SDET vs QA. What the difference?

Don’t forget to 👏🏻 clap first and then let’s talk about SDET and QA Testers. If you never heard about it or always wanted to learn the difference, then this article is for you.

These acronyms stand for: SDET — Software Development Engineer In Test, QA Tester — Quality Assurance Tester. Both of them are from Software Testing and Quality Assurance Domain. Let’s dive into these two positions for a better understanding of the responsibilities and differences between them.

Both SDETs and QA Testers are responsible for checking new software products (gaming systems, mobile applications, web applications, etc), for early defect findings in systems’ functionality, for reporting these issues, for creating comprehensive test reports and plans.

Ok, but what the difference between these two positions? The main distinction is knowledge and skills. SDET is an engineer who knows many programming languages, database concepts, participates in product design, data design and UI. SDET works closely with Product Managers, Product Development and End Product User. On the other hand, QA Testers can run and analyze automated tests, but they don’t have deep knowledge of software and technology itself.

More detailed information you can find in the infographic below. Let me know if you have any questions or comments.