What type of testing compiles and runs code to identify issues before deployment?

Smoke testing involves compiling and running code to ensure that the most critical functionalities of an application are working correctly before it proceeds to more extensive testing or deployment. This type of testing acts as a preliminary check to identify simple but critical issues that could prevent further testing from being meaningful. It often focuses on the overall functionality of the software and provides a quick assessment of whether the build is stable enough for more rigorous testing processes.

The other types of testing listed serve different purposes. Performance testing assesses how the application performs under various conditions and loads, emphasizing responsiveness and stability. Stress testing is a subset of performance testing that determines the application's behavior under extreme conditions, focusing on breaking points. Regression testing checks if new code changes have inadvertently affected existing functionalities but does not involve running the code in the same exploratory manner as smoke testing does.