Smoke Tests After Every Deploy
A smoke test is a quick, shallow check run immediately after a deployment to confirm the most important things still work. The name comes from switching a device on and checking it does not start smoking.
It is the fastest way to catch a release that has gone obviously wrong.
What a Smoke Test Checks
- Does the home page load?
- Can a user log in?
- Does a key action, such as checkout, complete?
- Are the core services responding?
Why It Runs Every Time
Smoke tests are deliberately fast so they can run automatically after every single deployment. If one fails, we know within seconds that something is broken and can roll back before customers are affected, rather than waiting for a complaint to tell us.
They are not a replacement for thorough testing earlier in the pipeline; they are a final, real-world sanity check in the live environment. That last look catches the rare issues that only appear once a change actually goes live.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if a smoke test fails?
We automatically halt or reverse the deployment and investigate, so a broken release is caught immediately rather than left running.
If you need a hand with any of this, your Progressive Robot delivery team is ready to help. Raise a ticket from the Support area of your client portal or speak to your account manager and we will guide you through the next steps.