Microservices testing: A systematic literature review

IF 4.3 2区计算机科学 Q2 COMPUTER SCIENCE, INFORMATION SYSTEMS

Information and Software Technology Pub Date : 2025-08-23 DOI:10.1016/j.infsof.2025.107870

Francisco Ponce , Roberto Verdecchia , Breno Miranda , Jacopo Soldani

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Context:

Microservices offer scalability and resilience for modern cloud-native applications but present significant challenges in software testing due to their distributed and heterogeneous nature.

Objective:

This study aims to consolidate and classify the current body of knowledge on microservice testing through a systematic literature review, providing actionable insights for both researchers and practitioners.

Methods:

Following established guidelines for systematic literature reviews in software engineering, we identified 74 primary studies relevant to microservices testing. These studies were systematically categorized using the SWEBOK (Software Engineering Body of Knowledge) taxonomy for software testing. Specifically, we classified the identified techniques according to their testing objectives, levels, strategies, and types. We also evaluated the study types to gauge the maturity and readiness of the current state-of-the-art in microservice testing.

Results:

System testing emerged as the most frequently investigated testing level, followed by integration, unit, and acceptance testing. Conformance, regression, and API testing were the most common functional testing objectives, while performance efficiency and reliability were instead predominant in the case of non-functional testing. Specification-based testing strategies were the most adopted, followed by usage-based and fault-based ones. Additionally, most studies employed laboratory experiments and had low-to-medium technology readiness levels, indicating early-stage maturity. The systems under test varied in size and domain, with TrainTicket being the most widely used reference benchmark for large systems.

Conclusion:

While significant progress has been made in microservice testing, the field remains fragmented, with notable gaps in areas such as, e.g., flexibility and security testing. The dominance of early-stage proposals highlights the need for more empirical validation and industry-grade benchmarks to facilitate broader adoption. This review offers a structured roadmap for future research and practical adoption in microservices testing.

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微服务测试：系统的文献综述

上下文：微服务为现代云原生应用程序提供了可伸缩性和弹性，但由于其分布式和异构性质，在软件测试中提出了重大挑战。目的：本研究旨在通过系统的文献综述，对当前微服务测试的知识体系进行整合和分类，为研究人员和从业者提供可操作的见解。方法：遵循软件工程系统文献综述的既定指南，我们确定了74项与微服务测试相关的主要研究。这些研究使用软件测试的SWEBOK（软件工程知识体系）分类法进行了系统的分类。具体地说，我们根据它们的测试目标、水平、策略和类型对识别的技术进行分类。我们还评估了研究类型，以衡量微服务测试中当前最先进技术的成熟度和准备情况。结果：系统测试作为最常被调查的测试级别出现，紧随其后的是集成测试、单元测试和验收测试。一致性、回归和API测试是最常见的功能测试目标，而性能效率和可靠性在非功能测试中占主导地位。基于规范的测试策略被采用的最多，其次是基于使用和基于故障的测试策略。此外，大多数研究采用实验室实验，具有低至中等的技术准备水平，表明早期成熟度。被测试的系统在大小和领域上各不相同，TrainTicket是大型系统中使用最广泛的参考基准。结论：虽然微服务测试取得了重大进展，但该领域仍然是碎片化的，在灵活性和安全性测试等领域存在显著差距。早期提案的主导地位突出了需要更多的经验验证和工业级基准，以促进更广泛的采用。这篇综述为微服务测试的未来研究和实际应用提供了一个结构化的路线图。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Information and Software Technology 工程技术-计算机：软件工程

CiteScore

9.10

自引率

7.70%

发文量

164

审稿时长

9.6 weeks

期刊介绍： Information and Software Technology is the international archival journal focusing on research and experience that contributes to the improvement of software development practices. The journal''s scope includes methods and techniques to better engineer software and manage its development. Articles submitted for review should have a clear component of software engineering or address ways to improve the engineering and management of software development. Areas covered by the journal include: • Software management, quality and metrics, • Software processes, • Software architecture, modelling, specification, design and programming • Functional and non-functional software requirements • Software testing and verification & validation • Empirical studies of all aspects of engineering and managing software development Short Communications is a new section dedicated to short papers addressing new ideas, controversial opinions, "Negative" results and much more. Read the Guide for authors for more information. The journal encourages and welcomes submissions of systematic literature studies (reviews and maps) within the scope of the journal. Information and Software Technology is the premiere outlet for systematic literature studies in software engineering.