Thursday, July 3, 2025

Regression Testing vs Retesting – What’s the Difference?

🔁 Regression Testing vs Retesting – What’s the Difference?


🔹 What is Regression Testing?

Definition: Regression testing is performed to verify that existing functionality still works after changes like bug fixes, enhancements, or code updates.

Purpose: To ensure that new code changes have not unintentionally broken existing features.

Example: A bug in the login module is fixed. After the fix, regression testing will check login, signup, and dashboard access—all related modules—to confirm that nothing else is broken.

🔹 What is Retesting?

Definition: Retesting is performed to verify that a specific bug fix works correctly using the same test case that initially failed.

Purpose: To confirm that the reported defect has been successfully fixed.

Example: If the "Submit" button didn’t work during the last test cycle and a fix was made, retesting involves checking that exact scenario again to verify that the bug is resolved.

🆚 Key Differences Between Regression Testing and Retesting

Criteria Regression Testing Retesting
Definition Testing to confirm that new changes haven’t broken existing features Testing to confirm a specific bug has been fixed
Test Case Used Reusable old test cases Same test case that failed earlier
Scope Broad – covers multiple related modules Narrow – focuses only on the fixed defect
Execution Can be automated Usually manual (critical checks)
Priority After every build or code change After a particular defect is fixed
Objective Find side effects of changes Verify that the fix works correctly
Dependency Can be performed even if no bugs are found Performed only when a bug is reported and fixed

🧪 Real-World Example

Scenario: A defect was found where the "Change Password" button was not working.

  • Retesting: Check only the "Change Password" feature to verify the bug is fixed.
  • Regression Testing: Check "Change Password", "Update Profile", "Login", "Logout"—all related user settings to ensure nothing else broke due to the fix.

✅ When to Use

Situation Use
You fixed a known bug ✅ Retesting
You added a new feature or updated the codebase ✅ Regression Testing
Before a release or sprint demo ✅ Regression Testing
Verifying if a previously failed test now passes ✅ Retesting

📌 Conclusion

Retesting is about checking the fix.

Regression Testing is about checking the impact of the fix.

Both are essential for quality assurance. Retesting ensures bugs are fixed; regression ensures new bugs aren’t introduced.

👋 Hi, I'm Suriya — QA Engineer with 4+ years of experience in manual, API & automation testing.

📬 Contact Me | LinkedIn | GitHub

📌 Follow for: Real-Time Test Cases, Bug Reports, Selenium Frameworks.

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