What is smoke testing?
Smoke testing quickly checks if a new software build is stable enough for deeper testing. Like checking if a newly repaired car starts before taking it on a test drive, smoke tests verify that basic functions work before investing time in detailed testing.
If smoke tests fail, the build goes back to development.
If smoke tests fail, the build goes back to development.
Do you have any examples of smoke testing?
A typical smoke test suite checks core functions like:
- User login works
- Main pages load without errors
- Basic data can be saved
- Critical workflows complete
- System startup and shutdown behave normally
Why is smoke testing important?
Smoke testing saves time by catching major breaks early. There's no point spending hours on detailed testing if users can't even log in. It helps maintain testing efficiency and gives quick feedback to developers about whether their changes broke anything fundamental.
What are the challenges with smoke testing?
Teams often struggle to keep smoke tests lean and meaningful.
It's tempting to keep adding "critical" checks until your smoke test becomes a full regression suite. Smart teams maintain a strict time limit—if smoke tests take more than 15-20 minutes to run, they've probably grown too big. Automation helps, but you need to be selective about what makes the cut.
It's tempting to keep adding "critical" checks until your smoke test becomes a full regression suite. Smart teams maintain a strict time limit—if smoke tests take more than 15-20 minutes to run, they've probably grown too big. Automation helps, but you need to be selective about what makes the cut.
