Compatibility testing is a sort of non-functional software testing. It is used to ensure interoperability of the system/ web application or mobile application/website built with multifarious objects (browsers, hardware platforms, operating systems and so on). Its definition is to guarantee that a user is able to run the software on many sorts of user configurations without annoying glitches. It is testing of the app or the product built with the computing environment. Compatibility testing comprises the next about the planned operating environment for each software product:
Hardware compatibility
Network/bandwidth/carrier compatibility
Compatibility with various Operating Systems and databases
Minor devices, systems, software
Compatibility testing helps to ascertain how well a system is carried out in a special environment which holds hardware, network, operating system and other software and so on. It tests if the application or the software product built is reconcilable with the hardware, operating system, database and other system software or not.
Kinds of Compatibility Testing:
Hardware: It verifies that software is compatible with various hardware configurations.
Operating Systems: It insures that software is compatible with various operating systems (Windows, Unix, Mac OS and others).
Software: It checks whether developed software is compatible with target software. For example: MS Word application should be compatible with other software like MS Outlook, MS Excel,Vba and others.
Network: Evaluation of the system performance in a network with variable parameters such as bandwidth, operating speed, capacity. It also verifies application in different networks with all the parameters mentioned earlier.
Browser: It checks compatibility of your website with various browsers like Firefox, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer and so on. Here is an example of Browser Test Compatibility