Difference between retesting and regression testing

Apr 16
15:42

2020

William Hruska

William Hruska

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Retesting and Regression testing are the two important practices that are often confused by the testing teams. Though the approaches are different, these effectively help in improving the quality of the software as the bugs are resolved, and the changes made into the code are ensured for not affecting the code and features of the software.

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Are you confused about retesting and regression testing? This is one of the common queries for many in software testing. Retesting and Regression testing are the important concepts that every tester should be aware of before performing them. These methods are significantly used to improve the quality of the software. Hence,Difference between retesting and regression testing Articles it is essential for the testing teams to understand what they are before stepping ahead.

 

What is Retesting?

 

Retesting is performed when a defect is identified and fixed. This is processed to ensure whether the originally found defect is resolved or not; also, this method is commonly known as confirmation testing. In this method, the test cases are planned with proper steps. The test cases which were failed earlier due to bugs are retested by replicating the same scenario with different approaches. With this method, teams can be ensured that the issues are fixed and the software can function as expected. And, it should be noted that the retesting test cases cannot be automated.

 

When do retesting is needed in software testing?

 

The scenarios where retesting is needed in software testing are:

  • It is performed when an application encounters a specific issue in the software
  • This testing practice is used to validate the complete module to check the expected functionality
  • This method is used in order to confirm the developers that the bug can be erased from the software
  • With this method, the quality of the component or the module of an application can be verified

 

What are the advantages of Retesting?

 

A few of the advantages of retesting are:

  • The complete process of retesting helps in improving the quality of the software
  • With this process, teams can be ensured that the bugs are resolved and the software works as expected
  • Since there is no need for new environment setup, it is processed within the environment with the same data
  • This process can be completed at a shorter period of time as the test case is limited for a particular feature or a specific bug

What is Regression Testing?

 

Regression testing is performed when there is a change made into the code. With the practice of regression testing, teams can ensure that the change made in the code is not affecting the other software parts. The main purpose of this method is to identify the bugs that are caused when new changes or modifications are made into the application.

 

Testing is essential when there are modifications and constant changes made into the code, if they reflect any issues then these can degrade the quality of the application. Hence, to avoid such scenarios, regression testing is essential and it should be performed by prioritizing the test cases based on the changes made.

 

When should the regression testing be practiced?

 

The scenarios where regression testing is practiced are:

  • It is practiced when a new feature is added to the software
  • When an issue related to performance is fixed
  • When a bug is fixed in an application
  • When any enhancement is made into the application

 

What are the advantages of regression testing?

 

The advantages of regression testing are:

  • Ensures that the bugs that are found earlier are not repeated
  • It can be achieved with the use of automation tools
  • Helps to ensure that the changes or enhancements made to the software are not impacting the quality of the existing code
  • Improves the quality of the software

 

What are the key differences between regression testing and retesting?

  

Regression Testing

Re-Testing

It helps in validating that the change or enhancement made into the code is not affecting the existing code and features

It is performed to confirm that the test cases which have failed earlier have passed the final execution without any defects

This method is not responsible for identifying defects

In this method, defect verification is part of retesting

It is also known as generic testing

It is also known as planned testing

It ensures that there are no unexpected effects

It ensures that the error is resolved and not occurred again

The test cases for this method can be achieved from user manuals, functional specifications, etc.

The test cases for this cannot be achieved until the testing is practiced

It is performed for the test cases that are passed.

It is performed for the failed test cases.

The test cases can be performed with automated testing tools because manual methods can be time-consuming and expensive

The test cases cannot be automated

It can be processed in parallel with retesting.

Test cases are carried out before regression testing.

  

Conclusion:

Retesting and Regression testing are two important testing methods in the software testing process. Though the approaches are different, these effects help to produce quality software at the end of the testing practice. Leverage the retesting and regression testing methods from QA experts for driving a quality application.

 

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