Smoke Testing

March 21, 2025
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What is Smoke Testing?

Smoke testing is a preliminary level of software testing used to evaluate whether the essential functions of a system or application are working correctly. It is a bare check to ensure the build is stable enough for more in-depth testing. Smoke testing focuses on core features without going into finer details. The term originates from hardware testing, where a device was considered to have “passed” if it did not emit smoke during the initial power-up.

Often called “build verification testing,” this process helps identify serious issues early in the development cycle. Teams can avoid wasting resources by catching major failures before investing time in detailed testing. Smoke tests are usually automated and executed quickly whenever a new software build is received.

Key Points

  • Smoke testing checks the basic functionality of a software build before deeper testing occurs.
  • It ensures the system is stable enough for further quality assurance efforts.
  • This testing is typically automated and designed to run quickly.
  • It focuses on the most critical features or components of the software.
  • Failures in this testing phase usually lead to the build being rejected and sent back for correction.

Related Terms

  • Sanity testing is a narrower form that focuses on specific functionalities after changes or fixes are made.
  • Regression testing verifies that recent code changes have not negatively affected existing features.
  • Build verification testing is another term often used interchangeably with smoke testing.
  • Unit testing involves checking individual components or functions of the code in isolation.
  • Integration testing ensures that different modules or services work well together after combining.

Smoke Testing: Example

A software development team receives a new build of a mobile banking app. Before launching into full functional testing, they perform smoke testing to ensure the app installs correctly, opens without crashing, and allows users to log in. If any of these core functions fail, the build is rejected, and no further testing is conducted until the issues are resolved.

Smoke Testing: Best Practices

  • Define clear criteria for what features must pass before the build is accepted.
  • Automate smoke tests to reduce human error and increase testing speed.
  • Run tests consistently on every new build to maintain quality assurance standards.
  • Include both frontend and backend elements in the test scope where applicable.
  • Communicate results promptly so the development team can take immediate action on failures.

Additional Resources

Software Testing    Software Testing Strategies

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