By closely looking at testing methods for caches, checking how cookies work, and assessing token-based security, you can make your web applications stronger and give users a smooth and safe online experience.
Testing cache mechanism
Testing cache mechanisms is crucial to ensure they work well and are effective. If you don't implement or test a cache mechanism properly, it can lead to issues with data, slow down performance, or create security risks. That's why you need a good testing strategy to find and solve any issues before they end up in the production environment.
Let's go over the basics so you can test caching thoroughly and correctly.
Test functionality with and without cache (you can turn off caching in your browser settings).
Test how features work in incognito mode.
If testing a browser plugin, you must check how it works with the cache turned off and with the cache from another device (most modern browsers let you sync caches).
When you cache a lot of data, make sure that the page doesn't slow down or crash when the cache gets full.
Now let's look at an example using a restaurant's website. The website shows menus, user reviews, and other changing data. To make the website better for users and lower server usage, the website has a cache mechanism. This cache keeps menus and reviews that people look at a lot, so the website doesn't have to get the data from the server over and over. The aim is to make sure the cache works right and has the newest information.
There are different ways to test caching. Here are some:
Basic functionality testing. First, you need to see if the cache is storing and showing data right. You do this by checking if the website correctly shows menus and reviews from the cache. Then, make sure the cache updates when there are new menus or reviews. This makes sure users don't see old content.
Performance testing. To see how well the cache works, measure how long it takes to get data from the cache and compare it to getting it straight from the server. Also, look at how fast the website responds when it uses cached versus non-cached content. This helps find any problems and improve the cache.
Load testing. Load testing is when you pretend there's a lot of users on the website to see how the cache deals with more requests. By slowly increasing the number of users at the same time, you can find out how much the cache can handle and make sure it doesn't make the website slow.
Cache invalidation testing. It's important to test invalidation to make sure the cache updates when it should. This involves creating situations where menus or reviews change or get deleted. By making sure the cache changes right away when this happens, you keep the data up to date.
Cookie testing
It is essential for keeping web applications secure. Testing well helps find issues like unsafe cookie storage, session problems, cookie changing, and cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks. By making sure cookies are strong and safe, you can stop unauthorized entry, information leaks, and attacks on user privacy.
Testers use detailed ways to ensure cookie tests are good. First, you must make sure that cookies holding important data expire after a short time to cut the risk of unauthorized entry. Send cookies over secure channels (HTTPS) to keep attackers from grabbing them. Cookies often move in the headers of requests. Then check if cookies are set with the HttpOnly attribute; this keeps them safe from client-side script attacks. Look at the domain and path attributes of cookies so they only go where they should.
Try to take over user sessions by changing cookie values or session IDs to see if the system stops unauthorized entry. Make sure that sessions end right when a user logs out or does nothing for a while to stop attacks on sessions.
Check if the app can find and throw out changed or fake cookie values to guard against cookie poisoning. Ensure that cookies are checked and cleaned to stop injection attacks.
For instance, imagine you go to your favorite restaurant's website to order food online. You often buy the same thing. The site can put a cookie on your computer that remembers your usual order, so it suggests it the next time you visit.
Cookies also keep things like your sign-in information, language choices, or even things you added to the shopping cart but did not buy yet. So, when you come back to the site later, everything is there. Another key point is that cookies are meant to be secure. They mostly remember settings and help the website work better for you.
However, cookies can't get to other files on your computer or damage it. You can also manage the cookies on your computer. Most web browsers have options to control and even delete cookies. You can and should check this, mainly if you use European services (yes, GDPR matters).
Testing token-based authentication and authorisation
To ensure the security and reliability of token-based authentication, you need to start by testing if the server correctly generates tokens after a user logs in successfully. A simple test involves logging in and checking if the server returns a token. Also, you have to check that the tokens are complex and random enough to prevent unauthorized use.
Token expiration is a key part of token-based authentication. Tokens must only be valid for a set time, so you need to check if the server sets and enforces token expiration times correctly. Make sure that expired tokens are rejected and don't allow access to protected resources.
Token-based authentication includes determining what resources a user can access. It's essential to test that only users with valid and authorized tokens can access the right resources. Your tests should cover both allowed and denied access attempts.
Sometimes, tokens might need to be refreshed to keep user sessions active. Your tests should make sure the token refresh feature works right and doesn't cause any security risks or hurt the user experience.
Let's look at an example to understand testing token-based authentication better. Think about a web app that lets users create and see user profiles. To test token-based authentication, you could do these tests:
Check that a valid token is needed to see user profile data.
Test if an expired token is rejected and stops access to user profiles.
Make sure that users with no valid token can't access user profiles.
By checking the token creation process, testing token expiration and authorization, and looking at token refresh functionality, you can find and fix possible issues before they affect users.
Conclusion
Now you understand the basics of speeding up web applications and testing principles. Reflect on which testing methods can be used for cache, cookies, and authorization. Consider what kinds of issues you might find with these techniques.