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Comprehensive Go testing patterns for writing reliable, maintainable tests following TDD methodology.

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When to Activate

  • Writing new Go functions or methods
  • Adding test coverage to existing code
  • Creating benchmarks for performance-critical code
  • Implementing fuzz tests for input validation
  • Following TDD workflow in Go projects

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TDD Workflow for Go

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The RED-GREEN-REFACTOR Cycle

RED     → Write a failing test first
GREEN   → Write minimal code to pass the test
REFACTOR → Improve code while keeping tests green
REPEAT  → Continue with next requirement

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Step-by-Step TDD in Go

1
Define the interface/signature
2
// calculator.go
package calculator

func Add(a, b int) int {
    panic("not implemented") // Placeholder
}
3
Write failing test (RED)
4
// calculator_test.go
package calculator

import "testing"

func TestAdd(t *testing.T) {
    got := Add(2, 3)
    want := 5
    if got != want {
        t.Errorf("Add(2, 3) = %d; want %d", got, want)
    }
}
5
Run test - verify FAIL
6
$ go test
--- FAIL: TestAdd (0.00s)
panic: not implemented
7
Implement minimal code (GREEN)
8
func Add(a, b int) int {
    return a + b
}
9
Run test - verify PASS
10
$ go test
PASS
11
Refactor if needed
12
Verify tests still pass after improvements

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Table-Driven Tests

The standard pattern for Go tests: 
func TestAdd(t *testing.T) {
    tests := []struct {
        name     string
        a, b     int
        expected int
    }{
        {"positive numbers", 2, 3, 5},
        {"negative numbers", -1, -2, -3},
        {"zero values", 0, 0, 0},
        {"mixed signs", -1, 1, 0},
        {"large numbers", 1000000, 2000000, 3000000},
    }

    for _, tt := range tests {
        t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
            got := Add(tt.a, tt.b)
            if got != tt.expected {
                t.Errorf("Add(%d, %d) = %d; want %d",
                    tt.a, tt.b, got, tt.expected)
            }
        })
    }
}

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With Error Cases

func TestParseConfig(t *testing.T) {
    tests := []struct {
        name    string
        input   string
        want    *Config
        wantErr bool
    }{
        {
            name:  "valid config",
            input: `{"host": "localhost", "port": 8080}`,
            want:  &Config{Host: "localhost", Port: 8080},
        },
        {
            name:    "invalid JSON",
            input:   `{invalid}`,
            wantErr: true,
        },
        {
            name:    "empty input",
            input:   "",
            wantErr: true,
        },
        {
            name:  "minimal config",
            input: `{}`,
            want:  &Config{},
        },
    }

    for _, tt := range tests {
        t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
            got, err := ParseConfig(tt.input)

            if tt.wantErr {
                if err == nil {
                    t.Error("expected error, got nil")
                }
                return
            }

            if err != nil {
                t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
            }

            if !reflect.DeepEqual(got, tt.want) {
                t.Errorf("got %+v; want %+v", got, tt.want)
            }
        })
    }
}

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Benchmarks

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Basic Benchmarks

func BenchmarkProcess(b *testing.B) {
    data := generateTestData(1000)
    b.ResetTimer() // Don't count setup time

    for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
        Process(data)
    }
}

// Run: go test -bench=BenchmarkProcess -benchmem
// Output: BenchmarkProcess-8   10000   105234 ns/op   4096 B/op   10 allocs/op

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Benchmark with Different Sizes

func BenchmarkSort(b *testing.B) {
    sizes := []int{100, 1000, 10000, 100000}

    for _, size := range sizes {
        b.Run(fmt.Sprintf("size=%d", size), func(b *testing.B) {
            data := generateRandomSlice(size)
            b.ResetTimer()

            for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
                // Make a copy to avoid sorting already sorted data
                tmp := make([]int, len(data))
                copy(tmp, data)
                sort.Ints(tmp)
            }
        })
    }
}

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Fuzzing (Go 1.18+)

func FuzzParseJSON(f *testing.F) {
    // Add seed corpus
    f.Add(`{"name": "test"}`)
    f.Add(`{"count": 123}`)
    f.Add(`[]`)
    f.Add(`""`)

    f.Fuzz(func(t *testing.T, input string) {
        var result map[string]interface{}
        err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(input), &result)

        if err != nil {
            // Invalid JSON is expected for random input
            return
        }

        // If parsing succeeded, re-encoding should work
        _, err = json.Marshal(result)
        if err != nil {
            t.Errorf("Marshal failed after successful Unmarshal: %v", err)
        }
    })
}

// Run: go test -fuzz=FuzzParseJSON -fuzztime=30s

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Test Coverage

# Basic coverage
go test -cover ./...

# Generate coverage profile
go test -coverprofile=coverage.out ./...

# View coverage in browser
go tool cover -html=coverage.out

# View coverage by function
go tool cover -func=coverage.out

# Coverage with race detection
go test -race -coverprofile=coverage.out ./...

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Coverage Targets

Code TypeTarget
Critical business logic100%
Public APIs90%+
General code80%+
Generated codeExclude

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HTTP Handler Testing

func TestHealthHandler(t *testing.T) {
    // Create request
    req := httptest.NewRequest(http.MethodGet, "/health", nil)
    w := httptest.NewRecorder()

    // Call handler
    HealthHandler(w, req)

    // Check response
    resp := w.Result()
    defer resp.Body.Close()

    if resp.StatusCode != http.StatusOK {
        t.Errorf("got status %d; want %d", resp.StatusCode, http.StatusOK)
    }

    body, _ := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
    if string(body) != "OK" {
        t.Errorf("got body %q; want %q", body, "OK")
    }
}

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Best Practices

DO:
  • Write tests FIRST (TDD)
  • Use table-driven tests for comprehensive coverage
  • Test behavior, not implementation
  • Use t.Helper() in helper functions
  • Use t.Parallel() for independent tests
  • Clean up resources with t.Cleanup()
  • Use meaningful test names that describe the scenario
DON’T:
  • Test private functions directly (test through public API)
  • Use time.Sleep() in tests (use channels or conditions)
  • Ignore flaky tests (fix or remove them)
  • Mock everything (prefer integration tests when possible)
  • Skip error path testing
Tests are documentation. They show how your code is meant to be used. Write them clearly and keep them up to date.

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