature covers all the mandatory and optional features.
• Risk Coverage: All the products consist of a particular document section that mentions the risk and mitigation testing for a specific project. If a product involves any risk, they need to be mentioned during the testing phase.
• Requirements Coverage: In this phase, the tests are described so that all the extreme cases are covered under this. The requirements are mentioned under Requirement Specification Documents.

Advantages –

• Test Coverage provides a better way to compare the outcomes for particular documents like UI/UX testing.
• The tests performed by this type of coverage are generally a black-box type of testing.

Disadvantage –

• Since it follows the black box type, there is no way to do the Automation testing.
• No specific ways to measure the test coverage.

We just discussed some basic ideas about Test Coverage and Code Coverage. Now we will compare these two to get a clear view.

A Comparison between Code Coverage and Test Coverage –

The above discussion gives some basic ideas about Code Coverage and Test Coverage.

The Code coverage is white box testing and, Test coverage is Black box testing and has its benefits and disadvantages. So, we can conclude that both types of coverage depend on the nature of the project, and they are not the same.