midnight-dapptesting-patterns

name	midnight-dapptesting-patterns
description	Use when writing unit tests for Midnight contract interaction code, integration testing without ZK proofs, E2E testing with Playwright or Cypress, or setting up CI/CD pipelines for Midnight DApps.
metadata	{"author":"aaronbassett"}

Testing Patterns

Test Midnight DApps efficiently using mocked providers, simulated wallets, and testnet integration strategies.

When to Use

• Writing unit tests for contract interaction code
• Integration testing without real ZK proof generation
• E2E testing with Playwright or Cypress
• Setting up CI/CD pipelines for Midnight DApps
• Testing wallet connection flows without browser extension
• Validating transaction flows before testnet deployment

Key Concepts

The Testing Challenge

Midnight DApps face unique testing challenges:

Challenge	Why It Matters	Solution
Proof generation takes seconds	Tests would be too slow	Mock proof providers
Wallet requires browser extension	Can't run in CI/CD	Mock wallet provider
Private state is local only	Hard to verify in tests	Controlled test state
Testnet requires real infrastructure	Flaky in automation	Mock for unit tests, testnet for E2E

Testing Pyramid for Midnight DApps

           E2E (Testnet)
          /            \
         /  Real proofs  \
        /   Real wallet   \
       /    Slow (~min)    \
      /____________________\
             |
     Integration (Mocked)
    /                      \
   /   Mock proof provider   \
  /    Mock wallet provider   \
 /      Fast (~seconds)        \
/______________________________\
            |
       Unit Tests
      /          \
     /  Pure logic  \
    /   No providers  \
   /   Fast (~ms)      \
  /____________________\

Mock vs Real: When to Use Each

Test Type	Proof Provider	Wallet Provider	Use Case
Unit	N/A	N/A	Pure business logic
Component	Mock	Mock	UI components
Integration	Mock	Mock	Contract interactions
E2E (local)	Mock	Mock	Full user flows
E2E (testnet)	Real	Real (Lace)	Pre-deployment validation

References

Document	Description
mocking-proofs.md	Mock proof provider for fast tests
mock-wallet-provider.md	Simulating Lace wallet in tests
testnet-workflows.md	E2E testing against testnet
web3-comparison.md	Hardhat/Foundry testing vs Midnight

Examples

Example	Description
mock-proof-context/	Mock proof provider and test utilities
mock-wallet/	Fake wallet implementation for tests
e2e-testnet/	Playwright E2E test against testnet

Quick Start

1. Install Test Dependencies

pnpm add -D vitest @testing-library/react @playwright/test msw

2. Create Mock Proof Provider

import { createMockProofProvider } from "./mockProofProvider";

// Returns dummy proofs instantly (no ZK computation)
const mockProofProvider = createMockProofProvider({
  latencyMs: 10, // Simulate realistic timing
});

3. Create Mock Wallet

import { MockWallet } from "./MockWallet";

const mockWallet = new MockWallet({
  address: "addr_test1qz_mock_address_for_testing_purposes_xyz",
  balance: 1000000n,
  network: "testnet",
});

// Inject into window for components that check window.midnight
globalThis.window = {
  midnight: { mnLace: mockWallet.connector },
};

4. Write a Test

import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach } from "vitest";
import { render, screen, fireEvent } from "@testing-library/react";
import { MockWallet } from "./MockWallet";
import { createMockProofProvider } from "./mockProofProvider";
import { TransferButton } from "../TransferButton";

describe("TransferButton", () => {
  let mockWallet: MockWallet;
  let mockProofProvider: MockProofProvider;

  beforeEach(() => {
    mockWallet = new MockWallet({ balance: 1000n });
    mockProofProvider = createMockProofProvider();
  });

  it("should complete transfer with mocked providers", async () => {
    render(
      <TransferButton
        wallet={mockWallet.api}
        proofProvider={mockProofProvider}
        recipient="addr_test1..."
        amount={100n}
      />
    );

    fireEvent.click(screen.());

    
     screen.();

    (mockWallet.()).();
  });
});

Common Patterns

Testing Contract State Reads

import { describe, it, expect } from "vitest";
import { createMockContract } from "./testUtils";

describe("Contract State", () => {
  it("should read balance from contract state", async () => {
    const contract = createMockContract({
      state: {
        balances: new Map([["addr_test1...", 500n]]),
        totalSupply: 10000n,
      },
    });

    const balance = await contract.state.balances.get("addr_test1...");
    expect(balance).toBe(500n);
  });
});

Testing Witness Execution

import { describe, it, expect } from "vitest";
import { witnesses, createInitialPrivateState } from "../witnesses";

describe("Witnesses", () => {
  it("should return balance from private state", () => {
    const privateState = createInitialPrivateState(new Uint8Array(32));
    privateState.balance = 1000n;

    const context = { privateState, setPrivateState: () => {} };
    const balance = witnesses.get_balance(context);

    expect(balance).toBe(1000n);
  });

  it("should throw for expired credential", () => {
    const privateState = createInitialPrivateState(new Uint8Array(32));
    privateState.credentials.set("abc123", {
      expiry: BigInt(Date.now() / 1000 - 3600), // Expired 1 hour ago
      data: new Uint8Array(32),
    });

     context = { privateState, :  {} };

    (
      witnesses.(context, ())
    ).();
  });
});

Testing Error Handling

import { describe, it, expect, vi } from "vitest";
import { MockWallet } from "./MockWallet";

describe("Error Handling", () => {
  it("should handle user rejection", async () => {
    const wallet = new MockWallet();
    wallet.rejectNextTransaction("User rejected");

    await expect(
      wallet.api.submitTransaction(mockTx)
    ).rejects.toThrow("User rejected");
  });

  it("should handle proof server unavailable", async () => {
    const proofProvider = createMockProofProvider({
      shouldFail: true,
      errorMessage: "Proof server unavailable",
    });

    await expect(
      proofProvider.generateProof(mockCircuit, mockWitness)
    ).rejects.toThrow("Proof server unavailable");
  });
});

Snapshot Testing for Disclosures

import { describe, it, expect } from "vitest";
import { render } from "@testing-library/react";
import { DisclosureModal } from "../DisclosureModal";

describe("DisclosureModal", () => {
  it("should render disclosure summary correctly", () => {
    const disclosures = [
      { field: "age", label: "Your Age", value: "25" },
      { field: "country", label: "Country", value: "US" },
    ];

    const { container } = render(
      <DisclosureModal disclosures={disclosures} onConfirm={() => {}} />
    );

    expect(container).toMatchSnapshot();
  });
});

CI/CD Integration

GitHub Actions Example

name: Test Midnight DApp

on: [push, pull_request]

jobs:
  unit-integration:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: pnpm/action-setup@v2
      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: "20"
          cache: "pnpm"

      - run: pnpm install
      - run: pnpm test:unit
      - run: pnpm test:integration

  e2e:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: pnpm/action-setup@v2
      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: "20"
          cache: "pnpm"

         
            

      
         

      
      
      
      

Related Skills

• proof-handling - Understanding what to mock in proof generation
• wallet-integration - Understanding Lace wallet API to mock
• error-handling - Testing error scenarios
• state-management - Testing state synchronization

Related Commands

• /dapp-check - Validates test configuration
• /dapp-debug tests - Diagnose test failures

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