encore-go-testing

name	encore-go-testing
description	Write or run automated tests for Encore Go code with `encore test` and the standard library `testing` package. Covers isolated per-test databases, calling handlers directly, and `*testing.T` patterns.
when_to_use	User wants to add/write/fix a test in Go, write a `*_test.go` file, test an endpoint or service, set up `encore test`, configure isolated test databases, write `t.Cleanup`/`t.Helper` for db cleanup, mock external dependencies, or assert on API request/response behaviour. Trigger phrases: "write a Go test", "add tests for", "go test", "encore test", "test the endpoint", "test the service", "integration test", "isolated database".

Testing Encore Go Applications

Instructions

Encore Go uses standard Go testing with encore test.

Run Tests

# Run all tests with Encore (recommended)
encore test ./...

# Run tests for a specific package
encore test ./user/...

# Run with verbose output
encore test -v ./...

Using encore test instead of go test is recommended because it:

• Sets up test databases automatically
• Provides isolated infrastructure per test
• Handles service dependencies

Test an API Endpoint

// hello/hello_test.go
package hello

import (
    "context"
    "testing"
)

func TestHello(t *testing.T) {
    ctx := context.Background()
    
    resp, err := Hello(ctx)
    if err != nil {
        t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
    }
    
    if resp.Message != "Hello, World!" {
        t.Errorf("expected 'Hello, World!', got '%s'", resp.Message)
    }
}

Test with Request Parameters

// user/user_test.go
package user

import (
    "context"
    "testing"
)

func TestGetUser(t *testing.T) {
    ctx := context.Background()
    
    user, err := GetUser(ctx, &GetUserParams{ID: "123"})
    if err != nil {
        t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
    }
    
    if user.ID != "123" {
        t.Errorf("expected ID '123', got '%s'", user.ID)
    }
}

Test Database Operations

Encore provides isolated test databases:

// user/user_test.go
package user

import (
    "context"
    "testing"
    
    "encore.dev/storage/sqldb"
)

func TestCreateUser(t *testing.T) {
    ctx := context.Background()
    
    // Clean up
    _, _ = sqldb.Exec(ctx, db, "DELETE FROM users")
    
    // Create user
    created, err := CreateUser(ctx, &CreateUserParams{
        Email: "[e-mail]",
        Name:  "Test User",
    })
    if err != nil {
        t.Fatalf("failed to create user: %v", err)
    }
    
    // Retrieve and verify
    retrieved, err := GetUser(ctx, &GetUserParams{ID: created.ID})
    if err != nil {
        t.Fatalf("failed to get user: %v", err)
    }
    
    if retrieved.Email != "[e-mail]" {
        t.Errorf("expected email '[e-mail]', got '%s'", retrieved.Email)
    }
}

Test Service-to-Service Calls

// order/order_test.go
package order

import (
    "context"
    "testing"
)

func TestCreateOrder(t *testing.T) {
    ctx := context.Background()
    
    // Service calls work normally in tests
    order, err := CreateOrder(ctx, &CreateOrderParams{
        UserID: "user-123",
        Items: []OrderItem{
            {ProductID: "prod-1", Quantity: 2},
        },
    })
    if err != nil {
        t.Fatalf("failed to create order: %v", err)
    }
    
    if order.Status != "pending" {
        t.Errorf("expected status 'pending', got '%s'", order.Status)
    }
}

Test Error Cases

package user

import (
    "context"
    "errors"
    "testing"
    
    "encore.dev/beta/errs"
)

func TestGetUser_NotFound(t *testing.T) {
    ctx := context.Background()
    
    _, err := GetUser(ctx, &GetUserParams{ID: "nonexistent"})
    if err == nil {
        t.Fatal("expected error, got nil")
    }
    
    // Check error code
    var e *errs.Error
    if errors.As(err, &e) {
        if e.Code != errs.NotFound {
            t.Errorf("expected NotFound, got %v", e.Code)
        }
    } else {
        t.Errorf("expected errs.Error, got %T", err)
    }
}

Test Pub/Sub

// notifications/notifications_test.go
package notifications

import (
    "context"
    "testing"
    
    "myapp/events"
)

func TestPublishOrderCreated(t *testing.T) {
    ctx := context.Background()
    
    msgID, err := events.OrderCreated.Publish(ctx, &events.OrderCreatedEvent{
        OrderID: "order-123",
        UserID:  "user-456",
        Total:   9999,
    })
    if err != nil {
        t.Fatalf("failed to publish: %v", err)
    }
    
    if msgID == "" {
        t.Error("expected message ID, got empty string")
    }
}

Test Cron Jobs

Test the underlying function, not the cron schedule:

// cleanup/cleanup_test.go
package cleanup

import (
    "context"
    "testing"
)

func TestCleanupExpiredSessions(t *testing.T) {
    ctx := context.Background()
    
    // Create some expired sessions first
    createExpiredSession(ctx)
    
    // Call the endpoint directly
    err := CleanupExpiredSessions(ctx)
    if err != nil {
        t.Fatalf("cleanup failed: %v", err)
    }
    
    // Verify cleanup happened
    count := countSessions(ctx)
    if count != 0 {
        t.Errorf("expected 0 sessions, got %d", count)
    }
}

Table-Driven Tests

func TestValidateEmail(t *testing.T) {
    tests := []struct {
        name    string
        email   string
        wantErr bool
    }{
        {"valid email", "[e-mail]", false},
        {"missing @", "userexample.com", true},
        {"empty", "", true},
        {"valid with subdomain", "[e-mail]", false},
    }
    
    for _, tt := range tests {
        t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
            err := validateEmail(tt.email)
            if (err != nil) != tt.wantErr {
                t.Errorf("validateEmail(%q) error = %v, wantErr %v", tt.email, err, tt.wantErr)
            }
        })
    }
}

Test with Subtests

func TestUserCRUD(t *testing.T) {
    ctx := context.Background()
    var userID string
    
    t.Run("create", func(t *testing.T) {
        user, err := CreateUser(ctx, &CreateUserParams{
            Email: "[e-mail]",
            Name:  "Test",
        })
        if err != nil {
            t.Fatalf("create failed: %v", err)
        }
        userID = user.ID
    })
    
    t.Run("read", func(t *testing.T) {
        user, err := GetUser(ctx, &GetUserParams{ID: userID})
        if err != nil {
            t.Fatalf("read failed: %v", err)
        }
        if user.Email != "[e-mail]" {
            t.Errorf("wrong email: %s", user.Email)
        }
    })
    
    t.Run("delete", func(t *testing.T) {
        err := DeleteUser(ctx, &DeleteUserParams{ID: userID})
        if err != nil {
            t.Fatalf("delete failed: %v", err)
        }
    })
}

Test Database Isolation

Create isolated, fully-migrated test databases using et.NewTestDatabase():

import "encore.dev/et"

func TestWithFreshDatabase(t *testing.T) {
    // Creates a new database with all migrations applied
    testDB := et.NewTestDatabase(t, db)

    // Use testDB for queries - it's completely isolated
    _, err := testDB.Exec(ctx, "INSERT INTO users (email) VALUES ($1)", "[e-mail]")
    if err != nil {
        t.Fatal(err)
    }
}

Service Instance Isolation

By default, service structs are shared across tests for performance. Enable isolation when tests modify service state:

import "encore.dev/et"

func TestWithServiceIsolation(t *testing.T) {
    // Enable service instance isolation for this test
    et.EnableServiceInstanceIsolation()

    // Now this test gets its own service struct instance
    // preventing state interference with other tests
}

Test Tracing Dashboard

View test execution traces in the development dashboard at http://localhost:9400 while tests run. This helps diagnose failures by showing:

• Request/response data
• Database queries
• Service-to-service calls
• Errors and stack traces

Mocking Endpoints and Services

Mock endpoints or entire services for isolated unit testing:

import "encore.dev/et"

func TestWithMockedEndpoint(t *testing.T) {
    // Mock a specific endpoint
    et.MockEndpoint(products.GetPrice, func(ctx context.Context, p *products.PriceParams) (*products.PriceResponse, error) {
        return &products.PriceResponse{Price: 100}, nil
    })

    // Mock an entire service
    et.MockService("products", &mockProductService{})
}

Guidelines

• Use encore test to run tests with infrastructure setup
• Each test gets access to real infrastructure (databases, Pub/Sub)
• Test API endpoints by calling them directly as functions
• Service-to-service calls work normally in tests
• Use table-driven tests for testing multiple cases
• Use et.NewTestDatabase() for isolated database testing
• Use et.EnableServiceInstanceIsolation() when tests modify service state
• Don't mock Encore infrastructure - use the real thing
• Mock external dependencies (third-party APIs, email services, etc.)