bubbletest

Bubbletest is a software testing approach and accompanying toolset that emphasizes rapid feedback by running a focused subset of tests most likely to fail given recent changes. The technique aims to surface regressions quickly by prioritizing tests that touch modified code, commits, or related modules, allowing developers to identify issues earlier in the development cycle. The name reflects the idea that failures in the subset “bubble up” to the top of the test results or dashboards.

Overview and goals: Bubbletest uses change-based test selection, test tagging, and historical data to determine which tests to run. It supports customizable selectors, prioritization policies, and integration with common CI/CD pipelines. Runtimes are typically designed to be language- or framework-agnostic, with adapters for popular ecosystems, enabling broad adoption across projects.

Design and workflow: A bubbletest run starts by collecting metadata about code changes and test coverage. It then builds an ordered set of tests, executes them, and reports results with emphasis on the highest-priority failures. In many implementations, a successful bubbletest run signals readiness for broader verification, while failing tests trigger targeted fixes before continuing to the full test suite. The approach prioritizes speed and repeatability, which can come at the cost of exhaustive coverage in a single run.

History and status: Bubbletest emerged in DevOps and agile testing communities as a practical response to long feedback cycles. It is not a formal standard, but multiple open-source and commercial tools offer bubbletest-like capabilities, each with its own configuration model and terminology.

See also: Smoke testing; Test prioritization; Change-based testing; Continuous integration.