Software testing remains a critical component of software quality assurance, with increasing complexity in distributed systems and microservices architecture demanding innovative testing strategies. This research examines the theoretical underpinnings, practical implementations, and empirical implications of advanced test suite reduction techniques alongside contract testing methodologies. We explore general testability frameworks, code coverage metrics, adaptive random testing, and evolutionary approaches to test minimization, providing a comprehensive synthesis of current research and applied practices. Furthermore, we investigate the integration of contract-based testing within microservices environments, emphasizing reliability in API interactions and aligning these practices with DevOps and Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) principles. Our findings suggest that combining rigorous test suite reduction with proactive contract verification enhances system reliability, reduces overheads, and accelerates deployment cycles without compromising software quality. By critically evaluating both empirical studies and theoretical frameworks, this research contributes to the literature by offering a cohesive understanding of the synergies between test minimization and contract-based verification in contemporary software engineering practices.

Test Suite Reduction, Contract Testing, Microservices

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