Smoke testing Vs. Regression Testing [Reviewed and Compared]

Whether you should choose smoke testing or regression testing depends on your testing goals. Smoke testing proves the stability or fallibility of software before doing further testing, but regression checks provide insights into software performance after some functionalities have been changed or added. 

Both testing methods are quite useful in their own right, having been deployed at different SDLC stages. That means both have unique sets of requirements and features, and there are vast discrepancies between what they can do. Still, however, there are varied reasons you might want to execute one ahead of the other during the building of your application.

Pitting smoke testing vs. regression testing, testers at UTOR take a look at the respective strengths of the testing types, so you can rightly decide the order of things or the right one to implement at a particular stage of the software development.

Explaining Smoke Testing 

How does one really confirm that a build in its preliminary stage is stable? At this point, a confirmation test is mandatory. Hence, we define it as a confirmation of the pre-release quality of software. Smoke tests should be quick and frequent during the development stages.

Testers or developers attempt to flog the pre-production software: they test to flush out problems and fix them. They want to resolve issues promptly before moving to the next steps. To do this, developers usually spend a few minutes.

This test’s main purpose is to reduce errors initially, so no futile efforts are made in advanced testing. No evidence of anomaly means a PASS and that additional tests can proceed.

During this time, we evaluate the primary functionalities, such as:

• Install and launch 
• Visual design or the GUI 
• Responsiveness of the key functions 

Core Features 

1. It is also called build verification testing. 
2. This test illuminates different vital requirements a product must meet. 
3. The aim is to approve or decline a product.
4. Although the scope of tested functionalities is broad, we focus on only the major functions.
5. Every aspect of the build must go through testing before proceeding.
6. It can be automated or manual.

Explaining Regression Testing 

It is testing functionalities of a system to confirm that changes in existing codes or additions of new codes cause no side effects in the software’s workings.

Developing apps and getting the public to download them is a demanding and highly competitive business. Developers agonize over ways to make their products even marginally better than another company’s software, one of which is to upgrade the features. 

New functionality or change to old ones may ultimately impact the software’s behavior. But we have to know the quality of the impact — is it positive or negative? This is what r tells us. 

This sort of quality evaluation not only ensures the overall quality of the build but endorses the product’s performance, prevents recalls, minimizes potential customer complaints, and promotes repeat sales. 

Regressed tests also ensure that bugs found earlier in the testing phase are not being recreated in the code. 

Prediction of such high performance and elimination of doubts are only possible through comprehensive functional testing services. While forgoing this testing for unexpected issues could undermine both the success of the software and customer satisfaction.

Core Features 

1. It is proposed when new code lines are written, previous code lines are rewritten, bugs are fixed, requirements are revised, or software performance is questionable. Substitute electronic parts.
2. It may be done on individual units or may involve integrated units of the software.
3. Impact analysis is an essential step in the test, where the impact of new and modified root codes are reviewed.
4. Agile environments for testing regression must be unaltered, databases must be non-responsive, and the developers must make no changes during this time. The entire process of ensuring that no impediments influence the outcomes of testing is called configuration management.
5. It can be either automated or manual. 

Choosing between Tests

To get the full benefits of proper testing, we do have steps and stages so that we can get the most out of our efforts. For example, do we implement ST before RT?

The smoke test comes before the regression test. And all functional tests must be performed before executing regression tests. You may also wonder if it makes a difference whether one regresses a test or runs smoke tests first. Yes, it does (we’ll explain why in a moment). 

Build verification is conducted by the QA team anytime new functionalities are created and combined with the existing. However, the very first smoke test is done by the developers who should say if that is the right build or not. Then the build is passed on to the testers to verify all main functions. 

If these tests are skipped early for regression tests, some issues may surface and will ultimately cost the whole team more time and effort to fix. It will also mean doing another r, which is expensive and time-consuming.

Therefore, the ideal time to perform each test is essential as it helps to conserve testing resources.

In a nutshell: “You regress after smoke and functional testing”. 

 Ie. Code>> Unit>> integration>>smoke>>regression>> system>>acceptance testing.

Understanding the Similarities 

• Execution: regression, as well as smoke, is either manually done or automated through technology.
• Performers: QA team mostly performs both. QA lead may carry them out. 
• Selection concept: Like in RT, test cases to be tested in ST are prioritized to an extent. Prioritization is vital in both methods to narrow the test suite and make testing more precise.
• Frequency: regression tests and smoke tests are routine testings. However, while they are performed regularly, their individual intervals could vary. For example, ST may be done daily, while RT may be done every 
• Tested functionalities: new functionalities that were integrated into existing functionalities are tested in the two scenarios. 

Understanding the Differences

The fundamental difference is evident in their respective objectives. The sole goal of implementing smoke tests is to certify the stability of the software’s initial build. 

So, we either accept or reject it for further testing. Another great side is that it is done to save total time, effort, and cost. Because if we test a framework and find something unusual, we can repair it and continue, keeping all of those mentioned above. 

On the other hand, the regression test focuses on several elements of importance, with bug detection as the prime aim. In this case, we also want to compare new test cases against previously valid ones to know what changed and what didn’t. Actions at this level go-between further modifications, deletion, optimization, and corrections.

The mainstay and stand out of regression tests is change. Sometimes, it may be a refinement, as with the test requirements. Other times, it may be an addition — a new component to the system, a bug fix, or a seemingly routine checkup on software performance.

It’s worth mentioning that RT is prescribable if different developers have written the code lines that were transferred or added. The disparities in the style of writing these codes may compromise performance after they are integrated. So, we must test to prevent this problem.

To Sum up

When consumers use an application, they may suspect the quality and expect some UI or UX changes. 

In any case, developers and testers go to great extremes in attempts to keep a lid on those software advancements before they’re ready to be made public. But the degree to which these upgrades happen entails the difference between a smoke test and a regression test.

Their differences are quite glaring. Though both tests are different, they are equally relevant to the final quality of the product. Hopefully, this guide will give a clear direction of tests while outsourcing to a software testing company. Let’s know if you have any questions as regards smoke tests and regression tests.