Home>Courses>Fundamentals of Testing Using Rails

Fundamentals of Testing Using Rails

Gain insights into TDD, learn about writing and running tests using RSpec and Minitest, and explore how to apply testing fundamentals to enhance Ruby-on-Rails application development.

Advanced

190 Lessons

27h 10min

Certificate of Completion

Gain insights into TDD, learn about writing and running tests using RSpec and Minitest, and explore how to apply testing fundamentals to enhance Ruby-on-Rails application development.

AI-POWERED

Explanations

AI-POWERED

Explanations

This course includes

87 Playgrounds

68 Quizzes

Course Overview

What You'll Learn

Course Content

Course Overview

Take a deep dive into the test-driven development (TDD) process by writing and running your own tests for your Ruby-on-Rails applications. Not only will you learn the fundamentals of testing in Ruby and Rails, but also how you can apply the same methods in your daily coding practice. Explore and practice tools such as RSpec and Minitest to make your application development more efficient and robust. By the time you’re done, you’ll have a solid foundation in TDD and be ready to take your expertise in applica...Show More

What You'll Learn

Understand the fundamentals of test-driven development

Write and run tests for your application using RSpec and Minitest

Learn to make failing tests pass

Test the security of your application

Configure your routes, models, views, and controllers

Understand the fundamentals of test-driven development

Course Content

Introduction

2 Lessons

Get familiar with TDD principles, RSpec, Minitest, and testing strategies in Rails.

Who Should Take this Course and Why?

Tools, Best practices, and Teaching TDD

Test-Driven Fable

5 Lessons

Look at TDD, its advantages, design benefits, and limitations in automated testing.

Test-Driven Development (TDD) Advantages

Testing First Drives Design

What is TDD Good For?

When TDD needs help

Summary

Test-Driven Development Basics

14 Lessons

Work your way through Test-Driven Development (TDD) essentials, RSpec integration, and incremental testing.

Infrastructure

Installing RSpec

Where to Start?

RSpec and Rails Features

RSpec Predefined Matchers

Test-Driven Rails

11 Lessons

Enhance your skills in TDD, focusing on model, view, and controller testing using Rails.

Let's Write Some Rails

End-to-End Testing

Pending Tests

Creating ActiveRecord Models

The Days Are Action-Packed

Going with the Workflow

Refactoring to Single-Assertion Specs

Who Controls the Controllers?

A Test with a View

Testing for Failure

Summary

What Makes a Great Test?

8 Lessons

Deepen your knowledge of creating efficient, valuable tests to maintain high code quality.

The Big One

Cost and Value

Straightforward: The First Quality of Valuable Tests

Well Defined: The Second Quality of Valuable Tests

Independent: The Third Quality of Valuable Tests

Fast: The Fourth Quality of Valuable Tests

Truthful: The Fifth Quality of Valuable Tests

Summary

Testing Models

11 Lessons

See how it works to test Rails models using TDD, refactoring, and custom RSpec matchers.

What can We do in a Model Test?

A TDD Metaprocess

Refactoring Models

Combine Duplication

Find Missing Abstractions

A Note on Assertions Per Test

Testing What Rails Give Us

Testing ActiveRecord Finders

Testing Shared Modules and ActiveSupport Concerns

Writing RSpec Matchers

Summary

Adding Data to Tests

12 Lessons

Master test data management by utilizing fixtures for speed and factories for flexibility.

Getting Started with Testing Data

What's The Problem?

Fixtures

Loading Fixture Data

Why Fixtures are a Pain?

Factories

Basic Factory Definition

Basic Factory Creation

Associations and Factories

Managing Duplication in Factories

Dates and Times

Summary

Using Test Doubles as Mocks and Stubs

10 Lessons

Try out using test doubles in Rails for effective and isolated automated testing.

Using Mocks to Simulate Database Failure

Using Mocks to Specify Behavior

More Expectation Annotations

Mock Tips

Summary

Integration Testing with Capybara and Cucumber

14 Lessons

Discover the logic behind integration testing in Rails using Capybara and Cucumber.

A Field Guide to Integration and System Tests

Setting Up Capybara

Using Feature Tests to Build a Feature

The Capybara API: Interacting

The Capybara API: Querying

What to Test in an RSpec System Test

Outside-in Testing

Making the Capybara Test Pass

Retrospective

Setting Up Cucumber

Writing Cucumber Features

Advanced Cucumber

Is Cucumber Worth It?

Summary

10.

Testing JavaScript: Integration Testing

5 Lessons

Work your way through JavaScript integration testing with Capybara in Rails.

Integration-Testing JavaScript with Capybara

Let’s Talk About Drivers

Making the Test Pass

Webpack in Developer Mode

Summary

11.

Unit-Testing Javascript

13 Lessons

Grasp the fundamentals of effective JavaScript unit testing, setup, and handling Ajax calls.

Getting Started with Unit Testing Javascript

Setting Up Javascript Unit-Test

JavaScript Unit-Testing using Karma Module

Writing a Sample Test

Creating Test Doubles

Specifying Test Double Behavior

Verifying Test Doubles

Connecting the JavaScript to the Server Code

Summary

12.

Testing Rails Display Elements

14 Lessons

Dig deeper into testing Rails components: views, controllers, routes, mailers, and background jobs.

Getting Started

Testing Routes

Testing Helper Methods

Testing Helper Methods Blocks

Testing Controllers and Requests

Simulating Requests

What to Expect in a Request Spec

Older Rails Controller Tests

Testing Mailers

Testing Views and View Markup

What Does The View Test Do?

Using Presenters

Testing Jobs and Cables

Summary

13.

Minitest

10 Lessons

Follow Minitest to simplify testing in Rails, covering unit, system, and integration tests.

Getting Started with Minitest

System Tests and Others

Minitest Integration Tests

Minitest Helper Tests

Minitest and Routing

Summary

14.

Testing for Security

11 Lessons

Build on security testing techniques, user roles, access controls, and form protection in Rails.

Getting Started with Security Testing

User Authentication and Authorization

Adding Users and Roles

Restricting Access

More Access-Control Testing

Using Roles

More Roles Tests

Protection Against Form Modification

Mass Assignment Testing

Other Security Resources

Summary

15.

Testing External Services

14 Lessons

Learn how to use adapters and VCR to effectively test external service integrations.

Getting Started with External Services

External Testing Strategy

The Service Integration Test

Testing for Error Cases

Smoke Tests and VCR Options

The World is a Service

Summary

16.

Troubleshooting and Debugging

9 Lessons

Get started with tools and techniques for effective Rails test troubleshooting and debugging.

Getting Started with Troubleshooting and Debugging

The Humble Print Statement

Git Bisect

RSpec or Minitest Bisect

Pry

Basic Pry Consoling

Using Pry to Troubleshoot Test Failures

Common Rails Gotchas

Summary

17.

Running Tests Faster and Running Faster Tests

17 Lessons

Break apart strategies and techniques to enhance test speed and efficiency using Rails.

Getting Started with Running Smaller Groups of Tests

Running Smaller Groups of Tests: RSpec

Running Smaller Groups of Tests in Minitest

Running Smaller Groups of Tests Using Cucumber

Running Rails in the Background

Using Spring

Spring Advantages

Running Tests Automatically with Guard

Writing Faster Tests by Bypassing Rails

Why Speed Is Important

Why Separation from Rails Is Useful

Rails Test Prescriptions, Hold the Rails

Bypassing Rails in Minitest

Workflow Tests Without Rails

Running Rails-free Tests

Recommendations for Faster Tests

Summary

18.

Testing Legacy Code

10 Lessons

Grasp the fundamentals of effectively testing and optimizing legacy Rails codebases.

What is a Legacy?

Set Expectations

Getting Started with Legacy Code

Black-Box and White-Box Testing

Dependency Removal

Legacy Databases, Testing, and Us

Using Test Doubles to Remove Dependencies

Find the Seam

Don’t Look Back

Conclusion

Course Author

The Pragmatic Programmers

Trusted by 2.5 million developers working at companies

"These are high-quality courses. Trust me. I own around 10 and the price is worth it for the content quality. EducativeInc came at the right time in my career. I'm understanding topics better than with any book or online video tutorial I've done. Truly made for developers. Thanks"

Anthony Walker

@_webarchitect_

"Just finished my first full #ML course: Machine learning for Software Engineers from Educative, Inc. ... Highly recommend!"

Evan Dunbar

ML Engineer

"You guys are the gold standard of crash-courses... Narrow enough that it doesn't need years of study or a full blown book to get the gist, but broad enough that an afternoon of Googling doesn't cut it."

Carlos Matias La Borde

Software Developer

"I spend my days and nights on Educative. It is indispensable. It is such a unique and reader-friendly site"

Souvik Kundu

Front-end Developer

"Your courses are simply awesome, the depth they go into and the breadth of coverage is so good that I don't have to refer to 10 different websites looking for interview topics and content."

Vinay Krishnaiah

Software Developer

"I've tried probably 5-7 different sites and Educative is easily the best. It perfectly blends explanation with interactivity"

Eric Downs

Musician/Entrepeneur

Hands-on Learning Powered by AI

See how Educative uses AI to make your learning more immersive than ever before.

Instant Code Feedback

Evaluate and debug your code with the click of a button. Get real-time feedback on test cases, including time and space complexity of your solutions.

AI-Powered Mock Interviews

Put your skills to the test in a simulated interview setting. Receive personalized feedback based on your performance. Available in Premium & Premium Plus plans.

Adaptive Learning

At various checkpoints throughout Educative courses, you will be prompted to take a quick assessment. Receive a condensed curriculum tailored to your strengths and skill gaps.

Explain with AI

Select any text within any Educative course, and get an instant explanation — without ever leaving your browser.

AI Code Mentor

AI Code Mentor helps you quickly identify errors in your code, learn from your mistakes, and nudge you in the right direction — just like a 1:1 tutor!

Free Resources

FOR TEAMS

Interested in this course for your business or team?

Unlock this course (and 1,000+ more) for your entire org with DevPath