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Table of contents
1.
Introduction
2.
What is Monkey Testing?
2.1.
Characteristics of Monkey Testing
2.2.
Drawbacks of Monkey Testing
3.
What is Gorilla Testing?
3.1.
Characteristics of Gorilla Testing
3.2.
Drawbacks of Gorilla Testing
4.
Difference Between Monkey & Gorilla Testing
5.
Frequently Asked Questions
5.1.
What is SDLC?
5.2.
What is automated testing?
5.3.
What is agile testing?
6.
Conclusion
Last Updated: Mar 27, 2024
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Difference Between Monkey & Gorilla Testing

Author Abhinav Anand
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Introduction

Software testing is an integral part of the software development life cycle (SDLC) that is used to identify any errors in a software system before it is released.

difference between monkey and gorilla testing

In this article, you will learn the difference between Monkey & Gorilla testing and some of their features and drawbacks.

Let’s get started.

What is Monkey Testing?

Monkey testing is a type of software testing technique in which the entire software system is tested based on random inputs and actions, and on every input, we check if the system crashes or not. 

What is Monkey Testing?

Due to the absence of predefined test cases, monkey testing is also known as random testing or fuzz testing.

Characteristics of Monkey Testing

The following are some features of monkey testing:-

  • It helps reveal hidden bugs or crashes that usually occur under unpredictable conditions.
     
  • It is used for finding edge cases that may not have been covered by the existing test cases.
     
  • The tester doesn’t need knowledge of the entire software codebase.
     
  • It doesn’t require a lot of time and effort.

Drawbacks of Monkey Testing

Let’s take a look at some of the drawbacks of monkey testing:-

  • The testing duration is unpredictable due to the test cases not being predefined.
     
  • Bugs and errors are difficult to reproduce due to the randomness and large codebase as the entire software system is tested.
     
  • It is difficult to target specific modules because the actions and inputs are random, and the test is performed for the entire application.

What is Gorilla Testing?

Gorilla testing is also a software testing technique in which a software module is tested with random inputs or actions until the module crashes. 

What is Gorilla Testing?

It is similar to monkey testing, as predefined test cases are absent from both techniques, but here, a specific module is targeted and tested for bugs, errors, and crashes.

Characteristics of Gorilla Testing

The following are some features of gorilla testing:-

  • It involves extensive testing of a specific module in a software application by putting it under heavy loads.
     
  • It can either be manual or automated, depending upon the complexity of the software.
     
  • The tested must have in-depth knowledge of the specific module being tested.
     
  • It can be a highly time and resource-consuming process.
     
  • Due to the high specificity, reproducing bugs and errors is slightly easier when compared to monkey testing.

Drawbacks of Gorilla Testing

Let’s take a look at some of the drawbacks of gorilla testing:-

  • Gorilla testing only focuses on a single module which means external factors affecting the module may not be tested.
     
  • The test engineers or developers do not have a predefined set of test cases which makes this process time and resource-consuming as the module has to be put under heavy stress.
     
  • Due to the high intensity, the testing may affect the production environment, such as databases and APIs.
     

Now, let us look at the key differences between monkey and gorilla testing.

Difference Between Monkey & Gorilla Testing

Monkey Testing Gorilla Testing
The objective is to test whether the entire software application fails or crashes. The objective is to test where a specific module fails or crashes.
Commonly used is system testing. Commonly used in unit testing.
It can be performed by manual testers or even end users. It can only be performed by the developers and test engineers.
Knowledge about the code base is optional. Knowledge about the code base for a specific module is required.
Reproducing bugs is harder as the test is performed for the entire system. Reproducing bugs is easier as the test is performed on a specific module.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is SDLC?

SDLC stands for software development lifecycle. It is a methodology that provides a structured approach to developing software applications. It involves various phases or steps such as system design, development, testing, deployment, etc. Many software development teams use this to increase their productivity.

What is automated testing?

Automated testing is the process of using different software tools and scripts to automate the process of testing software applications. Testing frameworks such as Selenium Web Driver can be used for automating the testing of user interactions in the web browser. You can also write scripts that can call your APIs to validate different test cases.

What is agile testing?

Agile testing follows the same principle as Agile development, which emphasizes heavily on collaboration and flexibility. The entire project is completed in small sprints, and agile testing ensures that the code quality is maintained across each sprint.

Conclusion

In conclusion, both monkey and gorilla testing involves random inputs and actions. There is no need for predefined test cases for both of them. The key difference between them is the specificity of the area being tested in a software application. Gorilla testing involves testing a single module, while monkey testing involves performing tests on the entire software system.

In this article, you learned about the difference between monkey and gorilla testing and some of their features.

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