Testing and Maintenance

The first thing we should do after deploying our site is to run the site from the web server. We should check that the site is functioning properly. Some web servers require configuration settings for the database. The web server administrator can provide information on how to configure the settings.

Testing our code is an important part of the development process. Testing ensures that our code is functioning properly and doing exactly what it is expected to do. In fact, the process of testing should start with the process of development. We should test each piece of code individually to make sure that it is error-free and is producing the correct output. After deploying the site, we should test the entire site as a whole.

Maintenance is the process of keeping our site running without problems once it has been tested and deployed. Some errors may show up after the site is deployed and running for some time. Similarly, there can be issues like the speed of the site, change in database, increasing number of users and change in the server. All of these issues should be resolved by monitoring the site continuously.

Testing and Maintenance are advanced topics and there are many books devoted to these topics. There are also softwares available to perform them. A detailed discussion of testing and maintenance is beyond the scope of this tutorial. However, it is a good habit to have some information about them. Testing the code is something that can be performed by the developer without much problem, especially when working on small-scale projects. Ignoring the process of testing can result in loss of time and money.