Definition of Daily Build and Smoke Test
Daily Build and Smoke Test is a development practice in software engineering where the latest version of a software product is compiled, built, and tested daily. The purpose is to identify and fix integration or functionality issues early in the development process. Smoke Test refers to the minimal testing done on the daily build to ensure that basic functionality is working and the system does not “catch fire,” or crash.
Phonetic
Here is the phonetic spelling:Daily Build: DEY-lee bildSmoke Test: smohk test
Key Takeaways
- Daily Build ensures that the software development project is kept up-to-date with changes, allowing developers to continuously integrate their work and detect any issues as early as possible.
- Smoke Test is a concise and quick test set that verifies the basic functionalities of a software system, making sure the system is stable and functional before proceeding with further tests.
- Combining Daily Build with Smoke Test adds an efficient level of quality assurance by catching integration issues and feature defects early on, making the development process more streamlined and resulting in a more reliable software product.
Importance of Daily Build and Smoke Test
The technology term “Daily Build and Smoke Test” is important because it represents a critical software development practice that ensures the quality, stability, and overall performance of an application.
By conducting daily builds, development teams can identify and fix any code integration issues or conflicts more efficiently, leading to a faster and smoother development process.
Furthermore, smoke tests are performed after each build to assess if the basic, critical functionalities of the application are working as intended.
This practice helps developers catch any major defects, crashes, or system failures at an early stage, thus enabling them to make adjustments and corrections before the issues escalate or impact other aspects of the project.
The combination of daily builds and smoke tests streamlines the development cycle and significantly contributes to a more reliable and robust software product.
Explanation
Daily Build and Smoke Test are essential methodologies implemented in software development to maintain a high level of code quality, detect errors early on, and ensure the seamless integration of new features or bug fixes. The primary purpose behind adopting these practices is to improve the stability of the software, reduce the risk of introducing major post-release issues, and streamline the development process while enhancing collaboration among team members.
Daily Build, as the name suggests, involves building the software’s codebase daily by merging contributions from different developers. By building regularly, any integration issues from the introduction of new code can be identified and resolved promptly, optimizing software stability and preventing the accumulation of bugs that may result in code conflicts or complex debugging scenarios.
On the other hand, Smoke Testing is the process of performing a basic test of the software’s functionality, done after a daily build. Smoke Tests act as the first line of defense, validating the most critical aspects of the software and ensuring no severe defects have been introduced during the development process.
If critical issues are found, they can be addressed immediately, allowing for continuous improvements and preventing the release of unstable software to end-users.
Examples of Daily Build and Smoke Test
Microsoft Windows Operating System Development: In developing their Windows operating system, Microsoft implements a daily build and smoke test process to ensure that key functionalities of the OS are working properly each day. This process includes building the latest code, integrating all the changes made by different teams, and conducting a smoke test based on predefined test cases. By doing this, Microsoft can quickly identify and fix any issues in the code, ensuring that the OS has a stable build every day and reducing the risk of defects accumulating over time.
Google Chrome Browser Development: Google, like many software development companies, follows a continuous integration process, which includes daily build and smoke testing as a fundamental practice. In the case of Google’s Chrome Browser, developers working on new features or bug fixes submit their latest code to a shared repository, and a continuous integration system takes care of building the entire Chrome browser with all the updated code. The system then automatically runs a series of smoke tests to evaluate fundamental browser functionalities and compatibility with websites. If any issues are detected during the smoke test, the build is considered unstable, and the responsible developers are immediately notified to resolve the identified problems.
Mobile Application Development: Many mobile app development companies incorporate daily build and smoke testing in their development cycle to maintain high-quality software. For example, an e-commerce mobile app development team might be working on different features, such as user login, product search, shopping cart, and payment processing. With every code update submitted by the developers, a daily build is automatically created, followed by a smoke test to quickly verify that essential features of the app are functioning smoothly. This allows the team to identify any potential issues early on and ensures a consistently stable build throughout the development process.
Daily Build and Smoke Test
1. What is a daily build and smoke test?
A daily build and smoke test is a process of compiling code changes and performing basic functional tests on a daily basis. This ensures that the system is stable, and any defects introduced by the changes are detected and fixed promptly. The smoke test focuses on verifying the crucial functionalities of the software rather than comprehensive testing.
2. Why is a daily build and smoke test important?
Daily build and smoke test helps in maintaining the overall quality of the software. It catches issues early in the development process and provides rapid feedback to the developers. This practice also fosters collaboration, as it allows the team to work on the latest stable version of the code and troubleshoot issues collectively.
3. When should a daily build and smoke test be performed?
Daily build and smoke test should preferably be performed at the end of the development workday to ensure that the system remains stable overnight. This allows developers to promptly address any issues detected the following day.
4. Who is responsible for performing daily build and smoke tests?
Usually, a build or release engineer is responsible for performing the daily build, while the QA team or test engineers handle the smoke tests. However, in some software development environments (such as Agile), developers can also share these responsibilities.
5. What tools are commonly used for daily build and smoke tests?
Common tools include continuous integration servers like Jenkins, Bamboo, or TeamCity. These tools help automate the daily build and smoke test processes, ensuring consistency, and reducing manual effort. Various testing frameworks like JUnit, TestNG, and Selenium can also be used for executing the smoke tests.
Related Technology Terms
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- Continuous Integration
- Build Automation
- Regression Testing
- Test Environment
- Source Code Repository
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Sources for More Information
- Atlassian: https://www.atlassian.com/continuous-delivery/principles/daily-build-and-smoke-test
- Software Testing Help: https://www.softwaretestinghelp.com/daily-build-nightly-build-release-and-smoke-testing-tutorial-21/
- Medium: https://medium.com/swlh/daily-build-and-smoke-test-5df285efe8a5
- SmartBear: https://smartbear.com/learn/automated-testing/schedule-your-automated-smoke-tests/
