Alpha Version

The alpha version of a product still awaits full testing of all its functionality but satisfies all the software requirements. As the first major stage in the release lifecycle, it is named after alpha, the first letter in the Greek alphabet.

The alpha build of the software is the build delivered to the software testers, that is persons different from the programmers, but usually internal to the organization or community that develops the software. In a rush to market, more and more companies are engaging external customers or value-chain partners in their alpha testing phase. This allows more extensive usability testing during the alpha phase.

In the first phase of testing, developers generally test the software using white box techniques. Additional validation is then performed using black box or grey box techniques, by another dedicated testing team, sometimes concurrently. Moving to black box testing inside the organization is known as alpha release.

Source: Wikipedia