Unit testing vs. integration testing

Testing is a crucial aspect of software development, ensuring that products are functional and free from defects before reaching end-users. Both unit testing and integration testing play significant roles in this process. Unit testing focuses on individual components or modules, allowing developers to catch bugs early and promote good coding practices by testing the code in isolation from other dependencies. In contrast, integration testing examines the interoperability between different components, ensuring that they work together as intended, often revealing issues that unit tests alone cannot detect. While unit testing is usually conducted by developers and is relatively quick and simple, integration testing is more complex, requiring testers to handle real dependencies like databases and networks. Despite their differences, both testing types are necessary for a comprehensive testing strategy, complementing each other to ensure a well-functioning and reliable software system.