What is the difference between smoke testing and sanity testing?

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What is the difference between smoke testing and sanity testing?

The main difference between smoke testing and sanity testing lies in their objectives and scope.

Smoke testing, also known as build verification testing, is performed to ensure that the most critical functionalities of a software application are working as expected after a new build or release. It is a quick and shallow test that aims to identify major issues or showstoppers that would prevent further testing. Smoke testing is typically executed before more comprehensive testing is carried out.

On the other hand, sanity testing, also known as subset testing or quick testing, is performed to verify that the specific changes or fixes made in a software application are functioning correctly. It focuses on testing the specific areas or functionalities that were modified or added, rather than the entire system. Sanity testing is usually conducted after smoke testing to ensure that the critical functionalities are working fine before proceeding with more detailed testing.

In summary, smoke testing is a broader test that checks the overall stability of the software, while sanity testing is a narrower test that validates specific changes or fixes.