laurigates/skaffold-testing

Skaffold Testing

When to Use This Skill

| Use this skill when... | Use another skill instead when... | |------------------------|-----------------------------------| | Configuring container-structure-tests | Writing Dockerfiles (use container skills) | | Adding security scans to Skaffold pipelines | General Skaffold build/deploy (use skaffold-development) | | Setting up post-deploy verification | Unit testing application code | | Validating image contents pre-deploy | Kubernetes manifest authoring |

Testing Lifecycle

Build -> Test -> Deploy -> Verify
          ^                  ^
     Pre-deploy         Post-deploy

| Stage | Purpose | Runs During | |-------|---------|-------------| | test | Validate images before deployment | dev, run, test | | verify | Validate deployment works correctly | dev, run, verify |

Failed tests block deployment. Use --skip-tests to bypass.

Test Stage Overview

Two mechanisms for pre-deploy validation:

| Type | Purpose | Tool Required | |------|---------|---------------| | structureTests | Validate image contents | container-structure-test binary | | custom | Run arbitrary commands | None (uses $IMAGE env var) |

Container Structure Tests

Validate image contents without running the container.

Configuration

apiVersion: skaffold/v4beta11
kind: Config
test:
  - image: my-app
    structureTests:
      - ./tests/structure/*.yaml
    structureTestsArgs:
      - --driver=tar      # Faster, no Docker daemon needed
      - -q                # Quiet output

Test Types Summary

| Type | Purpose | Key Fields | |------|---------|------------| | commandTests | Verify binaries work | command, args, expectedOutput, exitCode | | fileExistenceTests | Verify files present/absent | path, shouldExist, permissions, uid, gid | | fileContentTests | Validate file contents | path, expectedContents, excludedContents | | metadataTest | Validate image config | envVars, user, entrypoint, cmd, exposedPorts, workdir |

Custom Tests

Run arbitrary commands with access to built image via $IMAGE env var.

test:
  - image: my-app
    custom:
      - command: grype $IMAGE --fail-on high --only-fixed
        timeoutSeconds: 300
      - command: trivy image --exit-code 1 --severity HIGH,CRITICAL $IMAGE
        timeoutSeconds: 300

Dependencies

Control when tests re-run:

custom:
  - command: ./scripts/integration-test.sh
    timeoutSeconds: 600
    dependencies:
      paths:
        - "src/**/*.go"
        - "go.mod"
      ignore:
        - "**/*_test.go"

Verify Stage (Post-Deploy)

Run integration tests after deployment succeeds.

Execution Modes

| Mode | Environment | Use Case | |------|-------------|----------| | local (default) | Docker on host | Quick tests, local dev | | kubernetesCluster | K8s Job | Integration tests needing cluster access |

Basic Configuration

verify:
  - name: health-check
    container:
      name: curl-test
      image: curlimages/curl:latest
      command: ["/bin/sh"]
      args: ["-c", "curl -f http://my-app.default.svc:8080/health"]
    executionMode:
      kubernetesCluster: {}

Agentic Optimizations

| Context | Command | |---------|---------| | Quick structure test | container-structure-test test --driver=tar -q --image $IMAGE --config tests/structure/security.yaml | | Security scan (critical only) | grype $IMAGE --fail-on critical -q | | Skip tests in dev | skaffold dev --skip-tests | | Run only tests | skaffold test | | Run only verify | skaffold verify | | CI with JUnit output | container-structure-test test --image $IMAGE --config test.yaml --test-report junit.xml |

Quick Reference

Container Structure Test Flags

| Flag | Description | |------|-------------| | --driver=tar | Use tar driver (faster, no Docker daemon) | | --driver=docker | Use Docker driver (default) | | -q | Quiet output | | --test-report FILE | Generate test report | | --output json | JSON output format |

Skaffold Test Flags

| Flag | Description | |------|-------------| | --skip-tests | Skip test phase | | -p PROFILE | Use specific profile | | --build-artifacts FILE | Use pre-built artifacts |

Custom Test Environment

| Variable | Description | |----------|-------------| | $IMAGE | Built image with tag/digest |

For detailed examples, advanced patterns, and best practices, see REFERENCE.md.