testing-knowledge

Testing knowledge base for PHP 8.4 projects. Provides testing pyramid, AAA pattern, naming conventions, isolation principles, DDD testing guidelines, and PHPUnit patterns.

59 stars

Best use case

testing-knowledge is best used when you need a repeatable AI agent workflow instead of a one-off prompt.

Testing knowledge base for PHP 8.4 projects. Provides testing pyramid, AAA pattern, naming conventions, isolation principles, DDD testing guidelines, and PHPUnit patterns.

Teams using testing-knowledge should expect a more consistent output, faster repeated execution, less prompt rewriting.

When to use this skill

  • You want a reusable workflow that can be run more than once with consistent structure.

When not to use this skill

  • You only need a quick one-off answer and do not need a reusable workflow.
  • You cannot install or maintain the underlying files, dependencies, or repository context.

Installation

Claude Code / Cursor / Codex

$curl -o ~/.claude/skills/testing-knowledge/SKILL.md --create-dirs "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dykyi-roman/awesome-claude-code/main/skills/testing-knowledge/SKILL.md"

Manual Installation

  1. Download SKILL.md from GitHub
  2. Place it in .claude/skills/testing-knowledge/SKILL.md inside your project
  3. Restart your AI agent — it will auto-discover the skill

How testing-knowledge Compares

Feature / Agenttesting-knowledgeStandard Approach
Platform SupportNot specifiedLimited / Varies
Context Awareness High Baseline
Installation ComplexityUnknownN/A

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this skill do?

Testing knowledge base for PHP 8.4 projects. Provides testing pyramid, AAA pattern, naming conventions, isolation principles, DDD testing guidelines, and PHPUnit patterns.

Where can I find the source code?

You can find the source code on GitHub using the link provided at the top of the page.

Related Guides

SKILL.md Source

# Testing Knowledge Base

Quick reference for PHP testing patterns, principles, and best practices.

## Testing Pyramid

```
        /\
       /  \     Functional (10%)
      /────\    - E2E, browser tests
     /      \   - Slow, fragile
    /────────\  Integration (20%)
   /          \ - DB, HTTP, queues
  /────────────\Unit (70%)
 /              \- Fast, isolated
/________________\- Business logic
```

**Rule:** 70% unit, 20% integration, 10% functional. Invert the pyramid = slow, brittle test suite.

## AAA Pattern (Arrange-Act-Assert)

```php
public function test_order_calculates_total_with_discount(): void
{
    // Arrange — set up test data
    $order = new Order(OrderId::generate());
    $order->addItem(new Product('Book', Money::EUR(100)));
    $discount = new PercentageDiscount(10);

    // Act — execute the behavior
    $total = $order->calculateTotal($discount);

    // Assert — verify the outcome
    self::assertEquals(Money::EUR(90), $total);
}
```

**Rules:**
- One blank line between sections
- Single Act per test
- Assert behavior, not implementation

## Naming Conventions

### PHPUnit Style

```
test_{method}_{scenario}_{expected}
```

| Example | Method | Scenario | Expected |
|---------|--------|----------|----------|
| `test_calculate_total_with_discount_returns_reduced_amount` | calculateTotal | with discount | returns reduced amount |
| `test_confirm_when_already_shipped_throws_exception` | confirm | when already shipped | throws exception |
| `test_email_with_invalid_format_fails_validation` | Email (VO) | with invalid format | fails validation |

### Pest Style

```php
it('calculates total with discount applied')
it('throws exception when confirming shipped order')
it('fails validation for invalid email format')
```

## Test Isolation Principles

### DO

- [ ] Fresh fixtures per test
- [ ] Independent test execution (any order)
- [ ] Teardown cleans all state
- [ ] Use in-memory implementations

### DON'T

- [ ] Shared mutable state between tests
- [ ] Tests depending on execution order
- [ ] Global variables or singletons
- [ ] Real external services in unit tests

## Quick Quality Checklist

| Rule | Check |
|------|-------|
| One test = one behavior | Single assertion group |
| Test is documentation | Name reads as specification |
| No logic in tests | No if/for/while |
| Fast execution | <100ms per unit test |
| Mock interfaces only | Never mock VO, Entity, final |
| ≤3 mocks per test | More = design smell |
| Behavior over implementation | Test WHAT, not HOW |

## DDD Component Testing

| Component | Test Focus | Mocks Allowed |
|-----------|------------|---------------|
| **Value Object** | Validation, equality, immutability | None |
| **Entity** | State transitions, business rules | None |
| **Aggregate** | Invariants, consistency, events | None |
| **Domain Service** | Business logic spanning aggregates | Repository (Fake) |
| **Application Service** | Orchestration, transactions | Repository, EventDispatcher |
| **Repository** | CRUD operations | Database (SQLite) |

## PHP 8.4 Test Patterns

### Unit Test Template

```php
<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

namespace Tests\Unit\Domain;

use PHPUnit\Framework\Attributes\CoversClass;
use PHPUnit\Framework\Attributes\Group;
use PHPUnit\Framework\TestCase;

#[Group('unit')]
#[CoversClass(Email::class)]
final class EmailTest extends TestCase
{
    public function test_creates_valid_email(): void
    {
        $email = new Email('user@example.com');

        self::assertSame('user@example.com', $email->value);
    }

    public function test_throws_for_invalid_format(): void
    {
        $this->expectException(InvalidArgumentException::class);

        new Email('invalid');
    }
}
```

### Integration Test Template

```php
<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

namespace Tests\Integration\Infrastructure;

use PHPUnit\Framework\Attributes\Group;
use Tests\DatabaseTestCase;

#[Group('integration')]
final class DoctrineOrderRepositoryTest extends DatabaseTestCase
{
    private OrderRepositoryInterface $repository;

    protected function setUp(): void
    {
        parent::setUp();
        $this->repository = $this->getContainer()->get(OrderRepositoryInterface::class);
    }

    public function test_saves_and_retrieves_order(): void
    {
        // Arrange
        $order = OrderMother::pending();

        // Act
        $this->repository->save($order);
        $found = $this->repository->findById($order->id());

        // Assert
        self::assertNotNull($found);
        self::assertTrue($order->id()->equals($found->id()));
    }
}
```

## Test Doubles Quick Reference

| Type | Purpose | When to Use |
|------|---------|-------------|
| **Stub** | Returns canned answers | External API responses |
| **Mock** | Verifies interactions | Event publishing |
| **Fake** | Working implementation | InMemory repository |
| **Spy** | Records calls | Logging, notifications |

### Decision Matrix

```
Need to verify a call was made?
├── Yes → Mock or Spy
└── No → Need real behavior?
    ├── Yes → Fake
    └── No → Stub
```

## Common Test Smells

| Smell | Detection | Fix |
|-------|-----------|-----|
| Logic in Test | `if`, `for`, `while` in test | Extract to helper or parameterize |
| Mock Overuse | >3 mocks | Refactor design, use Fakes |
| Mystery Guest | External files, hidden data | Inline test data or use Builder |
| Eager Test | Tests multiple behaviors | Split into separate tests |
| Fragile Test | Breaks on refactor | Test behavior, not implementation |

## Advanced Testing Patterns

### Contract Testing (Pact)

| Aspect | Unit Test | Integration Test | Contract Test |
|--------|-----------|------------------|---------------|
| Speed | Fast | Slow | Medium |
| Scope | Single class | Service + deps | API boundary |
| Isolation | Full | Partial | Consumer/Provider |
| Use case | Business logic | DB, queues | Service-to-service |

**When to use:** Microservices REST APIs, message-based systems, event schema verification.

### Load Testing Patterns

| Pattern | Duration | Load Profile | Goal |
|---------|----------|--------------|------|
| Smoke | 1-2 min | Minimal | Verify script works |
| Load | 10-30 min | Expected traffic | Performance baseline |
| Stress | 10-30 min | 1.5-2x expected | Find breaking point |
| Spike | 5-10 min | Sudden burst | Test auto-scaling |
| Soak | 2-8 hours | Sustained | Find memory leaks |

### Chaos Testing (Failure Injection)

| Failure | How to Inject | What It Tests |
|---------|---------------|---------------|
| Network latency | Sleep in middleware | Timeout handling |
| Service error | Return 500 randomly | Circuit breaker |
| Connection refused | Close port | Fallback behavior |
| Slow database | Query delay | Query timeout handling |

### E2E Distributed Testing

| Strategy | How | Trade-off |
|----------|-----|-----------|
| Test containers | Docker Compose per test | Isolated but slow |
| Shared staging | Dedicated environment | Fast but interference |
| Data seeding | API/DB setup per test | Controlled but complex |
| Snapshot restore | DB snapshot before tests | Fast reset |

## References

For detailed information, load these reference files:

- `references/unit-testing.md` — Unit test patterns and examples
- `references/integration-testing.md` — Integration test setup and patterns
- `references/ddd-testing.md` — Testing DDD components (VO, Entity, Aggregate, Service)
- `references/advanced-testing.md` — Contract testing (Pact), chaos testing, load testing patterns (ramp-up, spike, soak), E2E distributed testing

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