Can you explain the concept of critical path testing in software development?

Critical path testing is the verification of the main usage scenarios of an application that ensure the execution of key business functions. The critical path is the sequence of user actions without which the application cannot perform its primary task.

For example, in an online store, the critical path may include: product search → add to cart → checkout → payment.

The goal of critical path testing is to ensure that these main scenarios work without failures, as their failure would lead to user loss or revenue loss. Such tests are usually automated and run with each release.

In Java projects, this can be implemented using testing automation tools, such as Selenium for web applications or JUnit for unit tests covering key business logic.