Alpha Testing:
Alpha Testing is like performing usability testing, which is normally done by the in-house developers. On rare occasions Alpha Testing is done by the client or an outsider. Once the alpha testing version is released, it’s then called the Alpha Release.
Generally we perform all testing types in alpha testing phase. Alpha testing phase ends with a feature freeze, indicating that no more features will be added to the software. Types of testing done by tester in Alpha phase includes Smoke testing, Integration Testing, System testing, UI and Usability testing, Functional Testing, Security Testing, Performance Testing, Regression testing, Sanity Testing and Acceptance Testing.
Beta Testing:
Beta Testing is done by the number of the end users before delivery, the change request would be fixed if user gives the feedback or report defects. The Version Release after beta testing is called beta Release.
Beta testing can be considered “pre-release testing”. Beta test versions of software are now distributed to a wide audience on the Web partly to give the program a “real-world” test and partly to provide a preview of the next release.
The main objective behind the Beta testing is to get the feedback from the different groups of customers and check the compatibility of the product in different kind of networks and hardware.
Gamma Testing:
Gamma Testing is done when software is ready for release with specified requirements, this testing done directly by skipping all the in-house testing activities. The software is almost ready for final release. No feature development or enhancement of the software is undertaken and tightly scoped bug fixes are the only code.
Gamma check is performed when the application is ready for release to the specified requirements and this check is performed directly without going through all the testing activities at home.
Gamma testing is the third level of testing, generally for safety. Unfortunately, Gamma testing is becoming a thing of the past, killed off by decreased time cycles, competitive pressure, and the myopic focus on quarterly profits.
