golang-testing
This skill teaches Go-specific testing patterns using the standard library's `testing` package. It covers table-driven tests for organizing multiple test cases, test helpers with correct error reporting, resource cleanup with `t.Cleanup()`, and race condition detection. Use this when building or reviewing Go test suites to ensure comprehensive coverage and idiomatic test structure.
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/affaan-m/ECC /tmp/golang-testing && cp -r /tmp/golang-testing/.kiro/skills/golang-testing ~/.claude/skills/golang-testingSKILL.md
# Go Testing
> This skill provides comprehensive Go testing patterns extending common testing principles with Go-specific idioms.
## Testing Framework
Use the standard `go test` with **table-driven tests** as the primary pattern.
### Table-Driven Tests
The idiomatic Go testing pattern:
```go
func TestValidateEmail(t *testing.T) {
tests := []struct {
name string
email string
wantErr bool
}{
{
name: "valid email",
email: "user@example.com",
wantErr: false,
},
{
name: "missing @",
email: "userexample.com",
wantErr: true,
},
{
name: "empty string",
email: "",
wantErr: true,
},
}
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)
}
})
}
}
```
**Benefits:**
- Easy to add new test cases
- Clear test case documentation
- Parallel test execution with `t.Parallel()`
- Isolated subtests with `t.Run()`
## Test Helpers
Use `t.Helper()` to mark helper functions:
```go
func assertNoError(t *testing.T, err error) {
t.Helper()
if err != nil {
t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
}
}
func assertEqual(t *testing.T, got, want interface{}) {
t.Helper()
if !reflect.DeepEqual(got, want) {
t.Errorf("got %v, want %v", got, want)
}
}
```
**Benefits:**
- Correct line numbers in test failures
- Reusable test utilities
- Cleaner test code
## Test Fixtures
Use `t.Cleanup()` for resource cleanup:
```go
func testDB(t *testing.T) *sql.DB {
t.Helper()
db, err := sql.Open("sqlite3", ":memory:")
if err != nil {
t.Fatalf("failed to open test db: %v", err)
}
// Cleanup runs after test completes
t.Cleanup(func() {
if err := db.Close(); err != nil {
t.Errorf("failed to close db: %v", err)
}
})
return db
}
func TestUserRepository(t *testing.T) {
db := testDB(t)
repo := NewUserRepository(db)
// ... test logic
}
```
## Race Detection
Always run tests with the `-race` flag to detect data races:
```bash
go test -race ./...
```
**In CI/CD:**
```yaml
- name: Test with race detector
run: go test -race -timeout 5m ./...
```
**Why:**
- Detects concurrent access bugs
- Prevents production race conditions
- Minimal performance overhead in tests
## Coverage Analysis
### Basic Coverage
```bash
go test -cover ./...
```
### Detailed Coverage Report
```bash
go test -coverprofile=coverage.out ./...
go tool cover -html=coverage.out
```
### Coverage Thresholds
```bash
# Fail if coverage below 80%
go test -cover ./... | grep -E 'coverage: [0-7][0-9]\.[0-9]%' && exit 1
```
## Benchmarking
```go
func BenchmarkValidateEmail(b *testing.B) {
email := "user@example.com"
b.ResetTimer()
for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
ValidateEmail(email)
}
}
```
**Run benchmarks:**
```bash
go test -bench=. -benchmem
```
**Compare benchmarks:**
```bash
go test -bench=. -benchmem > old.txt
# make changes
go test -bench=. -benchmem > new.txt
benchstat old.txt new.txt
```
## Mocking
### Interface-Based Mocking
```go
type UserRepository interface {
GetUser(id string) (*User, error)
}
type mockUserRepository struct {
users map[string]*User
err error
}
func (m *mockUserRepository) GetUser(id string) (*User, error) {
if m.err != nil {
return nil, m.err
}
return m.users[id], nil
}
func TestUserService(t *testing.T) {
mock := &mockUserRepository{
users: map[string]*User{
"1": {ID: "1", Name: "Alice"},
},
}
service := NewUserService(mock)
// ... test logic
}
```
## Integration Tests
### Build Tags
```go
//go:build integration
// +build integration
package user_test
func TestUserRepository_Integration(t *testing.T) {
// ... integration test
}
```
**Run integration tests:**
```bash
go test -tags=integration ./...
```
### Test Containers
```go
func TestWithPostgres(t *testing.T) {
if testing.Short() {
t.Skip("skipping integration test")
}
// Setup test container
ctx := context.Background()
container, err := testcontainers.GenericContainer(ctx, ...)
assertNoError(t, err)
t.Cleanup(func() {
container.Terminate(ctx)
})
// ... test logic
}
```
## Test Organization
### File Structure
```
package/
├── user.go
├── user_test.go # Unit tests
├── user_integration_test.go # Integration tests
└── testdata/ # Test fixtures
└── users.json
```
### Package Naming
```go
// Black-box testing (external perspective)
package user_test
// White-box testing (internal access)
package user
```
## Common Patterns
### Testing HTTP Handlers
```go
func TestUserHandler(t *testing.T) {
req := httptest.NewRequest("GET", "/users/1", nil)
rec := httptest.NewRecorder()
handler := NewUserHandler(mockRepo)
handler.ServeHTTP(rec, req)
assertEqual(t, rec.Code, http.StatusOK)
}
```
### Testing with Context
```go
func TestWithTimeout(t *testing.T) {
ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 100*time.Millisecond)
defer cancel()
err := SlowOperation(ctx)
if !errors.Is(err, context.DeadlineExceeded) {
t.Errorf("expected timeout error, got %v", err)
}
}
```
## Best Practices
1. **Use `t.Parallel()`** for independent tests
2. **Use `testing.Short()`** to skip slow tests
3. **Use `t.TempDir()`** for temporary directories
4. **Use `t.Setenv()`** for environment variables
5. **Avoid `init()`** in test files
6. **Keep tests focused** - one behavior per test
7. **Use meaningful test names** - describe what's being tested
## When to Use This Skill
- WStructured self-debugging workflow for AI agent failures using capture, diagnosis, contained recovery, and introspection reports.
Build an evidence-backed ECC install plan for a specific repo by sorting skills, commands, rules, hooks, and extras into DAILY vs LIBRARY buckets using parallel repo-aware review passes. Use when ECC should be trimmed to what a project actually needs instead of loading the full bundle.
>
Write articles, guides, blog posts, tutorials, newsletter issues, and other long-form content in a distinctive voice derived from supplied examples or brand guidance. Use when the user wants polished written content longer than a paragraph, especially when voice consistency, structure, and credibility matter.
>
Build a source-derived writing style profile from real posts, essays, launch notes, docs, or site copy, then reuse that profile across content, outreach, and social workflows. Use when the user wants voice consistency without generic AI writing tropes.
Bun as runtime, package manager, bundler, and test runner. When to choose Bun vs Node, migration notes, and Vercel support.
>