Testing Blockchain-Based Applications: All You Need to Know

Blockchain has been the industry buzzword since 2009. The data encryption and security that it provides have resulted in an increase of blockchain-based transactions.

It has eased businesses to securely store digital data, and improve data storage, management, and security. The increased adoption of blockchain technology makes it imperative to ensure that applications built on the blockchain network are thoroughly tested.

Blockchain testing involves thoroughly evaluating the functional components of a blockchain network such as smart contracts, blocks, mining, transactions, wallets, etc.

With this blog post, you’ll learn why we need blockchain testing, its different types, and the challenges associated with it. You will also learn the top reasons why businesses should adopt blockchain testing.

So, let’s begin!

Types of Blockchain Testing

1. Functional Testing – It helps you test the basic functionality of all the components and systems on the blockchain. Once it validates a transaction, a new block is added to the chain.

2. Integration Testing – It tests the integration between components and different parts of the system. Integration tests help you assure that the components are properly integrated and interfaces are working fine.

3. Performance Testing – Speed is an important criterion for blockchain applications. Performance testing can help you assess the quality, speed, and performance of your application based on the size of the network.

4. Security Testing – Since blockchain is used in high-security financial applications as well as governmental and regulatory environments, security testing allows you to debug blockchain applications.

5. Smart Contracts Testing – Smart contracts are software modules on the blockchain that automate the execution of transactions. You can conduct security testing to ensure that the smart contract rules are followed by the parties involved in the contract.

6. Node Testing – It helps you ensure that all diverse nodes on the blockchain operate smoothly and the consensus is maintained across all of the nodes.

7. API Testing – The blockchain might trigger events or external applications depending upon the type of application. API testing will help you ensure that the interaction between applications, within the blockchain ecosystem, is smooth.

8. Cycle Testing – It helps you maintain the strength of a blockchain across all cycles of a transaction. This will help you ensure that the transactions added to the blockchain network are stored in an orderly fashion.

Top Four Challenges With Testing Blockchain-Based Applications

1. Scarce Blockchain Testing Tools – The existing blockchain testing space is not equipped with the right mix of tools that focus on Bitcoin and a range of Ethereum tools to enable successful testing.

2. Lack of Testing Skills/Expertise – Blockchain is still an emerging technology and therefore, the skills required to develop successful outcomes are scarce. Organizations might be able to address the skills gap challenge by implementing Blockchain as a Service (BaaS).

3. Blockchain Interoperability – Organizations are rapidly adopting blockchain and these networks tend to have their own governance rules, blockchain technology versions, and consensus models. Since there is no universal standard for these networks to communicate, the interoperability of separate blockchains is a challenge.

4. Irreversible Transactions – Implementing blockchain as a regular wallet is a high asset risk to organizations. These transactions are irreversible and using them without proper controls and additional security can be challenging for both the users and organizations.

Why Should Businesses Adopt Blockchain Testing?

Hackers are increasingly launching sophisticated attacks these days – which is why organizations are investing in blockchain technology. Hence, there is a growing need for businesses to adopt blockchain testing.

It is thus crucial for testers to learn how to assess blockchain-based applications with expanding deployment and integration capabilities. This will help –

a. Ensure a secure infrastructure for your business.
b. Eliminate flaws in a decentralized ledger.
c. Validate all the entities of the blockchain system.
d. Develop a blockchain ecosystem that functions as expected.
e. Secure the blockchain technology and connected infrastructure.
f. Reduce the risks of adding new applications and facilitate smooth revalidation.

Key Takeaway

The blockchain market^[i] is estimated to value between $20 billion by 2024.

Seeing this significant growth, Santu Maity, Enterprise Architect at IBM adds that blockchain is still in the initial stages and will take its course. He believes that there is a massive scope in blockchain testing, which would require extensive expertise in testing blockchain platforms.

Therefore, to come up with the best test analysis of any blockchain-based application, it is vital for the testers to understand the entire system and have complete knowledge of the blockchain network. This will help you ensure that high-quality products are delivered that yield the most significant outcomes.

Need Help With Blockchain-Based Testing? Talk to Us!

References
^[i]Blockchain Testing Market