End-to-End Testing
While integration testing combines multiple units or functions of a software project, end-to-end testing goes one step further by simulating the actual use of the software.
For example, while our unit tests directly called functions such as math.square, an end-to-end test would load the graphical interface of the calculator and simulate pressing a number, say 5, followed by the square button. After a few seconds, the end-to-end test would look at the resulting answer in the graphical interface and ensure it equals 25 as expected.
End-to-end testing should be used more sparingly due to the overhead, but it is a great final step in a testing process to ensure that everything is working as expected. In contrast, unit tests are relatively quick to run and, therefore, can be run more often without slowing down development. The following figure shows a recommended distribution of tests:
