fsharp-testing

F# Testing Patterns

Comprehensive testing patterns for F# applications using xUnit, FsUnit, Unquote, FsCheck, and modern .NET testing practices.

When to Activate

• Writing new tests for F# code
• Reviewing test quality and coverage
• Setting up test infrastructure for F# projects
• Debugging flaky or slow tests

Test Framework Stack

Tool	Purpose
xUnit	Test framework (standard .NET ecosystem choice)
FsUnit.xUnit	F#-friendly assertion syntax for xUnit
Unquote	Assertion library using F# quotations for clear failure messages
FsCheck.xUnit	Property-based testing integrated with xUnit
NSubstitute	Mocking .NET dependencies
Testcontainers	Real infrastructure in integration tests
WebApplicationFactory	ASP.NET Core integration tests

Unit Tests with xUnit + FsUnit

Basic Test Structure

module OrderServiceTests

open Xunit
open FsUnit.Xunit

[<Fact>]
let ``create sets status to Pending`` () =
    let order = Order.create "cust-1" [ validItem ]
    order.Status |> should equal Pending

[<Fact>]
let ``confirm changes status to Confirmed`` () =
    let order = Order.create "cust-1" [ validItem ]
    let confirmed = Order.confirm order
    confirmed.Status |> should be (ofCase <@ Confirmed @>)

Assertions with Unquote

Unquote uses F# quotations so failure messages show the full expression that failed, not just "expected X got Y".

module OrderValidationTests

open Xunit
open Swensen.Unquote

[<Fact>]
let ``PlaceOrder returns success when request is valid`` () =
    let request = { CustomerId = "cust-123"; Items = [ validItem ] }
    let result = OrderService.placeOrder request
    test <@ Result.isOk result @>

[<Fact>]
let ``order total sums item prices`` () =
    let items = [ { Sku = "A"; Quantity = 2; Price = 10m }
                  { Sku = "B"; Quantity = 1; Price = 5m } ]
    let total = Order.calculateTotal items
    test <@ total = 25m @>

[<Fact>]
let ``validated email rejects empty input`` () =
    let result = ValidatedEmail.create ""
    test <@ Result.isError result @>