Smoke testing is a type of software testing used to find errors or bugs in an application before it goes live. It is a quick and straightforward way to test an application for the most common problems. Smoke testing can be performed manually or automated using a tool like UIlicious.
This article will discuss the three most popular types of smoke testing and how you can start using them on your projects.
Table of Contents:
What is smoke testing?
Smoke testing is a type of software testing used to test the functionality of an application. This type of testing is typically used to determine any significant issues with the application before moving on to more detailed testing.
Several different types of smoke testing can be used, depending on the organization's needs. Some of the most popular types of smoke testing include:
Functional testing: This type of testing checks to make sure that the application's basic functionality is working correctly.
GUI testing: This type of testing checks the application's graphical user interface (GUI) to make sure that it is functioning correctly.
Non-functional testing: This type of testing checks the performance and stability of the application.
Smoke testing is an essential part of software testing and can help to ensure that the application is functioning correctly before moving on to more detailed testing.
Why should you use smoke testing?
Smoke testing can help identify major issues with the application that could cause problems down the road. This type of testing is a quick and easy way to test the application's basic functionality. It can also help save time and money in the long run.
Smoke testing is a valuable tool for finding and fixing software defects, bugs, and errors. In addition, it is handy for finding critical issues with the application that could cause significant problems if not fixed.
When should you perform smoke testing?
Smoke testing is an important part of software quality assurance and should be executed on every new release because new defects always have the potential to be found. Smoke testing should also be performed anytime changes are made to the application, such as adding new features or making changes to the user interface.
What are the primary types of smoke testing?
Besides the three types mentioned above, we can divide all smoke tests into three primary categories - unit, integration, and system testing.
Unit testing
Unit testing is used to test individual units or components of the application.
Integration testing
Integration testing is used to test how the different units or components work together.
Integration tests can be further divided into system tests and acceptance tests.
System testing
System tests are used to test the entire system, while acceptance tests are used to determine if the system meets the requirements set by the customer.
How to do smoke testing?
There are three ways to do smoke testing - manual, semi-automated, and automated.
Manual smoke testing
Manual smoke testing is the most basic type of smoke testing and is done by manually testing the application. This type of testing can be time-consuming and is not as reliable as automated testing.
✅ Pros of manual testing:
It can be very thorough because testers can test every possible scenario.
It can be used to test custom or unique functionality.
❌ Cons of manual testing:
It takes a long time to do because each test needs to be done manually;
It can be unreliable because it's easy to miss something;
It can only be used for manual tasks;
It may not be accurate if done by someone unfamiliar with the application.
If this topic is interesting to you, we wrote several extensive blog posts about manual testing that could help you know more about this kind of testing and its best practices:
Semi-automated smoke testing
Semi-automated smoke testing uses a combination of manual and automated testing. This type of testing is more reliable than manual testing but not as reliable as automated testing.
✅ Pros of semi-automated testing:
It can be more reliable than manual testing because it uses both automated and manual testing;
It can be faster than manual testing because some tests can be automated;
It can be used to test custom or unique functionality.
❌ Cons of semi-automated testing:
It takes more time than automated testing because some tests still need to be done manually;
It can be unreliable because it's easy to miss something.
Automated smoke testing
Automated smoke testing is the most reliable type of smoke testing and is done by automating the testing process. This type of testing is faster and more accurate than manual or semi-automated smoke testing.
✅ Pros of automated testing:
It can be more reliable than manual or semi-automated testing because it is done by automating the process;
It is faster than manual or semi-automated testing because it automates testing;
It can be used to test custom or unique functionality.
❌ Cons of automated testing:
It may be more expensive than manual or semi-automated testing because it requires more hardware and software;
It may be challenging to set up and maintain.
Sign up for UI-licious now
If you're interested in learning more about automated testing, our experts have written a few blog posts that might interest you:
What is Automation Testing? Why You Should Use Automated Tests?
48 Automation Testing Interview Questions [for QA Engineers & Testers]
Which method should I use?
The type of smoke testing that you should use depends on your organization's needs.
Smoke testing is typically performed manually but can also be automated. But, even if manual testing is still widely used for this purpose, we do not recommend this method for most web projects.
Indeed, the most reliable type of smoke testing is automated, but it is also usually the most expensive and complex to implement. Thankfully, we will introduce a great but affordable automation tool that solves this issue in just a few seconds.
If time and budget are constraints, semi-automated smoke testing may be a good option. However, it is essential to remember that semi-automated smoke testing is less reliable than automated smoke testing.
You can find more information about the differences between manual and automated tests in this blog post I wrote previously.
How to automate your smoke tests using UIlicious?
Now that you know the different types of smoke testing, how do you automate all or part of your smoke tests? UIlicious is an excellent tool for automating smoke tests. UIlicious is an automation testing tool that allows you to write flexible and yet intuitive automation testing scripts on anything that runs on the web. You don't even need to know how to code to be able to test your web app or websites with UIlicious.
You can try our solution for free by signing up here. Everything is cloud-based, so you can start effectively testing in a few minutes.
What is the difference between smoke and sanity testing?
The main difference between smoke and sanity testing is that smoke testing is used to find major issues, while sanity testing is used to find minor issues. Smoke testing is a more aggressive type of testing, while sanity testing is more of a cursory check.
Sanity testing is a quick and easy way to check the basic functionality of an application. Smoke testing is more comprehensive and can be used to find major issues with the application.
In conclusion, there are three types of software smoke testing-manual, automated, and semi-automated. Each type has its own benefits and drawbacks. Automated smoke testing is the most reliable, but it can be more expensive and difficult to set up and maintain. This is the reason why we created UIlicious.
Our solution is a great tool for automating smoke tests that stays affordable and accessible to anyone who wants to test their web app or website. You can try our solution for free by signing up here.
Photo by Ruvim Noga
