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Smoke Software Testing
In this article, I am going to discuss Smoke Software Testing. Please read our previous article where we discussed Regression Software Testing. At the end of this article, you will understand the following important pointers which are related to Smoke Software Testing.
- What is Smoke Software Testing?
- When will we Conduct Smoke Tests?
- What would happen if we didn’t Conduct Smoke Software Testing?
- Who will do Smoke Tests?
- Why do we Test for Smoke?
- How are Smoke Tests Conducted?
- What are the Characteristics of Smoke Software Testing?
- What are the Goals of Smoke Testing?
- Explain Types of Smoke Software Testing
- At Which Level Smoke Testing Applied?
- Which tools are used for Smoke Testing?
- Explain the Cycle of Smoke Testing
- Example of Smoke Testing
- What are the Advantages of Smoke Software Testing?
- What are the Disadvantages of Smoke Software Testing?
What is Smoke Software Testing?
Smoke testing is a technique for testing software that assesses whether or not the build being used is stable. It serves as confirmation that the quality assurance team can carry out additional testing. A basic set of tests that are done on each build are smoke tests.
The software build is deployed to a QA environment and tested there as part of the smoke testing process to make sure the application is stable. Smoke testing is often referred to as build verification testing or confidence testing.
Smoke tests merely involve confirming that the build under test is free of show-stopping problems and that the crucial features operate as intended. We’re running a brief and speedy regression test on some critical functionality. The object is ready for testing, as shown by a brief test. This aids in determining whether the build is defective to the point that more testing would be ineffective and time-consuming.
When will we Conduct Smoke Tests?
Smoke testing is done each time a new version of the software is developed and combined with an already-deployed build that has been used in a QA/staging environment. It determines whether or not each essential element is working properly.
This testing strategy is used by the development team to provide the build to QA. Subsets of the test cases are executed by testers against the build. The QA team evaluates the application against the necessary functionality. These test cases are meant to draw attention to build-related problems.
The QA team then moves on to functional testing if each of these tests is successful. Any failure necessitates handling the system back to the development team. Every time a build is modified, smoke testing is carried out to ensure stability.
Examples include adding a new registration button to the login window and deploying the build with the updated code. On a new construction, we do a smoke test.
The build is eligible for formal testing after the smoke tests. Smoke testing’s primary goal is the early detection of serious problems. Smoke tests are used to show system stability and requirement compliance. Every data file, library, reusable module, and engineering component needed to implement one or more product functions is included in a build.
What would happen if we didn’t Conduct Smoke Software Testing?
If we don’t conduct smoke testing in the early phases, faults can be found later on when they can be expensive. Additionally, flaws discovered at a later stage that could impede the delivery of deliverables can be a deal breaker.
Who will do Smoke Tests?
QA engineers and the QA lead do smoke testing after publishing the build to the QA environment. The QA team selects the main application functionality for smoke testing whenever there is a new build. The QA team searches the application that is being tested for deal-breakers.
Sanity testing is testing done in a development environment on the code to make sure the application is correct before delivering the build to QA. Usually, it involves in-depth, narrow testing. It is a procedure that ensures the application being developed satisfies its fundamental functional requirements. Sanity testing establishes when the development phase is complete and determines whether or not the software product will move on to the next stage of testing.
Why do we Test for Smoke?
Smoke testing is essential to the process of creating software since it ensures the initial accuracy of the system. By doing this, we can cut down on test effort. Thus, smoke tests guarantee that the system is functionally sound. The final step before we start functional testing is smoke testing.
- Smoke testing will be used to find all of the build’s deal breakers.
- After the build is made available to QA, smoke testing is conducted. With the use of smoke testing, the majority of defects are discovered early on in the software development process.
- Smoke testing makes it easier to find and fix significant flaws.
- The QA team can identify application functionality flaws that the new code may have exposed through smoke testing.
- The most severe flaws are discovered during smoke testing.
Example 1: After clicking the submit button in the login box, you can continue on to the next window with a valid username and password.
Example 2: A user is unable to log off of a website.
How are Smoke Tests Conducted?
Even while smoke testing is typically done by hand, it is possible to automate the process. Depending on the organization, it could be different.
Manual Testing for Smoke
Smoke testing is typically carried out manually. The methods used by different organizations differ. Smoke testing is carried out to ensure that important paths can be followed without compromising functionality. As soon as the build is made accessible to QA, high-priority functionality test cases must be taken and evaluated to find the system’s major problems. If the test is successful, we continue with the functional testing. The build is rejected and returned to the development team for revision if the test is unsuccessful. Smoke testing with a new build version is once more started by QA. To ensure the system’s accuracy, smoke testing is carried out on new builds and is merged with older builds. The QA team should verify that the build versions are proper before conducting smoke testing.
Smoke Testing by Automation
Regression testing uses smoke testing carried out through automation. We may also use a set of automated test cases to evaluate Smoke Test. Developers can run automation tests on a newly created build as soon as it is ready for release.
For every new software build, recorded smoke test cases are run against it rather than having to manually rerun the tests. It checks to make sure the main functions are still operating properly. They can immediately redeploy the build after making the required changes if the test is unsuccessful. This will save time and provide a high-quality build for the QA environment. All manual actions taken during the software build are recorded by the test engineer using an automated tool.
What are the Characteristics of Smoke Software Testing?
The characteristics of the smoke test are as follows:
- Smoke testing has been verified.
- Both stable and unstable smoke tests are possible.
- Smoke tests follow a script.
- Regression testing includes smoke testing.
The majority of the time, quality assurance engineers perform smoke testing.
What are the Goals of Smoke Testing?
Smoke testing’s objective is:
- To find any early software product flaws.
- To show that the system is stable.
- To prove compliance with the standards.
- To ensure that the program’s acute functionalities are operating as intended.
- To evaluate the software product’s stability and measure the results.
- To thoroughly test the software product’s functionality.
Explain Types of Smoke Software Testing
Three different kinds of smoke testing exist:
- Manual Testing: The tester must create, develop, modify, or update the test cases for each generated product. Either current functionality or new functionality must have test scripts created by the tester.
- Automated Testing: In this instance, the tool, which also offers the relevant tests, manages the complete testing process. It is quite helpful when the project has a short deadline.
- Hybrid Testing: Hybrid testing is the term for testing that involves both manual and automated techniques. In this case, the tester must write his own test cases but may automate the tests using the tool. It increases testing effectiveness by combining manual and automated testing.
At Which Level Smoke Testing Applied?
It is applicable at 3 levels of testing. They are:
- Acceptance Testing Level
- System Testing Level
- Integration testing Level
Which tools are used for Smoke Testing?
Tools used for Smoke Testing:
- Selenium
- PhantomJS
When putting automated test cases into practice, these tools are employed.
Explain the Cycle of Smoke Testing
Like other types of testing, smoke testing is done. The methods you can take to “smoke test” the software are as follows:
- The development team releases the build, which are subsequently forwarded to the testing team to be tested.
- When the QA team receives the builds, they create the test cases in accordance with the requirements.
- A compact test outfit contains several smoke tests. A smoke test suite should comprise an easily controllable number of tests in order to be effective and purpose-built.
- Automate the smoke test if necessary; automation has proven to be effective and worthwhile in smoke test suites. For smoke testing, a variety of automation frameworks are available.
- Execute the test cases, then make sure the test environment is ready for the upcoming rounds of testing. This could entail emptying database tables, terminating a server, or removing files.
Example of Smoke Testing
An illustration of smoke testing in relation to software development is as follows:
Consider a scenario where a software development team has just finished creating a new web application and wants to run a smoke test before carrying out more thorough testing.
The goal of the smoke test is to quickly confirm that the web application’s essential features are operating as expected, guaranteeing that it is stable enough for further testing.
Test Scenario: Smoke Test for a Web Application
Test Case: Launch of an Application
Check to see sure there are no critical issues when the web application runs.
Steps:
- Launch your web browser.
- The URL for the application.
- Check to see if there are no server issues or broken pages when the application loads.
Conclusion: Pass/Fail
Situation Test: User Login
Check whether users can access the application by logging in.
Steps:
- Enter a valid username and password for login.
- On the login button, click.
Conclusion: Pass/Fail
Test Case: Adding a New Item to the Cart
Check whether customers may add things to their shopping carts.
Steps:
- If you haven’t already, log in to the application using your credentials.
- Peruse the product directory.
- To view an item’s details, click on it.
- Select “Add to Cart” from the menu.
Conclusion: Pass/Fail
Test Case: Process of Checkout
Check whether customers can successfully complete the checkout procedure.
Steps:
- Adding an item to the shopping basket is necessary.
- The shopping cart page.
- Select “Checkout” from the menu.
- Type accurate shipping and payment information.
- Finish the checkout procedure.
Conclusion: Pass/Fail
Test Case: Basic Functionality of Key Pages
Check the fundamental functionality of important pages, such as Home, About, and Contact.
Steps:
- Click on each important page link in the navigation menu to proceed.
- Check to see if there are any issues as the pages load.
Conclusion: Pass/Fail
What are the Advantages of Smoke Software Testing?
The benefits of Smoke Testing are:
- Smoke testing is easy to perform.
- It assists in identifying faults early on.
- As a result, the system’s quality improves.
- Smoke tests reduce the likelihood that they will fail.
- Smoke testing makes progress simple to track.
- It reduces test time and effort.
- It facilitates the detection of important faults and aids in their rectification.
- It moves swiftly.
- The hazards of integration are reduced.
What are the Disadvantages of Smoke Software Testing?
The drawbacks of Smoke Testing are:
- Smoke Testing does not cover all of the application’s features. Only a portion of the testing is completed.
- Errors may still occur even with all the smoke tests in place.
- For larger projects, the manual smoke testing technique is very time-consuming to carry out.
- Negative tests or incorrect input won’t be used in its implementation.
- Since there are typically only a few test cases, we are unable to identify any additional problems that arose throughout the testing process.
In the next article, I am going to discuss Sanity Software Testing. Here, in this article, I try to explain Smoke Software Testing. I hope you enjoy this Smoke Software Testing article.