What Is Grey Box Testing?

Grey box testing is a powerful way to debug software and evaluate your programs for functionality and security. By using grey box testing, you can combine the strengths of other testing methods (such as white or black box testing) to test your programs strategically from a user’s perspective. Let’s explore the topic in greater detail, including what grey box testing is, how it compares to white and black box testing, and the different types available.

Read more: What Are the Different Types of Penetration Testing?

Grey box testing explained

Grey box testing is a mix of white and black box testing, meaning testers have some information about the system's internal workings. Still, much of the focus surrounds the algorithm's outputs with less concern for how the algorithm got there. It helps you understand how your program responds to users, identify any errors in the functionality, and assess overall quality with base knowledge of the underlying systems.

Grey box vs. white box

White box testers know the core details of the system’s internal structure and perform tests with complete access to source code and architecture. This type of testing is thorough and deeply informed, focusing on internal security, code paths, and software architecture.

In white box testing, testers often run individual pieces of code (or units) before integrating them. Grey box testing, meanwhile, operates with partial knowledge and allows for a broader perspective, running the code as one piece (known as integration testing) to identify issues that occur when the program runs as a whole.

Grey box vs. black box

Black box testers examine code functionality from an external user’s perspective without knowing the internal processes or code. This type of testing excels in discovering usability issues, broken functionalities, and navigation problems. Because testers don’t have access to the underlying code, it allows them to focus on the end user’s experience and removes the potential for bias. Because it includes partial knowledge of internal structure, grey box testing bridges the user experience with the developer’s perspective and enables you to design tests that effectively anticipate user behavior and potential security threats.

Read more: What Is Black Box Testing?

Types of grey box testing

You can perform grey box testing using various techniques to cover the application’s functionality and underlying structure. Each type of grey box testing uses its own strategy, helping uncover issues you might miss when using more singular testing approaches.

1. Pattern testing

Pattern testing focuses on past defects and identifies behaviors based on known patterns within the software architecture. This method is beneficial for identifying repetitive or systematic errors that occur under certain conditions, helping you pinpoint vulnerabilities or inefficiencies in the software design.

2. Matrix testing

Matrix testing comprehensively examines each variable within your application, identifying both technical and business risks. With this type of grey box testing, you evaluate each variable based on its potential risks, such as contributing to errors or affecting functionality. You can design informed tests to address the most critical concerns based on which elements you find to have the highest risk. Matrix testing highlights variables that aren’t optimized, helping inform strategies for more efficient software performance.

3. Orthogonal array testing

If you have few but very complex inputs, orthogonal array testing might be the right choice for you. Professionals use this type of test in these scenarios to optimize their test cases to cover the most ground with the fewest tests.

Read more: How to Write Test Cases: Types, Benefits, and Template

4. Regression testing

Regression testing involves re-running specific test cases to ensure that recent updates haven’t changed the functionality or introduced errors. With regression testing, you can choose tailored re-run options based on your needs, including retesting everything, specific profiles, high-risk use cases, changed segments, and within certain security profiles. This type of testing is great when you want to ensure your program is stable and robust against changes.

What is grey box testing used for?

Grey box testing plays several roles in the software development lifecycle, ensuring that applications are secure, meet functional requirements, and operate well in different environments. By understanding some aspects of the internal structure, you can create more targeted tests that validate interactions within the application without bias from knowing all of the inner workings.

You can use grey box methods for penetration testing, which assesses vulnerabilities attackers could exploit. In many cases, companies employ third parties to run these tests and simulate the role of the attacker. This takes the benefits of black box testing, such as being fully in the user’s seat with no background knowledge, but combines it with additional information to improve testing strategies. Insights from grey box testing inform strategic decisions about application development and security, as testing insights highlight areas for improvement.

Read more: What Are the Different Types of Penetration Testing?

Who uses grey box testing?

A wide range of professionals in software development fields rely on grey box testing to ensure that software applications are robust, secure, and user-friendly.

• Software testers and quality assurance analysts use grey box testing to identify defects and ensure that the software meets the specified requirements and quality standards.

• Security analysts use grey box testing, leveraging this method for security assessments and identifying vulnerabilities that could compromise data integrity or privacy.

While grey box testing is widely applicable across all sectors that rely on software, it’s particularly valuable in industries where security is critical, including finance, health care, and cybersecurity.

Read more: What Is a QA Tester? Skills, Requirements, and Jobs

Pros and cons of using grey box testing

Grey box testing offers a great mix of black and white box testing to benefit the software development process in several ways. Understanding the advantages and limitations of grey box testing can help you stay informed throughout the testing process and avoid common pitfalls. 

Some common pros and cons you might find include: 

Pros:

• Offers a balanced perspective with elements of both black box and white box testing 

• Uncovers security vulnerabilities and issues

• Provides insights from a user’s perspective, finding issues a developer might miss

• Allows prioritization of important tests

• Presents several technique options to cover different aspects of the software

Cons:

• Gives limited visibility into the full internal workings

• Risks that you might miss some errors (especially those deeply embedded in the code)

• Can be challenging to design comprehensive test cases for grey box testing

How to start learning grey box testing

Learning grey box testing requires a mix of software development and testing skills. To begin, focus on building a solid foundation in software development principles through applications designed for grey box testing. Some ways to start include:

• Develop your coding skills by practicing with programming languages and environments commonly used in development and testing, such as Python, Java, and Ruby. You can extend this to test tools like Selenium, Appium, and Cucumber.

• Look for workshops and boot camps that focus on software development and coding. These can provide hands-on experience and insights from professionals in the field.

• Check out online platforms offering courses in grey box testing and related areas. Online courses provide flexibility and lower cost options than many traditional courses, making them an excellent learning option.

Read more: Ruby vs. Python: Pros, Cons, and Where to Start

Getting started with Coursera

Grey box testing is a valuable, unobtrusive testing method that lacks bias and can help you discover bugs and vulnerabilities in software. Expand your software development and testing knowledge with exciting courses by industry leaders and top university professors. As a beginner, consider the Foundations of Software Testing and Validation course by the University of Leeds for a one- to four-week introduction, or complete the Software Development Lifecycle Specialization by the University of Minnesota for a more comprehensive overview of different methods within this space.