adilkalam/testing-strategy

Testing Strategy

Test Pyramid

        /\
       /  \      E2E Tests (few)
      /----\     - Critical user flows
     /      \    - Smoke tests
    /--------\   
   /          \  Integration Tests (some)
  /------------\ - API contracts
 /              \- Database queries
/----------------\
     Unit Tests (many)
     - Pure functions
     - Business logic
     - Edge cases

Unit Testing Principles

What to Test

• Pure functions with business logic
• Edge cases and boundary conditions
• Error handling paths
• State transitions

What NOT to Unit Test

• Framework code
• Third-party libraries
• Simple getters/setters
• Trivial code

AAA Pattern

test('calculates total with discount', () => {
  // Arrange
  const items = [{ price: 100 }, { price: 50 }];
  const discount = 0.1;
  
  // Act
  const total = calculateTotal(items, discount);
  
  // Assert
  expect(total).toBe(135);
});

Mocking Strategies

When to Mock

• External services (APIs, databases)
• Time-dependent code
• Random values
• Side effects (file system, network)

When NOT to Mock

• The code under test
• Simple value objects
• Internal implementation details

Mock Examples

// Jest mock
jest.mock('./api', () => ({
  fetchUser: jest.fn().mockResolvedValue({ id: 1, name: 'Test' })
}));

// Spy on method
const spy = jest.spyOn(service, 'save');
expect(spy).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expectedData);

// Mock timer
jest.useFakeTimers();
jest.advanceTimersByTime(1000);

Integration Testing

API Testing

describe('POST /users', () => {
  it('creates user with valid data', async () => {
    const response = await request(app)
      .post('/users')
      .send({ name: 'Test', email: '[email protected]' })
      .expect(201);
    
    expect(response.body).toMatchObject({
      id: expect.any(Number),
      name: 'Test'
    });
  });
});

Database Testing

• Use test database or in-memory
• Reset state between tests
• Use transactions for isolation

E2E Testing

What to Cover

• Critical user journeys
• Authentication flows
• Payment/checkout flows
• Error states users might see

Best Practices

• Use data-testid attributes
• Wait for elements properly
• Test in isolation when possible
• Keep tests deterministic

// Playwright example
test('user can complete checkout', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('/products');
  await page.click('[data-testid="add-to-cart"]');
  await page.click('[data-testid="checkout"]');
  await page.fill('[data-testid="email"]', '[email protected]');
  await page.click('[data-testid="submit"]');
  await expect(page.locator('[data-testid="success"]')).toBeVisible();
});

Coverage Guidelines

• Aim for 80% coverage as baseline
• 100% coverage != bug-free code
• Focus on critical paths, not metrics
• Exclude generated code, config files