Smoke Testing

Run quick verification tests to ensure basic functionality works before committing to deeper testing (integration, e2e, regression).

When to use me

Use this skill when:

• After deployments or environment changes
• Before running extensive test suites
• Validating build integrity
• Checking critical paths work
• As a gate before more expensive testing

What I do

• Quick validation of critical functionality:

  • Application starts and responds
  • Database connections work
  • Authentication system functions
  • Core business logic operates

• Coordinate with other test types:

  • Run before integration and e2e tests
  • Serve as gate for regression test suites
  • Validate environment for performance tests
  • Check prerequisites for security scans

• Implementation approaches:

  • Minimal test set (5-10 key scenarios)
  • Fast execution (under 2 minutes)
  • High reliability (minimal flakiness)
  • Clear pass/fail criteria

Examples

# Run smoke tests
npm run test:smoke              # Full smoke test suite
npm run test:smoke:quick        # Absolute minimum validation

# Deployment validation
npm run test:smoke:production    # Production smoke tests
npm run test:smoke:staging      # Staging environment checks

# Coordinate with other tests
npm run test:smoke && npm run test:integration
npm run test:smoke && npm run test:e2e

# Environment-specific smoke tests
npm run test:smoke:dev          # Development environment
npm run test:smoke:ci           # CI environment validation

Output format

Smoke Test Results:
──────────────────────────────
Execution Context: Post-deployment validation
Test Duration: 1m 23s (target < 3 minutes)

Critical Paths Verified:
  ✅ Application Server: Responds on port 3000
  ✅ Database Connection: Can query users table
  ✅ Authentication Service: Login endpoint works
  ✅ Core API: GET /api/health returns 200 OK
  ✅ Cache Layer: Redis connection established

Environment Checks:
  ✅ Environment variables loaded
  ✅ Configuration files valid
  ✅ External services reachable
  ✅ File permissions correct

Next Steps Recommended:
  - Smoke tests passed ✅
  - Proceed with integration testing
  - If failed, investigate before deeper testing

Dependency Status:
  - Unit tests not required for smoke (already fast)
  - Integration tests can proceed if smoke passes
  - E2E tests depend on smoke + integration passing
  - Performance tests require stable environment

Notes

• Smoke tests should be extremely reliable (no flakiness)
• Keep execution time minimal for quick feedback
• Test only critical functionality, not edge cases
• Use idempotent tests that don’t leave side effects
• Consider canary deployments with smoke testing
• Implement automatic retry for transient failures
• Document what constitutes “smoke test pass” clearly
• Smoke tests often run in production after deployment