Compatibility and configuration testng is performanced to check that an application functions properly across various hardware and software environments. Often, the stragegy is to run the functional acceptance simple tests or a subset of the task-oriented functional tests on a range of software and hardware configurations. Sometimes, another strategy is to create a specific test that takes into account the error risks associated with configuration differences. For example, you might design an extensive series of tests to check for browser compatibility issues.

Software compatibility configurations include variances in OS versions, input/output (I/O) devices, extension, network software, concurrent applications, online services and firewalls. Hardwere configurations include variances in manufacturers, CPU types, RAM, graphic display cards, video capture cards, sound cards, monitors, network cards, and connection types(e.g. T1, DSL, modem, etc..).