Smoke Testing vs. Sanity Testing: Key Differences Explained

When it comes to software testing, two commonly used terms are smoke testing and sanity testing. While they may seem similar, there are key differences between the two that QA Engineers should be aware of.

Smoke Testing:

Smoke testing, also known as build verification testing, is performed to ensure that the most critical functionalities of an application are working as expected after a new build or release. It is carried out early in the development cycle to catch major issues before more in-depth testing begins. The primary goal of smoke testing is to determine if the software build is stable enough for further testing.

Sanity Testing:

On the other hand, sanity testing is a focused and narrow regression testing that is conducted after a specific change has been made to the software. It is performed to verify that the particular functionality or bug fix is working as intended, without conducting a full regression test. Sanity testing helps ensure that the recent changes have not negatively impacted other parts of the software.

Key Differences:

• Smoke testing is executed after a new build is received, while sanity testing is performed after a specific change has been made.
• Smoke testing is a broader test that checks the overall stability of the build, whereas sanity testing is a narrower test focused on a specific functionality.
• Smoke testing is conducted to identify major issues early in the development cycle, while sanity testing focuses on specific changes and their impact.

By understanding the differences between smoke testing and sanity testing, QA Engineers can effectively utilize these testing techniques to ensure the quality and stability of software products.