Say it like this
- Let's run a smoke test first
- We passed the smoke test
- This failed the smoke test
Use it at work
After deploy
- Smoke tests passed. The app is up.
- Let's run a quick smoke test on staging.
Process
- Smoke tests run after every deploy.
- Can you add login to the smoke tests?
Debugging
- The smoke test failed. The homepage returns 500.
- Roll back. The smoke test is red.
Don't say this
Smoke tests are quick checks, not comprehensive. They verify core features work, not that everything is perfect.
Don't mix it up
| Term | What it is | Who writes or uses it | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| smoke test | Quick check that basics work | QA, CI | After deploys |
| regression test | Checks old features still work | QA | Before releases |
| end-to-end test | Full user flow test | QA | Key journeys |
Practice
Try it
4 quick exercises
1. Your team just deployed new code. What do you say?
2. Before we release to customers, we need to _______ to catch any critical issues.
3. Which sentence uses smoke test correctly?
4. Rewrite using smoke test: 'We need to do a quick check to see if the main features are not broken before we test everything else.'
Say it out loud
Phrase 1 of 3
"Let's run a smoke test first"
We don't save your recording. The word check uses your browser's speech recognition.
More about smoke test
Real examples(3)
- in a standup
"We deployed the new version yesterday and ran a smoke test this morning to confirm everything is working."
- in a code review
"Before merging, please make sure the smoke test passes on your branch."
- in a team meeting
"The smoke test caught a critical bug in the login flow, so we halted the release."
More mistakes(2)
Handle with care. Do not confuse with unit tests or integration tests. Smoke tests are quick, basic checks, not comprehensive validation.
- ✕The smoke test took three days to complete.✓The smoke test took thirty minutes to complete.
Smoke tests should be fast by definition. If it takes days, it is not a smoke test but a full test suite.
- ✕We smoke tested the entire application.✓We ran a smoke test on the critical user workflows.
Smoke tests focus on key features and workflows, not the entire application.
Other forms(2)
- smoke test noun
"The smoke test revealed a major crash on startup."
- run a smoke test / smoke test (verb) verb
"We need to smoke test the payment module before going live."
Often used with(4)
- run a smoke test · Most common phrase meaning to perform a smoke test
- pass the smoke test · When basic functionality works correctly
- fail the smoke test · When critical functionality is broken
- smoke test suite · A collection of quick automated tests
Similar words(3)
- sanity check · Similar quick verification, but less technical and more general
- basic functionality test · More descriptive but less commonly used in tech
- quick test · Too vague; does not imply the specific purpose of smoke tests
Opposites(3)
- comprehensive test
- full regression test
- extensive testing
Questions(5)
- What does smoke test mean in software engineering?
- A smoke test is a quick, preliminary test that verifies an application starts and runs without major errors. It checks critical functionality at a basic level to catch severe problems before conducting more detailed testing.
- How long does a smoke test take?
- Smoke tests are designed to be fast, typically taking minutes to an hour at most. They cover only essential features and workflows, not the entire application.
- When do you run a smoke test?
- Teams run smoke tests after deploying new code, after builds are created, or before running comprehensive test suites to quickly identify critical failures.
- Is smoke test formal or informal?
- Smoke test is neutral in formality and is used in both casual team conversations and formal documentation in tech companies.
- Why is it called a smoke test?
- The term originated from hardware testing where engineers would power on a device and watch for smoke as an obvious sign of failure. In software, it means checking for obvious problems quickly.
