Test Types
Sanity Testing
Narrow, focused testing to verify a specific piece of functionality after a change or bug fix.
Full definition
Sanity testing is a narrow, deep test of specific functionality after a minor change or bug fix. While smoke testing is broad and shallow (check many things briefly), sanity testing is narrow and deep (thoroughly check one specific area).
When to use sanity testing:
- After a targeted bug fix — verify just the fix and closely related areas
- After a minor code change — verify the specific affected feature
- When time is limited — focus testing on the changed functionality
Sanity testing is usually performed by QA without a formal test suite — it's a quick mental check: 'Does this still make sense? Does the fix actually work?'
The key distinction from smoke testing:
- Smoke: 'Does the whole system basically work?'
- Sanity: 'Does this specific fix/change work correctly?'