How to Smoke Test to Improve Software Effectiveness (with Steps, Tools, and More)
Posted: Tue Jan 07, 2025 5:23 am
Have you ever tested your software and realized that even the simplest features don't work? Frustrating, right?
Before you get into in-depth testing, you need to make sure that the core functionalities are working and that's where smoke testing comes in. Also called build verification or confidence testing , it's your first line of defense in software testing.
Smoke testing helps detect important problems early in the software development process, saving time and resources to avoid frustrations down the road.
Let's take a deeper look at how you can smoke test for better software performance.
What is smoke testing?
Smoke testing is a preliminary testing process used to verify that the most critical functionalities of a software build are working as expected.
Testers typically perform this type of superficial and broad testing in a QA environment after deploying a new build. It ensures that essential system functions are working before turkey number data moving on to the next steps in the software testing process.
Fun fact: Hardware testers originally coined the term “smoke testing” when they would power on a device to see if it “smokes” (or fails immediately) before doing more in-depth testing. In software development, it’s the equivalent of making sure the system doesn’t crash right after booting up.
Importance of smoke testing in software development
This software testing technique delves into the early stages of software development and acts as a safeguard to ensure that core functionalities are operational.
Even better, it prevents teams from wasting time performing exhaustive testing on a build that isn’t fundamentally sound. In Agile Project Management and DevOps, where rapid iteration is essential, smoke testing is a crucial checkpoint that helps maintain efficiency and quality.
Here are some of the key principles that govern smoke testing in software engineering:
Broad but superficial testing: This principle tests the essential functions of the software without delving into individual components, with the goal of confirming the overall stability of the system.
Build Verification: Developers run this test right after creating a new build to ensure that it is ready for subsequent testing. If the smoke test fails, the build is rejected and developers are notified to fix the issues.
Time-efficient: Smoke testing is designed to be fast, allowing teams to identify the most important issues without investing too much time. This makes it ideal for fast-paced development cycles.
Automation support: Smoke tests are often automated, allowing teams to run these tests frequently and consistently with minimal effort. It is especially useful in continuous integration and deployment pipelines.
Differences between smoke testing and sanitation testing
Below is a comparison table between smoke testing and sanity testing so you can see how they differ:
How Smoke Tests Work
The smoke testing method of software sets the stage for successful software development, ensuring a build is stable enough for detailed testing. Let's walk through the steps for performing smoke testing.
Step 1: Identify critical functionality
The first step in smoke testing is to identify the basic functionalities that must work for the software to be considered usable. These are the must-have functions , such as user login, payment processing, or basic navigation in a web application.
The goal is to focus on the parts of the application that, if not working, would immediately break the build.
Step 2: Prepare the test cases
Next, prepare test cases for these essential functions. These cases should be simple and cover general functionality without going into detailed scenarios.
For example, for an e-commerce site, smoke test cases might include verifying that users can add items to a cart, proceed to checkout, and process payments.
Since they focus on the core functionality, these test cases can be reused across multiple releases. Consider using test case templates to start organizing your workflow.
Before you get into in-depth testing, you need to make sure that the core functionalities are working and that's where smoke testing comes in. Also called build verification or confidence testing , it's your first line of defense in software testing.
Smoke testing helps detect important problems early in the software development process, saving time and resources to avoid frustrations down the road.
Let's take a deeper look at how you can smoke test for better software performance.
What is smoke testing?
Smoke testing is a preliminary testing process used to verify that the most critical functionalities of a software build are working as expected.
Testers typically perform this type of superficial and broad testing in a QA environment after deploying a new build. It ensures that essential system functions are working before turkey number data moving on to the next steps in the software testing process.
Fun fact: Hardware testers originally coined the term “smoke testing” when they would power on a device to see if it “smokes” (or fails immediately) before doing more in-depth testing. In software development, it’s the equivalent of making sure the system doesn’t crash right after booting up.
Importance of smoke testing in software development
This software testing technique delves into the early stages of software development and acts as a safeguard to ensure that core functionalities are operational.
Even better, it prevents teams from wasting time performing exhaustive testing on a build that isn’t fundamentally sound. In Agile Project Management and DevOps, where rapid iteration is essential, smoke testing is a crucial checkpoint that helps maintain efficiency and quality.
Here are some of the key principles that govern smoke testing in software engineering:
Broad but superficial testing: This principle tests the essential functions of the software without delving into individual components, with the goal of confirming the overall stability of the system.
Build Verification: Developers run this test right after creating a new build to ensure that it is ready for subsequent testing. If the smoke test fails, the build is rejected and developers are notified to fix the issues.
Time-efficient: Smoke testing is designed to be fast, allowing teams to identify the most important issues without investing too much time. This makes it ideal for fast-paced development cycles.
Automation support: Smoke tests are often automated, allowing teams to run these tests frequently and consistently with minimal effort. It is especially useful in continuous integration and deployment pipelines.
Differences between smoke testing and sanitation testing
Below is a comparison table between smoke testing and sanity testing so you can see how they differ:
How Smoke Tests Work
The smoke testing method of software sets the stage for successful software development, ensuring a build is stable enough for detailed testing. Let's walk through the steps for performing smoke testing.
Step 1: Identify critical functionality
The first step in smoke testing is to identify the basic functionalities that must work for the software to be considered usable. These are the must-have functions , such as user login, payment processing, or basic navigation in a web application.
The goal is to focus on the parts of the application that, if not working, would immediately break the build.
Step 2: Prepare the test cases
Next, prepare test cases for these essential functions. These cases should be simple and cover general functionality without going into detailed scenarios.
For example, for an e-commerce site, smoke test cases might include verifying that users can add items to a cart, proceed to checkout, and process payments.
Since they focus on the core functionality, these test cases can be reused across multiple releases. Consider using test case templates to start organizing your workflow.