wiremock

name

wiremock

description

Expert guidance for using WireMock in Java applications for HTTP API mocking and testing. Use this skill when the user asks to mock HTTP APIs, create API stubs, test REST clients, simulate network faults, verify HTTP requests, or integrate WireMock with Spring Boot. Trigger keywords include "wiremock", "mock http", "stub api", "http mock", "api testing", "rest mock", "simulate fault", "verify request", "spring boot wiremock".

You are an expert in using WireMock for HTTP API mocking in Java applications. You follow best practices for creating reliable, maintainable test mocks.

Core concepts

WireMock enables you to stub HTTP responses for requests matching specific criteria. This allows testing of HTTP clients without depending on external services.

Preferred configuration methods

The preferred approaches for configuring stubs are:

1. JSON files in the mappings directory (for test resources)
2. Programmatic APIs using the Java SDK (for dynamic test setup)

These methods work well with ephemeral WireMock instances in test contexts, avoiding the need for persistent WireMock servers.

Stubbing basics

Basic stub structure

Every stub requires:

• Request matcher: URL, method, headers, body patterns
• Response definition: Status code, headers, body content

import static com.github.tomakehurst.wiremock.client.WireMock.*;

stubFor(get(urlEqualTo("/api/users"))
    .willReturn(aResponse()
        .withStatus(200)
        .withHeader("Content-Type", "application/json")
        .withBody("{\"users\": []}")));

Java DSL shortcuts

WireMock provides convenient methods for common patterns:

stubFor(get("/ping").willReturn(ok()));
stubFor(get("/users").willReturn(okJson("{\"users\": []}")));
stubFor(post("/redirect").willReturn(temporaryRedirect("/new/location")));
stubFor(get("/error").willReturn(serverError()));
stubFor(get("/not-found").willReturn(notFound()));
stubFor(get("/unauthorized").willReturn(unauthorized()));

Response body options

String literal:

.withBody("Hello, world!")

JSON object:

.withBody("{\"message\": \"Hello\"}")
// Or use the convenience method:
.willReturn(okJson("{\"message\": \"Hello\"}"))

File reference:

.withBodyFile("response.json")  // Relative to __files directory

Binary data:

.withBody(binaryData)  // Base64-encoded in JSON

Stub priority

When multiple stubs match a request, priority determines which responds. Lower numbers equal higher priority (1 is highest; default is 5).

stubFor(get(urlEqualTo("/api/users/123"))
    .atPriority(1)
    .willReturn(aResponse().withStatus(200).withBody("Specific user")));

stubFor(get(urlMatching("/api/users/.*"))
    .atPriority(5)
    .willReturn(aResponse().withStatus(200).withBody("Any user")));

JSON mapping files

JSON mapping files provide a declarative way to define stubs that can be version-controlled and reused across tests.

Directory structure

Place mapping files in the test resources directory:

src/test/resources/
├── mappings/
│   ├── get-users.json
│   ├── create-user.json
│   └── error-scenarios.json
└── __files/
    ├── users-response.json
    └── user-created-response.json

Basic mapping file structure

{
    "request": {
        "method": "GET",
        "urlPath": "/api/users"
    },
    "response": {
        "status": 200,
        "headers": {
            "Content-Type": "application/json"
        },
        "body": "{\"users\": []}"
    }
}

Using external body files

For larger responses, reference files from the __files directory:

{
    "request": {
        "method": "GET",
        "urlPath": "/api/users"
    },
    "response": {
        "status": 200,
        "headers": {
            "Content-Type": "application/json"
        },
        "bodyFileName": "users-response.json"
    }
}

Request matching in JSON

URL path with query parameters:

{
    "request": {
        "method": "GET",
        "urlPath": "/api/search",
        "queryParameters": {
            "q": {
                "equalTo": "test"
            },
            "page": {
                "matches": "[0-9]+"
            }
        }
    },
    "response": {
        "status": 200
    }
}

Header matching:

{
    "request": {
        "method": "POST",
        "urlPath": "/api/users",
        "headers": {
            "Content-Type": {
                "equalTo": "application/json"
            },
            "Authorization": {
                "matches": "Bearer .*"
            }
        }
    },
    "response": {
        "status": 201
    }
}

Request body matching:

{
    "request": {
        "method": "POST",
        "urlPath": "/api/users",
        "bodyPatterns": [
            {
                "matchesJsonPath": "$.name"
            },
            {
                "matchesJsonPath": "$.email",
                "equalTo": "[e-mail]"
            }
        ]
    },
    "response": {
        "status": 201
    }
}

Priority in JSON mappings

{
    "priority": 1,
    "request": {
        "method": "GET",
        "urlPath": "/api/users/123"
    },
    "response": {
        "status": 200,
        "body": "Specific user"
    }
}

Loading mappings in tests

Spring Boot integration:

@EnableWireMock({
    @ConfigureWireMock(
        name = "api-service",
        filesUnderClasspath = "wiremock"
    )
})

This loads mappings from src/test/resources/wiremock/mappings/.

Programmatic loading:

WireMockServer wireMockServer = new WireMockServer(
    options()
        .usingFilesUnderClasspath("wiremock")
        .port(8080)
);
wireMockServer.start();

Combining JSON and programmatic stubs

JSON mappings provide baseline stubs, while programmatic stubs handle test-specific scenarios:

@Test
void testSpecificScenario() {
    // JSON mappings already loaded from src/test/resources/mappings/

    // Override or add test-specific stub
    stubFor(get("/api/users/999")
        .willReturn(notFound()));

    // Run test
    assertThrows(UserNotFoundException.class, () -> {
        apiClient.getUser(999);
    });
}

Request matching

URL matching strategies

Exact URL match (including query parameters):

stubFor(get(urlEqualTo("/api/users?page=1"))
    .willReturn(ok()));

URL regex:

stubFor(get(urlMatching("/api/users/[0-9]+"))
    .willReturn(ok()));

Path-only equality (preferred for query parameters):

stubFor(get(urlPathEqualTo("/api/users"))
    .willReturn(ok()));

Path-only regex:

stubFor(get(urlPathMatching("/api/users/.*"))
    .willReturn(ok()));

Path templates (RFC 6570 compliant):

stubFor(get(urlPathTemplate("/contacts/{contactId}/addresses/{addressId}"))
    .willReturn(ok()));

Query parameter matching

stubFor(get(urlPathEqualTo("/api/users"))
    .withQueryParam("page", equalTo("1"))
    .withQueryParam("size", matching("[0-9]+"))
    .willReturn(ok()));

Header matching

stubFor(get(urlEqualTo("/api/users"))
    .withHeader("Accept", equalTo("application/json"))
    .withHeader("Authorization", matching("Bearer .*"))
    .willReturn(ok()));

Header absence

stubFor(get(urlEqualTo("/api/users"))
    .withHeader("X-Custom-Header", absent())
    .willReturn(ok()));

Request body matching

Exact match:

stubFor(post(urlEqualTo("/api/users"))
    .withRequestBody(equalTo("{\"name\": \"John\"}"))
    .willReturn(created()));

Contains:

stubFor(post(urlEqualTo("/api/users"))
    .withRequestBody(containing("John"))
    .willReturn(created()));

Regex:

stubFor(post(urlEqualTo("/api/users"))
    .withRequestBody(matching(".*\"name\"\\s*:\\s*\"[A-Z][a-z]+\".*"))
    .willReturn(created()));

JSON equality:

stubFor(post(urlEqualTo("/api/users"))
    .withRequestBody(equalToJson("{\"name\": \"John\", \"age\": 30}", true, true))
    .willReturn(created()));

JSON path matching:

stubFor(post(urlEqualTo("/api/users"))
    .withRequestBody(matchingJsonPath("$.name"))
    .withRequestBody(matchingJsonPath("$.age", equalTo("30")))
    .willReturn(created()));

JSON schema validation:

stubFor(post(urlEqualTo("/api/users"))
    .withRequestBody(matchingJsonSchema(schemaJson))
    .willReturn(created()));

XML equality:

stubFor(post(urlEqualTo("/api/users"))
    .withRequestBody(equalToXml("<user><name>John</name></user>"))
    .willReturn(created()));

XPath matching:

stubFor(post(urlEqualTo("/api/users"))
    .withRequestBody(matchingXPath("//name[text()='John']"))
    .willReturn(created()));

Basic authentication

stubFor(get(urlEqualTo("/api/protected"))
    .withBasicAuth("username", "password")
    .willReturn(ok()));

Cookie matching

stubFor(get(urlEqualTo("/api/users"))
    .withCookie("session", matching("[A-Z0-9]+"))
    .willReturn(ok()));

Logical operators

AND combination:

stubFor(post(urlEqualTo("/api/users"))
    .withRequestBody(matching("[a-z]+").and(containing("magic")))
    .willReturn(ok()));

OR combination:

stubFor(get(urlEqualTo("/api/users"))
    .withHeader("Accept", matching("application/json").or(matching("application/xml")))
    .willReturn(ok()));

NOT negation:

stubFor(get(urlEqualTo("/api/users"))
    .withHeader("X-Internal", not(matching("true")))
    .willReturn(ok()));

Simulating faults

Fixed delays

Add delays to individual stubs:

stubFor(get(urlEqualTo("/api/slow"))
    .willReturn(aResponse()
        .withStatus(200)
        .withFixedDelay(2000)));  // 2 second delay

Random delays

Lognormal distribution (realistic long-tail latencies):

stubFor(get(urlEqualTo("/api/variable"))
    .willReturn(aResponse()
        .withStatus(200)
        .withLogNormalRandomDelay(90, 0.1)));  // Median 90ms, sigma 0.1

Uniform distribution (stable latency with jitter):

stubFor(get(urlEqualTo("/api/jitter"))
    .willReturn(aResponse()
        .withStatus(200)
        .withUniformRandomDelay(15, 25)));  // Between 15-25ms

Chunked dribble delays

Simulate slow network connections by fragmenting responses:

stubFor(get(urlEqualTo("/api/slow-download"))
    .willReturn(aResponse()
        .withBody("Large response body...")
        .withChunkedDribbleDelay(5, 1000)));  // 5 chunks over 1000ms

Fault injection

Simulate corrupted or failed responses:

import static com.github.tomakehurst.wiremock.http.Fault.*;

stubFor(get(urlEqualTo("/api/fault"))
    .willReturn(aResponse().withFault(MALFORMED_RESPONSE_CHUNK)));

Available fault types:

• EMPTY_RESPONSE: No response data
• MALFORMED_RESPONSE_CHUNK: Valid status, then corrupted data
• RANDOM_DATA_THEN_CLOSE: Garbage followed by connection closure
• CONNECTION_RESET_BY_PEER: Immediate disconnection

Request verification

Basic verification

Verify a request was made:

import static com.github.tomakehurst.wiremock.client.WireMock.*;

verify(getRequestedFor(urlEqualTo("/api/users")));
verify(postRequestedFor(urlEqualTo("/api/users"))
    .withHeader("Content-Type", equalTo("application/json")));

Count verification

Verify exact request counts:

verify(exactly(3), postRequestedFor(urlEqualTo("/api/users")));
verify(lessThan(5), getRequestedFor(urlMatching("/api/.*")));
verify(moreThanOrExactly(1), deleteRequestedFor(urlEqualTo("/api/users/123")));

Available count operators:

• exactly(n)
• lessThan(n)
• lessThanOrExactly(n)
• moreThan(n)
• moreThanOrExactly(n)

Retrieving all requests

List<ServeEvent> allEvents = getAllServeEvents();
List<LoggedRequest> allRequests = findAll(anyRequestedFor(anyUrl()));

Filtering requests

List<LoggedRequest> userRequests = findAll(
    putRequestedFor(urlMatching("/api/users/.*")));

Finding unmatched requests

List<LoggedRequest> unmatchedRequests = findUnmatchedRequests();

Near misses

Identify stub mappings that almost matched (useful for debugging):

List<NearMiss> nearMisses = findNearMissesForAllUnmatchedRequests();

Resetting request journal

resetAllRequests();  // Clear request log only
reset();  // Clear both stubs and request log

Spring Boot integration

Setup

Add the dependency:

Maven:

<dependency>
    <groupId>org.wiremock.integrations</groupId>
    <artifactId>wiremock-spring-boot</artifactId>
    <version>3.10.0</version>
    <scope>test</scope>
</dependency>

Gradle:

testImplementation 'org.wiremock.integrations:wiremock-spring-boot:3.10.0'

Basic usage

import org.springframework.boot.test.context.SpringBootTest;
import org.wiremock.spring.EnableWireMock;
import org.wiremock.spring.ConfigureWireMock;
import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Value;
import static com.github.tomakehurst.wiremock.client.WireMock.*;

@SpringBootTest
@EnableWireMock
class ApiClientTest {

    @Value("${wiremock.server.baseUrl}")
    private String wireMockUrl;

    @Test
    void testApiClient() {
        stubFor(get("/api/users")
            .willReturn(okJson("[{\"id\": 1, \"name\": \"John\"}]")));

        // Test your API client
        List<User> users = apiClient.getUsers();

        assertThat(users).hasSize(1);
        verify(getRequestedFor(urlEqualTo("/api/users")));
    }
}

Injected properties

The integration automatically provides:

• wiremock.server.baseUrl — Server base URL
• wiremock.server.port — HTTP port number

Declarative configuration

@SpringBootTest
@EnableWireMock({
    @ConfigureWireMock(
        name = "user-service",
        port = 8888,
        baseUrlProperties = "user-service.url"
    )
})
class ApiClientTest {
    @Value("${user-service.url}")
    private String userServiceUrl;
}

Configuration options:

• port — HTTP port (default: random)
• httpsPort — HTTPS port (default: random)
• name — Instance identifier (default: "wiremock")
• baseUrlProperties — Custom property name for base URL
• portProperties — Custom property name for port
• filesUnderClasspath — Classpath resource root for mappings
• filesUnderDirectory — Directory root for mappings

Injecting WireMock instances

import org.wiremock.spring.InjectWireMock;
import com.github.tomakehurst.wiremock.WireMockServer;

@SpringBootTest
@EnableWireMock
class ApiClientTest {

    @InjectWireMock
    private WireMockServer wireMock;

    @Test
    void testWithDirectAccess() {
        wireMock.stubFor(get("/api/users").willReturn(ok()));
        // Test code
    }
}

Multiple WireMock instances

@SpringBootTest
@EnableWireMock({
    @ConfigureWireMock(
        name = "user-service",
        baseUrlProperties = "user-service.url"
    ),
    @ConfigureWireMock(
        name = "order-service",
        baseUrlProperties = "order-service.url"
    )
})
class MultiServiceTest {

    @InjectWireMock("user-service")
    private WireMockServer userService;

    @InjectWireMock("order-service")
    private WireMockServer orderService;

    @Test
    void testMultipleServices() {
        userService.stubFor(get("/users/1").willReturn(okJson("{\"id\": 1}")));
        orderService.stubFor(get("/orders").willReturn(okJson("[]")));

        // Test code that calls both services
    }
}

Programmatic configuration

For advanced control, implement WireMockConfigurationCustomizer:

import org.wiremock.spring.WireMockConfigurationCustomizer;
import com.github.tomakehurst.wiremock.core.WireMockConfiguration;

@SpringBootTest
@EnableWireMock({
    @ConfigureWireMock(
        configurationCustomizers = CustomizerTest.Customizer.class
    )
})
class CustomizerTest {

    static class Customizer implements WireMockConfigurationCustomizer {
        @Override
        public void customize(
            WireMockConfiguration configuration,
            ConfigureWireMock options
        ) {
            configuration
                .notifier(new CustomNotifier())
                .extensions(new CustomTransformer());
        }
    }
}

Stub management

Listing stubs

List<StubMapping> allStubs = WireMock.listAllStubMappings().getMappings();

Editing stubs

StubMapping stub = stubFor(get("/api/users").willReturn(ok()));
stub.setResponse(aResponse().withStatus(404));
editStub(stub);

Removing stubs

// Remove by ID
removeStub(stubId);

// Remove by metadata
removeStubsByMetadata(matchingJsonPath("$.tag", equalTo("temporary")));

// Remove all
WireMock.resetMappings();

Finding unused stubs

List<StubMapping> unusedStubs = findUnmatchedStubs();

Best practices

Use path-only matching for query parameters

Prefer urlPathEqualTo() over urlEqualTo() when matching query parameters separately to achieve order-invariant matching:

// Good: Order-independent query parameter matching
stubFor(get(urlPathEqualTo("/api/search"))
    .withQueryParam("q", equalTo("test"))
    .withQueryParam("page", equalTo("1"))
    .willReturn(ok()));

// Avoid: Query parameter order matters
stubFor(get(urlEqualTo("/api/search?q=test&page=1"))
    .willReturn(ok()));

Use appropriate matchers

Choose the most specific matcher for your use case:

• Use equalTo() for exact matches
• Use matching() for regex patterns
• Use containing() for substring checks
• Use matchingJsonPath() for JSON field matching
• Use matchingJsonSchema() for structural validation

Organise stubs by priority

Use priority to create layered stub configurations:

• High priority (1-2): Specific test cases
• Medium priority (3-5): General cases
• Low priority (6+): Catch-all fallbacks

Reset between tests

Always reset WireMock state between tests:

@BeforeEach
void setUp() {
    WireMock.reset();  // Clears both stubs and request log
}

Or reset selectively:

@BeforeEach
void setUp() {
    WireMock.resetAllRequests();  // Keep stubs, clear request log
}

Use realistic delays

When simulating latency, use lognormal distribution for realistic long-tail behaviour:

stubFor(get("/api/users")
    .willReturn(aResponse()
        .withStatus(200)
        .withLogNormalRandomDelay(100, 0.1)));

Verify important interactions

Always verify that critical requests were made:

@Test
void shouldCreateUser() {
    // Stub the response
    stubFor(post("/api/users").willReturn(created()));

    // Execute test
    apiClient.createUser(new User("John"));

    // Verify the request
    verify(postRequestedFor(urlEqualTo("/api/users"))
        .withRequestBody(matchingJsonPath("$.name", equalTo("John"))));
}

Use meaningful stub names

When using multiple WireMock instances in Spring Boot, use descriptive names:

@EnableWireMock({
    @ConfigureWireMock(name = "user-service"),
    @ConfigureWireMock(name = "payment-gateway"),
    @ConfigureWireMock(name = "notification-service")
})

Prefer JSON mappings for reusable stubs

Use JSON mapping files for stubs that are reused across multiple tests:

src/test/resources/mappings/
├── common-success-responses.json
├── common-error-responses.json
└── service-specific/
    ├── user-service-stubs.json
    └── order-service-stubs.json

Reference external files for large response bodies:

{
    "request": {
        "method": "GET",
        "urlPath": "/api/users"
    },
    "response": {
        "status": 200,
        "headers": {
            "Content-Type": "application/json"
        },
        "bodyFileName": "users-response.json"
    }
}

Use programmatic stubs for test-specific scenarios

Reserve programmatic stub creation for test-specific cases that require dynamic behaviour:

@Test
void shouldHandleSpecificEdgeCase() {
    // JSON mappings provide baseline stubs

    // Add test-specific stub programmatically
    stubFor(get("/api/users/edge-case")
        .willReturn(aResponse()
            .withStatus(200)
            .withBody(generateDynamicResponse())));

    // Test code
}

Test error scenarios

Always test how your code handles failures:

@Test
void shouldHandleServerError() {
    stubFor(get("/api/users").willReturn(serverError()));

    assertThrows(ServiceException.class, () -> {
        apiClient.getUsers();
    });
}

@Test
void shouldHandleTimeout() {
    stubFor(get("/api/users")
        .willReturn(aResponse()
            .withStatus(200)
            .withFixedDelay(5000)));  // Longer than client timeout

    assertThrows(TimeoutException.class, () -> {
        apiClient.getUsers();
    });
}

Common patterns

Stateful behaviour

Simulate stateful interactions using scenarios:

stubFor(post("/api/orders")
    .inScenario("Order Flow")
    .whenScenarioStateIs(STARTED)
    .willReturn(created())
    .willSetStateTo("Order Created"));

stubFor(get("/api/orders/123")
    .inScenario("Order Flow")
    .whenScenarioStateIs("Order Created")
    .willReturn(okJson("{\"id\": 123, \"status\": \"PENDING\"}")));

Response templating

Use response templates for dynamic responses (requires extension):

stubFor(get(urlPathMatching("/api/users/([0-9]+)"))
    .willReturn(aResponse()
        .withBody("{\"id\": {{request.pathSegments.[2]}}, \"name\": \"User\"}")
        .withTransformers("response-template")));

Conditional responses based on request content

stubFor(post("/api/users")
    .withRequestBody(matchingJsonPath("$.role", equalTo("admin")))
    .willReturn(aResponse()
        .withStatus(201)
        .withBody("{\"role\": \"admin\"}")));

stubFor(post("/api/users")
    .withRequestBody(matchingJsonPath("$.role", equalTo("user")))
    .willReturn(aResponse()
        .withStatus(201)
        .withBody("{\"role\": \"user\"}")));

Simulating rate limiting

stubFor(get("/api/data")
    .inScenario("Rate Limit")
    .whenScenarioStateIs(STARTED)
    .willReturn(ok())
    .willSetStateTo("Request 1"));

stubFor(get("/api/data")
    .inScenario("Rate Limit")
    .whenScenarioStateIs("Request 1")
    .willReturn(ok())
    .willSetStateTo("Request 2"));

stubFor(get("/api/data")
    .inScenario("Rate Limit")
    .whenScenarioStateIs("Request 2")
    .willReturn(aResponse()
        .withStatus(429)
        .withHeader("Retry-After", "60")));