Reliability

Test reliability in software testing refers to the consistency of the test results over multiple test runs under the same conditions. A reliable test produces the same output given the same input, regardless of how many times it is executed. This is crucial because inconsistent test results can lead to uncertainty about the software's correctness, wasted debugging time, and potential missed defects. Factors that can influence test reliability include intermittent failures, timing issues, and dependencies on external systems or resources. Efforts to improve test reliability often focus on isolating tests, using test doubles such as mocks or stubs to control dependencies, ensuring clean and consistent test data, and handling potential timing issues.