Bottom-Up Integration
Bottom-Up Integration is a software testing and integration strategy where lower-level modules or components are integrated and tested first, gradually moving upward to higher-level modules until the entire system is assembled. It starts with testing the most basic units, such as utility functions or data access layers, and then combines them into larger subsystems. This approach ensures that foundational components are stable before integrating more complex, dependent modules.
Developers should use Bottom-Up Integration when working on systems with well-defined, independent lower-level modules, as it allows early detection of defects in core functionalities and reduces the risk of cascading failures in higher layers. It is particularly useful in projects where low-level components are critical to system performance or when top-level modules are not yet available for testing, such as in parallel development environments or when using stub drivers is impractical.