HTTP Tests - Knowledge of Laravel

Introduction

Laravel provides a fluent API for making HTTP requests to your application and inspecting responses. No real HTTP server is needed — requests are simulated internally.

<?php

test('the application returns a successful response', function () {
    $response = $this->get('/');

    $response->assertStatus(200);
});

The get() method sends a GET request and assertStatus() verifies the HTTP status code of the response.

The CSRF middleware is automatically disabled during tests. You do not need to disable it manually.

Making requests

Use get, post, put, patch, or delete to send requests in your tests. These methods return an Illuminate\Testing\TestResponse instance with many assertion helpers.

<?php

test('basic request', function () {
    $response = $this->get('/');

    $response->assertStatus(200);
});

Each test should generally make only one request. Making multiple requests in a single test method can cause unexpected behavior.

Customizing request headers

Use withHeaders() to add custom headers to the request before it is sent.

<?php

test('interacting with headers', function () {
    $response = $this->withHeaders([
        'X-Header' => 'Value',
    ])->post('/user', ['name' => 'Sally']);

    $response->assertStatus(201);
});

Cookies

Use withCookie() or withCookies() to set cookie values before making a request.

<?php

test('interacting with cookies', function () {
    $response = $this->withCookie('color', 'blue')->get('/');

    $response = $this->withCookies([
        'color' => 'blue',
        'name'  => 'Taylor',
    ])->get('/');
});

Session and authentication

Use withSession() to seed the session with data before sending a request.

<?php

test('interacting with the session', function () {
    $response = $this->withSession(['banned' => false])->get('/');
});

Use actingAs() to authenticate a user for the duration of the request. Combine it with model factories to create users on the fly.

<?php

use App\Models\User;

test('an action that requires authentication', function () {
    $user = User::factory()->create();

    $response = $this->actingAs($user)
        ->withSession(['banned' => false])
        ->get('/');
});

Pass a guard name as the second argument to authenticate against a specific guard. The provided guard becomes the default for the duration of the test.

$this->actingAs($user, 'web');

To send an unauthenticated request, use actingAsGuest().

$this->actingAsGuest();

Debugging responses

Use dump, dumpHeaders, and dumpSession to inspect response contents without stopping execution.

<?php

test('debug a response', function () {
    $response = $this->get('/');

    $response->dump();
    $response->dumpHeaders();
    $response->dumpSession();
});

To dump and stop execution, use dd, ddHeaders, ddBody, ddJson, or ddSession.

$response->dd();
$response->ddHeaders();
$response->ddBody();
$response->ddJson();
$response->ddSession();

Exception handling

Use the Exceptions facade to assert that your application throws specific exceptions.

<?php

use App\Exceptions\InvalidOrderException;
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Exceptions;

test('exception is thrown', function () {
    Exceptions::fake();

    $response = $this->get('/order/1');

    // Assert an exception was thrown
    Exceptions::assertReported(InvalidOrderException::class);

    // Assert against the exception message
    Exceptions::assertReported(function (InvalidOrderException $e) {
        return $e->getMessage() === 'The order was invalid.';
    });
});

Assert that a given exception was not thrown, or that nothing was thrown at all.

Exceptions::assertNotReported(InvalidOrderException::class);

Exceptions::assertNothingReported();

Disable exception handling for a request to let exceptions propagate to the test.

$response = $this->withoutExceptionHandling()->get('/');

Assert that code within a closure throws a specific exception type.

$this->assertThrows(
    fn () => (new ProcessOrder)->execute(),
    OrderInvalid::class
);

// Assert against the exception instance
$this->assertThrows(
    fn () => (new ProcessOrder)->execute(),
    fn (OrderInvalid $e) => $e->orderId() === 123
);

Assert that no exception is thrown.

$this->assertDoesntThrow(fn () => (new ProcessOrder)->execute());

Testing JSON APIs

Use json, getJson, postJson, putJson, patchJson, deleteJson, and optionsJson to send JSON requests with the corresponding HTTP verbs.

<?php

test('making an api request', function () {
    $response = $this->postJson('/api/user', ['name' => 'Sally']);

    $response
        ->assertStatus(201)
        ->assertJson([
            'created' => true,
        ]);
});

Access JSON response data as array variables on the response.

expect($response['created'])->toBeTrue();

assertJson() verifies that the given array exists within the JSON response. Other properties may be present and the test will still pass as long as the specified fragment is found.

Asserting exact JSON matches

Use assertExactJson() to verify that the response JSON exactly matches the given array.

<?php

test('asserting an exact json match', function () {
    $response = $this->postJson('/user', ['name' => 'Sally']);

    $response
        ->assertStatus(201)
        ->assertExactJson([
            'created' => true,
        ]);
});

Asserting on JSON paths

Use assertJsonPath() to verify a value at a specific dot-notation path in the JSON response.

<?php

test('asserting a json path value', function () {
    $response = $this->postJson('/user', ['name' => 'Sally']);

    $response
        ->assertStatus(201)
        ->assertJsonPath('team.owner.name', 'Darian');
});

Pass a closure to assertJsonPath() for dynamic assertions.

$response->assertJsonPath('team.owner.name', fn (string $name) => strlen($name) >= 3);

Fluent JSON testing

Pass a closure to assertJson() to receive an AssertableJson instance and chain assertions fluently.

use Illuminate\Testing\Fluent\AssertableJson;

test('fluent json', function () {
    $response = $this->getJson('/users/1');

    $response
        ->assertJson(fn (AssertableJson $json) =>
            $json->where('id', 1)
                ->where('name', 'Victoria Faith')
                ->where('email', fn (string $email) => str($email)->is('[email protected]'))
                ->whereNot('status', 'pending')
                ->missing('password')
                ->etc()
        );
});

The etc() method tells Laravel that additional properties may exist on the JSON object. Without it, the test will fail if any property is present that you did not make an assertion against. This protects against accidentally leaking sensitive data in responses.

Use has() and missing() to assert attribute presence or absence.

$response->assertJson(fn (AssertableJson $json) =>
    $json->has('data')
        ->missing('message')
);

Use hasAll() and missingAll() to check multiple attributes at once.

$response->assertJson(fn (AssertableJson $json) =>
    $json->hasAll(['status', 'data'])
        ->missingAll(['message', 'code'])
);

Asserting against JSON collections

Use has() to assert the count of items and inspect the first item with first().

$response
    ->assertJson(fn (AssertableJson $json) =>
        $json->has(3)
            ->first(fn (AssertableJson $json) =>
                $json->where('id', 1)
                    ->where('name', 'Victoria Faith')
                    ->missing('password')
                    ->etc()
            )
    );

Use each() to apply the same assertions to every item in the collection.

$response
    ->assertJson(fn (AssertableJson $json) =>
        $json->has(3)
            ->each(fn (AssertableJson $json) =>
                $json->whereType('id', 'integer')
                    ->whereType('name', 'string')
                    ->whereType('email', 'string')
                    ->missing('password')
                    ->etc()
            )
    );

Asserting JSON types

Use whereType() and whereAllType() to assert that properties have the expected type.

$response->assertJson(fn (AssertableJson $json) =>
    $json->whereType('id', 'integer')
        ->whereAllType([
            'users.0.name' => 'string',
            'meta' => 'array'
        ])
);

Use the | character to accept multiple types. The assertion passes if the value matches any of the specified types.

$response->assertJson(fn (AssertableJson $json) =>
    $json->whereType('name', 'string|null')
        ->whereType('id', ['string', 'integer'])
);

Supported types: string, integer, double, boolean, array, null.

Testing authentication

Use actingAs() to send requests as an authenticated user.

<?php

use App\Models\User;
use Illuminate\Foundation\Testing\RefreshDatabase;

uses(RefreshDatabase::class);

test('authenticated users can view the dashboard', function () {
    $user = User::factory()->create();

    $response = $this->actingAs($user)->get('/dashboard');

    $response->assertStatus(200);
});

test('unauthenticated users are redirected to login', function () {
    $response = $this->get('/dashboard');

    $response->assertRedirect('/login');
});

To authenticate against a specific guard, pass its name as the second argument.

$this->actingAs($user, 'api');

User registration flow example

Test a registration endpoint end-to-end.

<?php

use App\Models\User;
use Illuminate\Foundation\Testing\RefreshDatabase;

uses(RefreshDatabase::class);

test('a user can register', function () {
    $response = $this->post('/register', [
        'name'                  => 'Test User',
        'email'                 => '[email protected]',
        'password'              => 'password',
        'password_confirmation' => 'password',
    ]);

    $response->assertRedirect('/dashboard');
    $this->assertDatabaseHas('users', ['email' => '[email protected]']);
});

test('a duplicate email cannot register', function () {
    User::factory()->create(['email' => '[email protected]']);

    $response = $this->post('/register', [
        'name'                  => 'Test User',
        'email'                 => '[email protected]',
        'password'              => 'password',
        'password_confirmation' => 'password',
    ]);

    $response->assertSessionHasErrors('email');
});

Testing sessions

Use withSession() to seed session data before a request and assertSessionHas() to verify session values.

<?php

test('session value is set', function () {
    $response = $this->withSession(['locale' => 'en'])->get('/');

    $response->assertSessionHas('locale', 'en');
});

Session assertion reference

Method	Description
`assertSessionHas($key, $value)`	Session contains the given key and value
`assertSessionHasAll([...])`	Session contains all given keys and values
`assertSessionHasErrors($keys)`	Session contains validation errors for the given keys
`assertSessionHasErrorsIn($bag, $keys)`	Named error bag contains errors for the given keys
`assertSessionHasNoErrors()`	Session contains no validation errors
`assertSessionDoesntHaveErrors()`	Session contains no validation errors
`assertSessionMissing($key)`	Session does not contain the given key

Testing file uploads

Use UploadedFile::fake() to generate dummy files and images. Combine it with Storage::fake() to test file upload flows without touching the real filesystem.

<?php

use Illuminate\Http\UploadedFile;
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Storage;

test('avatars can be uploaded', function () {
    Storage::fake('avatars');

    $file = UploadedFile::fake()->image('avatar.jpg');

    $response = $this->post('/avatar', [
        'avatar' => $file,
    ]);

    Storage::disk('avatars')->assertExists($file->hashName());
});

Assert that a file does not exist with assertMissing().

Storage::disk('avatars')->assertMissing('missing.jpg');

Customizing fake files

Specify dimensions and file size to test validation rules.

// Specify width, height, and size in kilobytes
UploadedFile::fake()->image('avatar.jpg', $width, $height)->size(100);

// Create a non-image file
UploadedFile::fake()->create('document.pdf', $sizeInKilobytes);

// Specify an explicit MIME type
UploadedFile::fake()->create(
    'document.pdf', $sizeInKilobytes, 'application/pdf'
);

Testing views

Render a view directly without making an HTTP request. The view() method returns an Illuminate\Testing\TestView instance.

<?php

test('a welcome view can be rendered', function () {
    $view = $this->view('welcome', ['name' => 'Taylor']);

    $view->assertSee('Taylor');
});

TestView provides the following assertion methods:

Method	Description
`assertSee($value)`	View contains the given string
`assertSeeInOrder([...])`	View contains the given strings in order
`assertSeeText($value)`	View text contains the given string
`assertSeeTextInOrder([...])`	View text contains the given strings in order
`assertDontSee($value)`	View does not contain the given string
`assertDontSeeText($value)`	View text does not contain the given string

Cast the TestView to a string to access the raw rendered HTML.

$contents = (string) $this->view('welcome');

Inject errors into the view’s error bag with withViewErrors().

$view = $this->withViewErrors([
    'name' => ['Please provide a valid name.']
])->view('form');

$view->assertSee('Please provide a valid name.');

Rendering Blade and components

Use blade() to evaluate a raw Blade template string.

$view = $this->blade(
    '<x-component :name="$name" />',
    ['name' => 'Taylor']
);

$view->assertSee('Taylor');

Use component() to render a Blade component class. Returns an Illuminate\Testing\TestComponent instance.

$view = $this->component(Profile::class, ['name' => 'Taylor']);

$view->assertSee('Taylor');

Response assertion reference

HTTP status

Method	Description
`assertOk()`	200 OK
`assertCreated()`	201 Created
`assertAccepted()`	202 Accepted
`assertNoContent($status = 204)`	204 No Content
`assertBadRequest()`	400 Bad Request
`assertUnauthorized()`	401 Unauthorized
`assertForbidden()`	403 Forbidden
`assertNotFound()`	404 Not Found
`assertUnprocessable()`	422 Unprocessable Entity
`assertTooManyRequests()`	429 Too Many Requests
`assertInternalServerError()`	500 Internal Server Error
`assertStatus($code)`	Assert a specific status code
`assertSuccessful()`	2xx status code
`assertClientError()`	4xx status code
`assertServerError()`	5xx status code

Redirects

Method	Description
`assertRedirect($uri)`	Redirects to the given URI
`assertRedirectContains($string)`	Redirect URI contains the given string
`assertRedirectToRoute($name, $params)`	Redirects to the named route
`assertRedirectToSignedRoute($name, $params)`	Redirects to the named signed route
`assertRedirectBack()`	Redirects back to the previous URL

Content

Method	Description
`assertSee($value, $escaped = true)`	Response contains the given value
`assertSeeInOrder(array $values)`	Response contains values in order
`assertSeeText($value)`	Response text contains the given value
`assertDontSee($value)`	Response does not contain the given value
`assertDontSeeText($value)`	Response text does not contain the given value
`assertContent($value)`	Response body equals the given value
`assertDownload($filename)`	Response is a file download

JSON

Method	Description
`assertJson(array $data)`	JSON response contains the given data
`assertExactJson(array $data)`	JSON response exactly matches the given data
`assertJsonPath($path, $value)`	JSON path has the given value
`assertJsonMissingPath($path)`	JSON path does not exist
`assertJsonStructure(array $structure)`	JSON has the given structure
`assertJsonCount($count, $key)`	JSON key contains the given number of items
`assertJsonFragment(array $data)`	JSON contains the given fragment
`assertJsonMissing(array $data)`	JSON does not contain the given data
`assertJsonIsArray()`	JSON response is an array
`assertJsonIsObject()`	JSON response is an object
`assertJsonValidationErrors($keys)`	JSON contains validation errors for the given keys
`assertJsonMissingValidationErrors($keys)`	JSON does not contain validation errors for the given keys

Headers and cookies

Method	Description
`assertHeader($name, $value)`	Response has the given header
`assertHeaderMissing($name)`	Response does not have the given header
`assertCookie($name, $value)`	Response has the given cookie
`assertCookieExpired($name)`	Response cookie is expired
`assertCookieMissing($name)`	Response does not have the given cookie
`assertPlainCookie($name, $value)`	Response has the given unencrypted cookie

Views

Method	Description
`assertViewIs($value)`	Response rendered the given view
`assertViewHas($key, $value)`	View data contains the given key and value
`assertViewHasAll(array $data)`	View data contains all given keys and values
`assertViewMissing($key)`	View data does not contain the given key

Validation

Method	Description
`assertValid($keys)`	No validation errors for the given keys
`assertInvalid($keys)`	Validation errors exist for the given keys

Testing

Learn the basics of writing tests in Laravel, including test structure, running tests, and common assertions.

​Introduction

​Making requests

​Customizing request headers

​Cookies

​Session and authentication

​Debugging responses

​Exception handling

​Testing JSON APIs

​Asserting exact JSON matches

​Asserting on JSON paths

​Fluent JSON testing

​Asserting against JSON collections

​Asserting JSON types

​Testing authentication

​User registration flow example

​Testing sessions

​Session assertion reference

​Testing file uploads

​Customizing fake files

​Testing views

​Rendering Blade and components

​Response assertion reference

​HTTP status

​Redirects

​Content

​JSON

​Headers and cookies

​Views

​Validation

​Related pages

Testing

Introduction

Making requests

Customizing request headers

Cookies

Session and authentication

Debugging responses

Exception handling

Testing JSON APIs

Asserting exact JSON matches

Asserting on JSON paths

Fluent JSON testing

Asserting against JSON collections

Asserting JSON types

Testing authentication

User registration flow example

Testing sessions

Session assertion reference

Testing file uploads

Customizing fake files

Testing views

Rendering Blade and components

Response assertion reference

HTTP status

Redirects

Content

JSON

Headers and cookies

Views

Validation

Related pages