Blockchain is evolving rapidly and finding its way into all kinds of application areas. The concept has proven to be secure, but it is vital to test any implementation of blockchain in applications.
The testing aspects as described below are of great importance when it comes to implementing blockchain into your project, since users demand a smooth, reliable and most of all secure platform for making transactions, creating smart contracts, … you name it!
As for every technology, performance of blockchains is key. Low transaction/validation time for blocks is something that must be kept in mind when implementing the technology. Currently, the performance of the chain is somewhat held back by its inability to scale.
For example: blockchain is not able to process the mass amounts of transactions that are needed to replace a proprietary payment processing system. However, for smaller applications that don’t need this extreme amount of processing power, it can already be used. This said, performance is still something to be kept in mind when considering the implementation of blockchain into your project.
Bottlenecks need to be identified and handled through testing, with key goal to ensure the user will not experience any unexpected delays on “busy days” – which will occur when many nodes are using the system simultaneously.
For examining if the system will hold its own under these heavy loads, Automated Performance Tests are recommended – for which end-to-end scenarios need to combine all aspects of the blockchain ecosystem and should include compound testing with multiple endpoints.
When blockchain is implemented into an application, API calls will be used to send out and received to interact with the blockchain. These interactions can be events, external calls or even events from an external system that trigger the chain – and need to be tested to validate that the requests/responses are handled correctly.
Apart from “simple” transactions, blockchain technology can also be used to create smart contracts. These contracts form a set of rules of programmable structure that are able to perform predefined actions/events when predefined conditions are met. For example, a smart contract could imply that a transaction from person A to person B will only be executed when a certain date is exceeded. Once this contract between person A and B is created, it cannot be altered, and it is “fixed” in the blockchain.
As these smart contracts can’t be altered after being written and accepted by everyone involved, testing them is crucial. Whenever using them, you must be extremely confident that everything is covered the way it was intended.
Needless to mention, security for blockchain Applications is extremely important since there is often money and or contracts involved. The goal of security testing is to identify if there are any vulnerable areas and assess if the authorization system is screwed together in such a way that the ecosystem is secure to use. Integrity, authentication, confidentiality and non-repudiation are among the most important aspects that need to be covered during security testing.
The benefits of implementing blockchain into IoT applications are endless and will cause both technologies to grow exponentially. This means both technologies will become increasingly more entangled with one another and testing of these applications ever so important.
Do you have an application that interacts with the blockchain? Are you thinking of developing one? Or do you need advice about blockchain integration? Our technical team, experts in blockchain functionality, will be happy to help. Click here to get in touch and discuss your project further.