Evaluate

Evaluate

Weigh the pros and cons of technologies, products and projects you are considering.

• What are the types of requirements in software engineering?

  Requirements fall into three categories: business, user and software. See examples of each one, as well as what constitutes functional and nonfunctional software requirements. Continue Reading

• CI/CD pipelines explained: Everything you need to know

  CI/CD can transform an organization, but there's a lot to consider. This comprehensive guide explains the CI/CD pipeline stages, benefits and challenges, best practices and more. Continue Reading

• UX design principles: Why should testers know them?

  Usability is key to the success of an application. Learn what developers and testers should look for to optimize usability and maximize the business value of an application. Continue Reading

• Speed vs. quality in software testing: Can you have both?

  Testing can slow development and quick releases can come at the price of quality. Teams should not have to choose. Learn to efficiently pursue quality in development and testing. Continue Reading

• Software testing lessons learned from the CrowdStrike outage

  After the recent CrowdStrike outage, organizations are keen to prevent and prepare for potential future disruptions. These key security and quality lessons can help. Continue Reading

• How to weigh the benefits and challenges of CI/CD

  Many organizations begin their DevOps journey with a continuous integration and delivery pipeline. Before getting started, understand some fundamental benefits of CI/CD.Continue Reading

• Agile vs. Scrum: How to choose between them

  Scrum and Agile both emphasize collaboration and efficiency for DevOps teams in different ways. Learn when to use each approach and when to use them in tandem.Continue Reading

• 10 skills an SDET needs

  SDETs need a blend of development and testing skills to be effective, as well as soft skills critical to both disciplines. Learn to develop important skills for this hybrid role.Continue Reading

• Cypress vs. Playwright: When to use each

  Cypress and Playwright stand out as notable options among the many automated testing tools available. Learn how to make an informed choice between them.Continue Reading

• 5 Java ORM tools to know

  ORMs are a popular method for connecting to databases from Java. Consider the tradeoffs of these ORM tools to decide which tool to run with.Continue Reading

• Is Scrum a framework or methodology?

  There has always been debate in the Agile community over whether Scrum is a process, methodology or a framework. It might actually be none of them.Continue Reading

• Positive vs. negative testing: Differences and examples

  Take an in-depth look at positive and negative testing. Learn how to use both to form the basis of a thorough testing approach through a series of real-world examples.Continue Reading

• Create an open source security policy for your organization

  Using open source software raises concerns about security and intellectual property. Here's how to make sound decisions and avoid situations you'll regret.Continue Reading

• Is Scrum master certification worth it?

  Considering a Scrum master certification? Let's look at the considerations that factor into a decision to pursue certification and whether being a Scrum master benefits a career.Continue Reading

• What's the value in an Agile release train?

  When multiple development teams work on code, integration and deployment become more complicated. ART could be a useful tool to smooth out these wrinkles.Continue Reading

• Docker vs. OpenShift: What are the main differences?

  Docker and OpenShift have their strengths and weaknesses, and the choice between the two depends on the specific needs of your application and organization.Continue Reading

• Compare Ansible vs. Docker use cases and combinations

  Ansible and Docker play particular roles. Used together, Ansible's playbooks and Docker's Dockerfiles provide greater control and configurability over servers.Continue Reading

• The benefits and limitations of headless browser testing

  Headless browsers offer efficient web UI testing but lack the visual debugging capabilities of traditional browsers, making assessing the app's state upon test failure challenging.Continue Reading

• Is continuous testing in DevOps worth the effort?

  Continuous testing isn't simple to implement, but it can add exceptional business value to software development when done right. Here are the key elements.Continue Reading

• The benefits of WIP limits in Kanban

  Agile developers complete projects faster when they limit WIP. Learn how less work in progress means more work completed and how to set up a Kanban board with WIP limitations.Continue Reading

• Containers vs. VMs: Is the VM all that bad?

  Containers and VMs are needed to build and maintain software. Containers can deploy and scale apps, while VMs are more resource-intensive and can support separate environments.Continue Reading

• The importance of Kubernetes vulnerability scanning

  New to containerization and Kubernetes? Here's what the dev team should know about container image scanning, container file scanning and Kubernetes manifest scanning.Continue Reading

• The need to demystify software testing for developers

  With how quickly demands for functionality can change in today's dynamic application environments, the case for developers to learn core testing skills could be stronger than ever.Continue Reading

• The potential of ChatGPT for software testing

  ChatGPT can help software testers write tests and plan coverage. How can teams anticipate both AI's future testing capabilities and the security concerns that come with it?Continue Reading

• joint application development (JAD)

  Joint application development, frequently shortened to JAD, is a methodology that involves the client or end user in the design and development of a software application through a succession of collaborative workshops called JAD sessions.Continue Reading

• OKRs vs. SMART goals in software development

  OKRs and SMART are two goal-setting approaches. Knowing their differences and how to implement each is essential to steer your business objectives in a clear direction.Continue Reading

• The emerging usability of ChatGPT in software development

  In the hands of a creative developer, ChatGPT has what it takes to be a helpful coding tool. But generative AI may soon attain the capability to act as more than an assistant.Continue Reading

• Is ChatGPT better for coding than low-code platforms?

  ChatGPT can write code, but it can't integrate code or produce design ideas. Also, it poses security and licensing risks. For now, AI enhances but doesn't replace low-code platforms.Continue Reading

• 6 alternatives to Heroku's defunct free service tiers

  Though the end of Heroku's free-tier services has left many developers and software teams in the cold, a flock of cloud platform providers seem determined to fill the void.Continue Reading

• Make the shift-left testing approach work for your team

  Developers test to find defects and correct flaws before an application reaches release. But the ever-quickening pace of development puts pressure on testing.Continue Reading

• 3 software developer goals that are top of mind in 2023

  Like many people, software professionals have their own goals in mind for 2023, including a focus on project management, software accessibility and data structure decisions.Continue Reading

• What is low-code? A guide to enterprise low-code app development

  Learn how low-code concepts and practices code can help enterprise developers be more efficient, create valuable apps more quickly and contribute to broader business initiatives.Continue Reading

• Mob programming benefits for Agile development teams

  Mob programming brings the whole team together for simultaneous code creation and review. If they specify roles and engage, Agile teams can benefit from mobbing practices.Continue Reading

• Tools and techniques to test Kubernetes objects

  Kubernetes manifests and objects represent the baseline of code development on the platform. Here's why and how to test these integral elements of Kubernetes.Continue Reading

• Explore the benefits of Docker for testers, QA teams

  From simplified test setup to enhanced isolation, Docker containers offer a range of advantages to QA engineers. Containers also encourage earlier, and more frequent, testing.Continue Reading

• The role of the T-shaped software tester in modern dev

  While a T-shaped tester delivers a powerful and specialized skill set, continuous learning should be an ongoing priority for all software team members.Continue Reading

• The major differences between QA and SDETs

  How do SDET and QA roles differ? The similar positions both focus on code testing, but it's their unique focuses that makes them a valuable part of an Agile team.Continue Reading

• 7 essential GitHub features for dev, project management

  When teams use GitHub, they want features that simplify project management and enable more control. Here are seven features to tinker with during application development.Continue Reading

• The awkward state of the remote vs. in-person work debate

  TechTarget senior news writer Beth Pariseau discusses return-to-work initiatives for IT pros and in-person tech conferences coming back onto the schedule.Continue Reading

• Explore common types of Agile teams

  Agile methodologies can take many forms, and one Agile team can look and perform very differently from the next. Communication, however, is always key.Continue Reading

• CircleCI vs. GitHub Actions: CI/CD platform comparison

  Learn the differing features, commands and perks that make CircleCI and GitHub Actions distinct CI/CD platforms. Then, decide which offering meets your team's needs.Continue Reading

• Key things to consider when choosing regression testing tools

  Making a decision about regression testing tooling purchases means taking stock of plans for CI/CD implementations, existing automation capabilities, staff expertise and more.Continue Reading

• Evaluate proprietary vs. open source testing tools

  Cost, complexity and support levels are key items when teams consider proprietary or open source functional testing tools for their development environments.Continue Reading

• Breakdown of 4 common mobile testing platform options

  Mobile app testers, here is how four mobile testing platform options compare. Also, learn when testing frameworks, simulators and emulators become relevant factors.Continue Reading

• application lifecycle management (ALM)

  Application lifecycle management (ALM) is an integrated system of people, tools and processes that supervise a software application from its initial planning and development, through testing and maintenance, and into decommissioning and retirement.Continue Reading

• Choose a software testing model by weighing these 5 factors

  Software development teams have options for their preferred software testing methodology. Consider these five key metrics before choosing a testing model for your team.Continue Reading

• What can urban sprawl teach us about UX design issues?

  UX design sprawl mimics urban sprawl, both in its push for growth and its potentially dangerous pitfalls. Here are a few things to keep in mind during the UX design process.Continue Reading

• 3 important considerations before outsourcing Agile

  To successfully outsource an Agile development practice, organizations must prioritize communication and provide ample onboarding resources.Continue Reading

• Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP)

  The Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) is a nonprofit foundation that provides guidance on how to develop, purchase and maintain trustworthy and secure software applications.Continue Reading

• application security

  Application security, or appsec, is the practice of using security software, hardware, techniques, best practices and procedures to protect computer applications from external security threats.Continue Reading

• What regression testing types make sense for your applications

  Craft an in-depth regression testing plan that uses multiple types to test all facets of an application's functionality and ultimately lead to cleaner development.Continue Reading

• Static and dynamic code analysis: Complementary techniques

  While every programmer wants to deliver high-performing, secure, bug-free and compliant code on the first try, that's not possible. Effective code analysis techniques will help.Continue Reading

• Skills and responsibilities in a QA engineer role

  According to Emily Thomas, a QA engineer at VoIP provider Vonage, effective quality assurance involves far more than just skillful testing.Continue Reading

• Quality engineering vs. quality assurance: Know the differences

  Any dev team serious about improving software quality should study the quality engineering vs. quality assurance debate. Let's review the two practices' differences and overlap.Continue Reading

• Why chaos engineering isn't as chaotic as it sounds

  Don't let the name fool you. SSQ editors chatted with author Mikolaj Pawlikowski about why chaos engineering can be easily implemented into your testing environment.Continue Reading

• New Scrum Master guide covers both theory and practice

  In his new book, a senior software engineer shares his in-depth hands-on knowledge to both prep readers for cert exams and guide them on the job.Continue Reading

• application

  An application, also referred to as an application program or application software, is a computer software package that performs a specific function directly for an end user or, in some cases, for another application.Continue Reading

• 3-tier application architecture

  A 3-tier application architecture is a modular client-server architecture that consists of a presentation tier, an application tier and a data tier.Continue Reading

• Choosing the right chaos engineering tools

  Chaos engineering tool options include the original (Chaos Monkey), open source projects like Chaos Toolkit and Chaos Mesh and Gremlin. Weigh these factors when choosing your tool.Continue Reading

• Low-code app platforms prove essential in times of crisis

  During the pandemic response, leading low-code platforms have been pressed into service to quickly deliver apps for testing, scheduling and prioritizing high-risk groups.Continue Reading

• Demand proliferates for low-code app development platforms

  ServiceNow's Gregg Aldana discusses the explosive demand for business apps, the pressures on enterprises to keep pace and the benefits low-code application platforms provide.Continue Reading

• Advantages of low-code platforms: Speed, agility, collaboration

  ServiceNow's Gregg Aldana discusses the role of low-code platforms in speeding application development, easing the app developer shortage and creating hybrid development teams.Continue Reading

• Condensed Agile sprint timeline pros and cons

  Is a condensed Agile sprint possible for your dev team? Here's how to shave off some sprint time and what perils to look out for in a smaller Agile sprint window.Continue Reading

• Sole Black VMware principal engineer aims to diversify tech

  VMware's only Black principal engineer talks about his rise in the cloud-native world, how to bring in a new generation of minorities and the future of technology.Continue Reading

• Hardening sprint: Scrum anti-pattern or necessity?

  Are hardening sprints a burdensome necessity or a Scrum anti-pattern? Let's explore how to make these iterations less exacting and how Agile organizations can avoid them altogether.Continue Reading

• Compare design thinking vs. Agile for QA

  Design thinking helps a team figure out what problems to solve, while Agile is a framework that helps a dev team build better software faster. Let's compare the two approaches.Continue Reading

• A Selenium IDE vs. WebDriver comparison

  Selenium IDE and WebDriver play their own roles in test automation. It's important to know how the two tools differ and how they complement each other.Continue Reading

• Will codeless test automation work for you?

  Simple and repeatable -- that's the appeal of codeless test automation. But just how useful is it? Find out in which circumstances the method can be most effective.Continue Reading

• Key questions to consider about pipeline as code

  A pipeline as code entails writing in code the processes a development team uses to build and deploy code to production. To properly adopt the approach, study up on CI/CD and more.Continue Reading

• A closer look at 6 popular low-code development platforms

  Low-code development tools help organizations accomplish tasks from simple forms and web sites to app integrations and BPM. Here's a closer look at six of the top low-code tools.Continue Reading

• Clear up CI vs. CD confusion for DevOps practices

  How do CI and CD differ? And how should development shops distinguish between the two? Learn more about the processes and how they've valuable in a DevOps environment.Continue Reading

• What is the future of low-code app development?

  Experts see more enterprises embracing low-code to rapidly develop apps and empower nonprogrammers -- but there are plenty of reasons to keep using traditional development as well.Continue Reading

• Low-code and BPM: Differences and similarities

  Low-code development and business process management help digitize and optimize a business's operations. Learn how each works, and how together they enable digital transformation.Continue Reading

• How low-code development accelerates digital transformation

  Enterprises that don't embrace digital transformation invite competitors to carve up their business. Here's how low-code development can help a business become digitally adept.Continue Reading

• A practical take on low-code vs. traditional development

  Sometimes the lines blur between low-code versus traditional development. Compare the pros and cons of each approach to judge which makes sense for your application needs.Continue Reading

• 3 software development trends to watch in 2021

  As digitization accelerates and to ensure developers are set up for success, companies should enable developer productivity and collaboration, prioritization and developer experience.Continue Reading

• Explore low-code features, examples in this Power Apps tutorial

  Microsoft Power Apps is a capable low-code platform. This tutorial shows how it can be used to build software from scratch as well as from Excel files.Continue Reading

• Top 10 software development and test tips of 2020

  What can you do better in 2021? Adopt different test tools, automate more processes, run a more productive dev team? Follow this advice from various experts to make it all happen.Continue Reading

• How to use Agile swarming techniques to get features done

  Agile teams can produce a viable product in no time when they swarm, but this all-hands approach to produce a user story or feature isn't easy.Continue Reading

• Weigh the pros and cons of outsourcing software development

  Software testing is often outsourced, but it isn’t the only phase of the software development lifecycle that can be turned over to an outside organization. Consider your options.Continue Reading

• Software development outsourcing throughout the lifecycle

  Whether to accelerate a project or overcome a particular skills gap, it might make sense to engage an external specialist to bolster your software development efforts.Continue Reading

• Cypress vs. Selenium: Compare test automation frameworks

  Testing a complex application front end? What about a web app written in Ruby? Pick a test automation framework -- Selenium or Cypress -- that fits the project.Continue Reading

• Product vs. project mindset: Differences in software development

  The rise of Agile and DevOps highlight the differences between project and product thinking in software development. Establish these roles and principles to deliver business value.Continue Reading

• Waterfall vs. Agile vs. iterative development explained

  Componentized software architectures gave way to new forms of software development. Learn when to implement simple iterative development versus wholesale changes with Agile.Continue Reading

• How static and dynamic code analysis boost app security

  Catch security vulnerabilities before they catch up to you. Here's how static and dynamic source code analysis help address application concerns, and the difference between the approaches.Continue Reading

• Comparing Waterfall vs. Agile vs. DevOps methodologies

  The software development process can be organized around a variety of methodologies, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Is your team on the right path?Continue Reading

• Application performance monitoring tools and metrics quiz

  Sharpen your pencil; it's APM quiz time. Test your knowledge of application performance monitoring and management, including tools, systems, concepts and best practices.Continue Reading

• Assess TestRail vs. Zephyr test management tools

  TestRail and Zephyr offer test management capabilities and integrate with tools that development teams rely on, like Jira. Check out features and user reviews for each product.Continue Reading

• 5 advantages of GitLab CI/CD pipelines

  Products can ease the oft-cumbersome CI/CD process. In this video tutorial, walk through five ways GitLab enables and eases CI/CD for DevOps teams and professionals.Continue Reading

• Follow Google's lead with programming style guides

  Code style guides shield developers from dangerous programming approaches and confusion. Here's how Google cultivates style guides, and why you should too.Continue Reading

• GitKraken vs. Sourcetree: Pick a Git GUI that fits dev needs

  Git GUIs give developers a visual means to manipulate source code repositories. Learn why GitKraken and Sourcetree are popular options among developers, and where each stands out.Continue Reading

• Top 5 benefits of Jenkins for CI/CD pipelines

  Many software teams continue to use open source Jenkins for CI/CD, despite other platforms on the market. Here's how Jenkins fits what teams look for in CI/CD tools.Continue Reading

• Top software documentation tools and how to use them

  The best software documentation helps frame development projects and improve existing offerings. Learn the ins and outs of popular software documentation types and tools.Continue Reading

• 4 common software maintenance models and when to use them

  Should you use a quick-fix or closed-loop maintenance model for the software project on your development team's plate? What about iterative? Learn the benefits, use cases and limits of four common models.Continue Reading

• What matters most in an Agile organizational structure

  Forcing an Agile approach onto team members causes more problems than it solves. 'Doing Agile Right' distills real-world experience into advice -- including when to delay change.Continue Reading

• DBmaestro vs. Liquibase: Database DevOps tools square off

  DevOps has reached databases, which means yet another option to consider in your toolchain. Learn what matters in a database DevOps tool, and what sets apart Liquibase and DBmaestro.Continue Reading

• Which Agile contract type fits your project and budget?

  A contracts expert shares common agreement types for Agile software development project outsourcing, and where companies tend to go wrong.Continue Reading

• Sonatype Nexus vs. JFrog: Pick an open source security scanner

  Chances are your organization relies on open source code. But how do you manage code vulnerabilities? Find a product best suited for your needs in this Sonatype Nexus vs. JFrog comparison.Continue Reading

• Git version control helps remote teams with integrated builds

  Organizations with remote development teams should use Git repositories and Git version control while developing integrated software builds.Continue Reading

• A comprehensive test automation guide for IT teams

  This one-stop test automation guide walks through the benefits and challenges, how to craft an automated testing strategy and how to compare tools.Continue Reading