What type of testing is performed to expose defects in the interfaces and interactions between components?

Integration testing is designed specifically to identify defects in the interactions and interfaces between different components or modules within a system. It is crucial because, while individual components may function correctly in isolation during unit testing, they can encounter issues when combined with other components. This type of testing focuses on ensuring that integrated components work together as expected, which includes testing communication paths, data exchange, and overall integration points between the parts of the system.

By testing the interfaces, integration testing helps in uncovering issues such as mismatched data formats, incorrect handling of messages, or unexpected behaviors when components interoperate. This level of testing is vital in complex systems where various components must collaborate efficiently to ensure that the entire application functions correctly when deployed.

In contrast, the other testing types serve different purposes: system testing examines the complete and fully integrated software product, unit testing looks at individual components in isolation, and acceptance testing validates the system against the user requirements. Each serves a unique role in the quality assurance process but does not specifically focus on the interfaces and interactions between components like integration testing does.