When it comes to software quality assurance, teams often ask about the difference between smoke testing vs sanity testing. While both are quick checks performed before deeper QA cycles, their goals and timing are not the same. Smoke testing’s purpose is to ensure that a new build is stable enough for further testing by verifying core and critical functions.

Sanity testing, on the other hand, is a focused validation that recent changes or bug fixes work as intended without breaking related features. Together, they act as shields, catching issues early and preventing wasted effort on unstable or faulty builds.

What Is Smoke Testing?

A smoke test is a quick way to identify if a new release is stable and if the main features operate. It's basically a first filter before rigorous QA that helps teams find faulty builds early on. It doesn't test everything it only tests the most relevant functionalities to ensure the build is suitable for more testing.

What Is Sanity Testing?

Sanity testing is a quick check after small code changes or bug fixes, ensuring fixes work correctly and no new issues appear before deeper testing. It merely tests the components of the build that were changed to make sure they are stable, unlike comprehensive regression testing. Smoke testing, on the other hand, looks at the whole build instead of just one part.

Smoke Testing vs Sanity Testing Key Differences

QA teams may choose the right method at the right time if they know the difference between smoke testing and sanity testing. They work together to make sure that builds stay stable and that fixes work as expected.

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Objective

Smoke testing checks to see if a new build is stable enough for more testing, and sanity testing checks to see if modifications or upgrades that were made recently work as they should. The first one keeps everything steady, and the second one checks for accuracy in certain areas.

Scope

Smoke testing looks at the main workflows in the whole program. Sanity testing, on the other hand, is more limited and only looks at the parts of the program that were changed or fixed. This difference shows how each one serves a different amount of validation.

Stage of Execution

After a new build is deployed, smoke tests are done right away to make sure it is stable. After fixing bugs or making enhancements, sanity tests are done to make sure that such changes didn't break any other functionality.

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Depth of Testing

Smoke testing is shallow; it only tests the most important features and doesn't go into much detail. Sanity testing goes further into some parts to make sure that the fixes work as they should. Together, they make sure that quality assurance covers a lot of ground.

Automation

In CI/CD pipelines, smoke tests are frequently automated to run quickly. In contrast, sanity tests are mostly done by hand and depend on a focused, context-driven verification of recent fixes. This difference highlights the distinct roles they play in the QA process.

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Time Consumption

Smoke testing takes minimal time because it covers high-level functions only. Sanity testing can take longer per check since it examines changes in more detail. Both are efficient in their own way, depending on the testing goal.

Test Cases

Smoke testing checks the stability of an application by running a set of core test cases that have already been set up. Sanity testing frequently uses chosen or ad-hoc test cases that are based on recent bug patches or changes to features.

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Build Acceptance

Smoke tests see if the build is stable enough to move on to full testing. Sanity tests check to determine if the fixes worked and if the build can continue without causing any new problems. Both assist in making sure that the quality is good.

Frequency

Smoke testing happens a lot, usually with every new build integration. Sanity testing doesn't happen as regularly, only when tiny upgrades or bug fixes are provided. This means they work well together in the QA cycle.

Outcome

Smoke testing tells you whether or not to do more testing, making sure the product is stable at a high level. Sanity testing ensures that specific adjustments will have the desired effect without introducing new problems.

Smoke Testing vs Sanity Testing Examples

Real-world examples make it easier to see how smoke testing vs sanity testing differ in practice.

Smoke Testing Example

Consider a new e-commerce build: a smoke test would check if users can log in, look for products, add items to the cart, and check out. If any fundamental flow fails, the build is discarded before further QA begins.

Sanity Testing Example

Say that developers fixed a bug that made the checkout button not work. A sanity test would ensure that the button works correctly and that related operations, such as placing an order or making a payment, continue to function properly.

In simple terms, smoke tests check the overall stability of the system, while sanity tests focus on recent fixes and make sure no new issues are introduced.

Execute a Smoke Test Using vStellar

vStellar allows teams to add smoke tests directly into their CI/CD pipelines, making sure each build is stable before moving to full QA. It integrates with Jenkins, Azure DevOps, and AWS CodeDeploy to run quick and reliable checks without slowing down development. By making smoke testing and sanity testing easier, vStellar helps QA teams release faster while still protecting quality.

FAQs

How Is Smoke Testing Different From Sanity Testing?

Smoke testing checks to see if the complete build is stable. Sanity testing is more targeted. It checks to see if recent repairs or tiny modifications work like they should.

When Should Sanity Testing Be Done?

It’s done right after the smoke testing to make sure that updates or bug solutions are working correctly.

How Smoke Testing Helps the Development Process?

Smoke testing finds big problems immediately, which saves time by stopping testing on builds that aren't reliable.

Smoke Testing vs Sanity Testing in Software QA

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