Smoke Testing vs Sanity Testing with Examples

In software testing, two common terms that often come up are smoke testing and sanity testing. These important practices help ensure software works well before developers give it to users. In this blog post, we will explore smoke testing and sanity testing. We will provide examples to show their differences

What is Smoke Testing?

Smoke testing, also known as build verification testing, involves quickly checking the most critical functionalities of the software. The first test you do after getting a new version of the software is important. Just like you check if your car starts before a long trip, smoke testing checks if key functions work. This includes logging in and saving data.

A quick test helps find major problems early. This way, the development team can fix them fast and keep the project on schedule.

Examples of Smoke Testing:

Following are some examples of smoke testing:

1. Email Application:
Imagine you’re testing a new email application. In smoke testing, you would quickly check if you can log in, compose an email, send it, and receive emails. Ensuring that sending and receiving emails works well is important. You should complete this before using more complex features, like organizing folders or setting up filters.

2. E-commerce Website:
Suppose you’re testing an e-commerce website. During smoke testing, you would ensure that users can browse products, add items to their cart, proceed to checkout, and make a purchase. Checking if the main parts of online shopping work well is essential. Then, you can test features like discount codes or customer reviews.

3. Mobile Game:
If you are testing a new mobile game, smoke testing means checking that players can open the game. It also involves making sure they can start playing, move through levels, and do basic actions like jumping or shooting. This way, you make sure the main gameplay mechanics are working. You do this before testing advanced features like multiplayer modes or in-game purchases.

What is Sanity Testing?

Sanity testing is like a quick health check for a software build. A focused test checks specific parts of the software. This ensures that recent changes or fixes haven’t caused major problems. This testing checks if the changes made in the software are working as they should.

Testers typically perform sanity testing after they implement specific updates or improvements in the software. Think of it as a quick way to check that the recent changes haven’t caused any problems. This ensures the software is still ready for more testing or deployment.

Examples of Sanity Testing:

Following are some examples of sanity testing:

1. Social Media App:
Imagine you’re testing a new social media app. In sanity testing, you quickly check if important features are working. This includes posting updates, uploading photos, and commenting on posts.

You do this after a small change or bug fix. It’s like a quick check to ensure that the recent update hasn’t broken these essential functions.

2. Banking Website:
Suppose you’re testing a banking website. During sanity testing, you check that important tasks work well.

This includes logging in, checking your account balance, and transferring funds. You do this after a small change in the system. This test helps confirm that the recent update hasn’t disrupted these crucial banking activities.

3. Weather App:
If you are testing a weather app, sanity testing means checking a few key features. First, see if users can view current weather conditions.

Next, check if they can see the day’s forecast. Finally, make sure they receive weather alerts after a small software update. It’s a brief test to make sure that users can still access basic weather information without any issues.