Smoke Testing

Smoke Testing is a quick, high-level, and initial round of testing performed on a new software build. The purpose is to ensure that the core, critical functionalities of the application are working and that the build is stable enough to proceed with more detailed testing. If the smoke test fails, the build is rejected, saving the QA team time and effort.

Example: After a new version of a mobile banking app is compiled, a tester performs a Smoke Test. They quickly check to see if the app launches successfully, if a user can log in with valid credentials, and if the main dashboard loads without crashing. If any of these fundamental features fail, the build is considered unstable and is immediately sent back to the developers for a fix.