Common Testing Methods for Live Streaming Apps

The booming live streaming apps have sparked a new wave of entrepreneurship, surpassing e‑commerce, O2O, and P2P; today, live streaming, VR/AR are the trends. This article introduces common testing methods for live streaming rooms to ensure the app works properly.

1. Live Streaming Terminology Introduction

Instant Start (秒开) : the first screen appears quickly, around 1 second.

Resolution (分辨率) : determines image size; higher resolution yields larger images.

Bitrate (码率) : compressed data per second measured in bps; larger bitrate means larger volume.

Frame Rate (帧率) : frames per second (FPS) or Hertz (Hz); higher frame rate provides smoother playback.

Clarity (清晰度) : the degree of detail and edge sharpness observable by the human eye.

RTMP : Real Time Messaging Protocol, not playable in iOS browsers but offers good real‑time performance; commonly used to push video streams to servers.

HLS : HTTP Live Streaming, proposed by Apple, playable directly in HTML5 but incurs higher latency.

2. How to Conduct Live Streaming Testing

2.1 Design Test Cases

Before testing, design test cases based on the latest product requirement documents, UI designs, and interface specifications. Test cases should cover entry points, functional interactions, UI, APIs, exceptions, compatibility, and performance. After drafting, confirm accuracy with developers and product managers, then send a case admission email to the development team specifying a self‑test deadline.

2.2 Execute Testing

Developers perform self‑testing and report completion to QA. QA executes the test cases, logs bugs promptly, and before release conducts regression, gray, and smoke testing to ensure product quality.

Below is the overall live streaming testing workflow:

Figure 2.1 Live Streaming Test Process

Stay tuned for more exciting content on functional testing in the next topic.