Laravel Testing Strategies Guide

Untested code accumulates bugs. Comprehensive testing catches issues before users do. At ZIRA Software, test-driven development has reduced production bugs by 80% while accelerating development.

Testing Pyramid

Unit Tests (70%):

• Test individual methods
• Fast execution
• Mock dependencies

Feature Tests (20%):

• Test HTTP requests
• Test workflows
• Database interactions

Browser Tests (10%):

• Test UI interactions
• Test JavaScript
• End-to-end workflows

Unit Testing

class OrderCalculatorTest extends TestCase
{
    /** @test */
    public function it_calculates_total_correctly()
    {
        $calculator = new OrderCalculator();
        
        $total = $calculator->calculate([
            ['price' => 10, 'quantity' => 2],
            ['price' => 5, 'quantity' => 3],
        ]);
        
        $this->assertEquals(35, $total);
    }
}

Feature Testing

class CreatePostTest extends TestCase
{
    use RefreshDatabase;
    
    /** @test */
    public function authenticated_user_can_create_post()
    {
        $user = factory(User::class)->create();
        
        $response = $this->actingAs($user)
            ->post('/posts', [
                'title' => 'Test Post',
                'content' => 'Content here',
            ]);
        
        $response->assertStatus(201);
        $this->assertDatabaseHas('posts', ['title' => 'Test Post']);
    }
}

TDD Workflow

1. Write failing test
2. Write minimal code to pass
3. Refactor
4. Repeat

Conclusion

Testing isn't optional—it's essential. Start with feature tests, add unit tests for complex logic, and use browser tests sparingly.

Want to improve your testing strategy? Contact ZIRA Software for TDD training and consultation.