Understanding the Difference Between Regression Testing & Retesting

You are not the only one who is wondering about the difference between regression testing and retesting.

Many people get these two applications testing kinds confused because they have a lot in common. Both are forms of testing. Both occur after development.

Yet they are different in big ways.

How so?

Let’s cover them individually before we get into the differences.

What is Regression Testing?

Fundamentally, regression testing is a form of software testing that ensures a program still works as it should following any adjustments to the code, UI, or alternative high-impact activities.

There are many regression testing types. Each helps decrease the risk associated with change by making sure an application remains steady.

What is Retesting?

Retesting is analysing a bug again — once it has been fixed.

Following the programmer addresses it, the programmer verifies it’s been fixed.

It can answer the question, is the bug we discovered gone?

Think of it like that: Regression testing finds new bugs. Retesting = affirm bugs were also fixed. Regression testing locates bugs following upgrades or changes to the code or UI. Retesting makes sure that a bug that has been discovered and handled by a programmer was really mended

Regression testing is implemented extensively, across an application, to identify new problems. Because of the scale and scope (there many unique browsers and versions to check against), regression testing is often automated.

Retesting is executed discreetly, frequently 1 test at one time, with a guide freshman who confirms that a problem was fixed. Since it’s conducted on known issues, it’s often a higher priority compared to regression testing.

In the end, it is often more predictable compared to regression testing, which finds new issues and thereby generates work you did not plan for or expect.

Regression Testing vs Retesting: Agile Example for a Web Application

Now let us imagine there was an upgrade to your Salesforce case, and you wanted to make sure those changes did not cause your application to regress (aka revert to a non-working state). By implementing a test suite designed for regression testing, you can discover exactly what, if anything, is no longer functioning in the program.

Pass or fail? Regression testing finds new flaws created by updates or changes to an application.

If you are running regression testing in an Agile environment, you’d schedule the testing frequently over different browsers to make sure your changes weren’t creating unexpected bugs to your end-users.

To execute regression tests in an Agile environment, a program to sync with your release cadence.

Regression testing is simpler when you have a codeless test automation tool that lets you schedule regression test suites that are implemented concurrently across multiple browsers. It’s how teams improve efficiency and quality at precisely the same moment.

Conclusion

Both of these testing kinds sound similar at first, but if we drill down under the surface, we discover that they differ in fundamental ways.