Sorry Disney, but bugs aren’t that cute in real life! Some people can still obsess over living bugs, but software developers can never obsess over software bugs; because they know how damaging a single bug can be.
Software bugs are an inseparable part of the SDLC software development life cycle. In this article, we will come across some common types of software bugs that might occur during the beginning phase of your custom software development process.
Building robust software requires a thorough software testing phase because a single error in the code can destroy the whole project. Hence, anomalies should be identified during testing, recorded & resolved.
While the software testing phase is going on, testers and developers encounter bugs and then resolve them accordingly. Let’s see which are some types of common bugs of the software that are necessary to fix as soon as possible.
Functional Bugs
The functional bug is nothing but a functionality error in your software. These bugs attack the functionality of your software.
It is a software bug that makes your software function like a mismatch to the project requirements. Your app will function in an anonymous way that will not match its intended functions. So, this defect can be spotted easily using different manual regressions or functional tests practiced by testers.
Some common examples of functional bugs are:
- A search box that doesn’t responds to the user’s query
- The login button not allowing the user to log in
- Any other button that doesn’t respond according to its functionality, etc.
In short, when any of the software components or web/app components are not functioning as per their intended task, it is called a functional bug.
Managing functional bugs can be easy because they are easily visible. Performing testing will run the software under numerous tests and suspicious functions can be easily tracked and fixed.
The software development team will perform integration and unit tests to ensure that their code is working correctly. Moreover, the QA team will perform automated functional tests for proper UI functions. This way, the team can manage functional errors.
Performance bugs
Software with poor performance doesn’t fit the requirement list of the customer. Performance bugs are errors that degrade the stability, speed and increase resource consumption and response time.
If you feel that your software is taking a lot of loading time, and has increased response time, then the chances of performance bugs increase. If you notice any such sign, then developers must begin with the performance testing phase.
In most cases, performance bugs do not generate incorrect results of the test or even stop the program. Hence, they are hard to detect. After Using the software and keeping a look at the software output, one can detect performance errors.
Managing performance bugs begins with implementing performance monitoring & software detection. Cloud hosting and modern cloud environments offer an analytical level for testing the performance of your software.
You can detect performance errors by writing tests for checking the response time of your software. If any suspicious time is consumed here, the error can be found and solved accordingly.
Syntax Bugs (Syntax errors)
While the custom software development process is in progress, there are chances of syntax errors occurring in the coding phase. Syntax error happens when any command or code isn’t written completely or correctly.
There may be a misspelled word, grammatical mistake, missing any bracket or symbol, etc. This error can break the whole website in seconds, and only a default error message or a blank page is shown. No one wants that to happen with their website.
Here’s a simple example of a common syntax error that can occur. It is the code written in Java programming language:
Syntax error:
System.out.println(hello world);
Correct sentence:
System.out.println(“hello world”);
The only error is the double inverted commas. The presence of the quotation pair is the correct alternative used when Hello World is to be printed.
Managing syntax bugs is easy because some platforms show you the exact error about where and which symbol is missing. You can also prevent such basic errors by using handy code editors for writing your website code.
Security Bugs
Security bugs are the defects in the software that allows hackers to get unauthorized control over your system; and steal your data, money, resources, etc. Your system is hacked because of a security breach in your software.
Security breaches can occur by the following things: compromising user authentication, data integrity, access authorization, and loose confidentiality. Security errors can cause a lot of money loss and reputation loss for any business having their business project.
Managing security bugs is a crucial aspect of any software development process. Here are some general steps that can be taken to manage security bugs:
- Establish a process
- Identify security bugs
- Prioritize security bug
- Assign ownership
- Fix the bugs
- Test the fixes
- Communicate with stakeholders
Logical Bugs
Logical error / logical bug is the design flaw type of software bug that occurs in the software when there is some error in the logic of your code. These bugs aren’t easy to detect and find.
A logical bug can cause unexpected functions or even security threats in your software. Here are the steps you can take for managing logical bugs:
- Understanding the code: Managing logical bugs, developers need to know about the code and required behavior of the software.
- Identify possible issues: After understanding the code, one can start with identifying the potential issues. Search for code that may have potential logical errors hidden.
- Make a test plan: For managing logical errors, you have to test the written code thoroughly. After creating a test plan which covers functionality of softwares and has test cases with different scenarios.
- Practice test cases and testing: Once the test plan is ready, you can begin with conducting the test cases. This includes automated testing, manual testing, etc.
- Use the static code analysis: There are several tools for static code analysis that will help you identify logical bugs before execution of the code.
- Practice code reviews: Supervising code reviews can help you identify the logical errors of your code. Conducting reviews should be done by different developers who are familiar with this project and provide feedback accordingly.
- Solving problems as soon as they are found: Whenever your development team finds any logical bug, addressing and solving it should be the priority of every member. This will definitely help in creating bug free code in no time.
Managing logical bugs will require a systematic process of identifying the issues, then understanding them to solve them with proper logical solutions. By taking the comprehensive approach for solving logical bugs, you can enhance the software quality and reduce the security vulnerabilities.
Other common types of software bugs
Many other common bugs occur during the software development process. Here’s the list:
- Compatibility bugs
- Usability bugs
- System-level integration errors and bugs, and many more
However, once you have managed the above-mentioned bugs, your software is almost ready to rock! The software might be tested completely and also deployed on time, but some errors might come up over time. So, with software maintenance and management services your clients can get your help to solve those bugs.
Summing Up
In conclusion, software bugs can cause serious problems if not managed properly. By understanding the common types of software bugs and the steps to manage them, developers can improve the quality of their software and reduce the risk of unexpected behavior, security vulnerabilities, and other issues.
Whether it’s a simple syntax error or a more complex logic bug, it’s important to take an instant and systematic step toward bug management and testing to ensure that your software meets the needs of your users & operates as intended. By prioritizing bug management you can improve the reliability, performance, and security of your software and build a better user experience for your customers.
