Testing in Laravel helps you write stable code and catch bugs early. Laravel supports two core types: Unit Tests and Feature Tests. Each has a distinct role and purpose. Here’s a breakdown.
🧪 Unit Tests (Test Isolated Code)
Step 1: Unit tests focus on small, isolated pieces — typically individual methods or classes.
Step 2: They don’t load the full Laravel framework (no DB, no HTTP requests).
Step 3: Use when testing pure logic, services, or helper classes.
Step 4: Example:
php artisan make:test MathHelperTest --unit
Step 5: Test methods like this:
$this->assertEquals(10, MathHelper::sum(4, 6));
Step 6: Unit tests run faster and are ideal for business logic validation.
🧪 Feature Tests (Test Full Behavior)
Step 1: Feature tests interact with the whole app — routes, controllers, views, and database.
Step 2: They simulate real user behavior like form submission or page loading.
Step 3: Use when testing end-to-end flows (e.g. login, registration, API requests).
Step 4: Create a feature test:
php artisan make:test LoginTest
Step 5: Example:
$response = $this->post('/login', ['email' => 'user@example.com', 'password' => 'secret']);
$response->assertRedirect('/dashboard');
Step 6: Feature tests are more realistic but take more time to run.
🔍 Summary
-
Unit Tests: Fast, isolated, test individual logic
-
Feature Tests: Full Laravel stack, test full flows
- ✅ Combine both for a complete test suite
🧠 Tip: Use php artisan test to run all tests together with clean output.