Laravel Testing

Priority: P1 (HIGH)

Workflow: Test a New Feature

1. Generate factory — php artisan make:factory PostFactory --model=Post.
2. Write feature test — Use Pest with RefreshDatabase for isolation.
3. Mock externals — Use $this->mock(Service::class) for third-party calls.
4. Assert response — Chain assertStatus(), assertJson(), assertJsonStructure().
5. Run with SQLite — Set DB_CONNECTION=sqlite and DB_DATABASE=:memory: in phpunit.xml.

Pest Feature Test Example

See implementation examples for Pest feature tests and test directory structure.

Implementation Guidelines

Pest & Modern Testing

• Feature Tests: Use uses(RefreshDatabase::class) at the top of Pest files. Example: it('creates post', fn() => $this->postJson('/api/posts', [...]) verifies database rolled back after each test.
• Transactions: For faster but non-truncating isolation, use DatabaseTransactions.

Mocking & External Services

• Service Mocking: Use $this->mock(PaymentService::class) with shouldReceive('charge')->once()->with(100) to assert interaction.
• Loose Verification: Use $this->spy() for behavior validation without strict ordering.
• Network Safety: Never make real network calls in automated tests.

Test Data & Infrastructure

• Factories: Create test data via Post::factory()->count(3)->create(['user_id' => $id]).
• Definition: Implement definition(): array using fake() in factory classes.
• Generation: Run php artisan make:factory PostFactory --model=Post.
• SQLite Support: In phpunit.xml, set DB_CONNECTION' value='sqlite' and DB_DATABASE' value=':memory:' for in-memory, lightning-fast tests.

HTTP Assertions

• Fluent Assertions: Chain assertStatus(201), assertJson(['data' => ...]), and assertJsonStructure.
• Header Verification: Use assertHeader('Content-Type', 'application/json').

Anti-Patterns

• No real network calls: Always mock or stub external services.
• No state leakage between tests: Use RefreshDatabase trait.
• No DB::table()->insert(): Never DB::table()->insert() raw data in tests — use Eloquent Factories instead.
• No heavy computations in unit tests: Move to Feature layer.

References

• Testing & Mocking Guide