Integration tests with test server in GraphQL - Step-by-Step Execution

Concept Flow - Integration tests with test server

Start Test Setup

↓

Launch Test Server

↓

Send GraphQL Query/Mutation

↓

Receive Response

↓

Assert Expected Result

↓

Shutdown Test Server

↓

End

Integration tests start by launching a test server, sending GraphQL requests, checking responses, and then shutting down the server.

Execution Sample

GraphQL

startTestServer()
response = sendGraphQLQuery('{ user { id name } }')
assert response.data.user.id == '1'
stopTestServer()

This code launches a test server, sends a query to get user data, checks the user id, then stops the server.

Execution Table

Step	Action	Request/Query	Response	Assertion	Result
1	Start test server	-	-	-	Server running
2	Send GraphQL query	{ user { id name } }	{ "data": { "user": { "id": "1", "name": "Alice" } } }	-	Response received
3	Assert user id	-	-	response.data.user.id == '1'	Pass
4	Stop test server	-	-	-	Server stopped
5	End test	-	-	-	Test completed successfully

💡 Test ends after server stops and assertions pass

Variable Tracker

Variable	Start	After Step 2	After Step 3	Final
serverStatus	stopped	running	running	stopped
response	null	{ user: { id: '1', name: 'Alice' } }	{ user: { id: '1', name: 'Alice' } }	{ user: { id: '1', name: 'Alice' } }
assertionResult	null	null	true	true

Key Moments - 2 Insights

Why do we need to start and stop the test server in integration tests?

Starting the server (Step 1) creates a real environment to test against, and stopping it (Step 4) cleans up resources. Without this, tests might fail or interfere with each other.

What happens if the assertion fails during the test?

If the assertion (Step 3) fails, the test stops and reports failure. The server should still be stopped to avoid leftover running processes.

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution table, what is the server status after Step 2?

A starting

B stopped

C running

D unknown

💡 Hint

Check the 'serverStatus' variable in variable_tracker after Step 2

At which step is the GraphQL query sent to the test server?

A Step 1

B Step 2

C Step 3

D Step 4

💡 Hint

Look at the 'Action' column in the execution_table for sending queries

If the assertion fails, what should happen next?

A Test stops and server is stopped to clean up

B Test continues without stopping the server

C Server restarts automatically

D Nothing happens, test passes anyway

💡 Hint

Refer to key_moments about assertion failure and server cleanup

Concept Snapshot

Integration tests with test server:
- Start a test server to simulate real environment
- Send GraphQL queries or mutations
- Check responses with assertions
- Stop the server to clean up
- Ensures backend works end-to-end

Full Transcript

Integration tests with a test server involve starting a server that mimics the real backend environment. Then, GraphQL queries or mutations are sent to this server. The responses are checked using assertions to confirm the backend behaves as expected. After tests run, the server is stopped to free resources. This process helps verify that all parts of the system work together correctly.