qa-testing-nunit

QA Testing (NUnit)

Quick Start

1. Classify test scope: API, component, or integration.
2. Lock runtime constraints: Docker availability, framework target, and excluded suites.
3. Choose fixture pattern: one fixture per controller or handler family.
4. Wire dependencies: Testcontainers for databases, WireMock for external services.
5. Run iteratively: code → build → dotnet test → fix → repeat.

Quick Reference

• Classify test scope first: API, component, or integration.
• Lock runtime constraints before execution: Docker availability, framework target, and explicitly excluded suites.
• If the task mentions dotnet test, Microsoft.Testing.Platform, global.json, adapters, or coverage/logging switches, verify the repo's current runner mode first and use current primary sources from data/sources.json.
• Use this skill for test-suite architecture and fixture behavior, not for general service implementation or CI graph refactors.
• Default to two files per handler/use case: <Feature>Fixture.cs and <Feature>Tests.cs.
• For full-cycle API tests, use controller-focused structure: one fixture per controller/test family and one base ApiTest.cs + ApiFixture.cs (split by scenario family only when needed).
• Do not translate SpecFlow/Taffy step definitions into C# line-by-line; rewrite scenario intent into idiomatic API tests.
• For API migrations, avoid one global shared setup fixture; each controller/test family fixture owns its own dependencies.
• Fixture ownership for API tests should include DB launcher + migrators + WireMock + WebApplicationFactory + client.
• Keep API fixture-shared runtime parallel-safe: fixture-level parallelism is fine, but do not enable child-test parallelism when WireMock stubs, clients, or mutable runtime state are shared.
• Why [FixtureLifeCycle(LifeCycle.InstancePerTestCase)] pairs with [Parallelizable]: NUnit's default SingleInstance lifecycle shares one fixture object across every test method, so instance fields become a race condition the moment two of its tests run concurrently. InstancePerTestCase gives each test its own instance, isolating instance-field state; it does not isolate static fields or external shared resources (containers, WireMock servers), which is why [OneTimeSetUp]/[OneTimeTearDown] must stay static under this lifecycle and shared runtime still needs its own reset discipline in [SetUp].
• Reset mutable state in [SetUp]; dispose all owned infra in [OneTimeTearDown].
• For DB bootstrapping, use the DatabaseLauncher + MigratorContainer pattern (see assets/nunit-database-launcher-template.cs); if the repo already has an established launcher/migrator helper, follow it instead of forking.
• Use whatever migrator command the repo's existing migrator container exposes (e.g. migrateup -m /sql); avoid custom ready-check arguments inside tests — drive readiness from the container wait strategy.
• Keep migrator ordering explicit (dependency migrators first, domain migrator last) and support fixture-level optional migrator toggles when some suites do not need all DBs.
• Add explicit migrator verification tests that assert launcher startup, migrator completion/order, and required tables.
• Use iterative quality loop: code -> build -> run tests -> fix -> repeat.
• For health endpoints, use [Test] + [TestCase] + [CancelAfter(...)] with method signature (string url, CancellationToken cancellationToken); keep [Test] together with [TestCase] to avoid NUnit analyzer issues.
• Prefer analyzer-friendly NUnit usage and richer diagnostics: use Assert.Multiple or Assert.EnterMultipleScope for related assertions, and use TestContext.Progress or fixture diagnostics when failures need more context.
• If user excludes infra-dependent suites (for example component tests requiring Docker), run feasible categories first and report exactly what remains unvalidated.
• If the task shifts into service design or backend refactoring, switch to $software-csharp-backend.
• If the task shifts into nuke/Build.cs, test runner selection, category target wiring, or CI artifact publication, switch to $ops-nuke-cicd.