PHPUnit setup in Laravel

Introduction

PHPUnit helps you test your Laravel app to make sure it works correctly. It finds mistakes early so your app stays reliable.

When you want to check if your app's features work after changes.

Before releasing your app to catch bugs automatically.

When adding new features to ensure old parts still work.

To run tests automatically during development.

When fixing bugs to confirm the fix works and nothing else breaks.

Syntax

Laravel

php artisan make:test TestName

// Run tests
./vendor/bin/phpunit

// Or use artisan
php artisan test

Use php artisan make:test to create a new test file.

Run tests with php artisan test or ./vendor/bin/phpunit.

Examples

This creates a test file named UserTest.php in the tests/Feature folder.

Laravel

php artisan make:test UserTest

This command runs all tests in your Laravel app and shows results in the terminal.

Laravel

php artisan test

A simple test checking if the home page loads successfully with status 200.

Laravel

<?php

namespace Tests\Feature;

use Tests\TestCase;

class UserTest extends TestCase
{
    public function test_example()
    {
        $response = $this->get('/');
        $response->assertStatus(200);
    }
}

Sample Program

This test checks if the home page URL ('/') returns a successful HTTP status (200). Running php artisan test will show if the test passes.

Laravel

<?php

namespace Tests\Feature;

use Tests\TestCase;

class HomePageTest extends TestCase
{
    public function test_home_page_loads()
    {
        $response = $this->get('/');
        $response->assertStatus(200);
    }
}

// To run this test, use:
// php artisan test

// Expected output example:
// 
//   PASS  Tests\Feature\HomePageTest
//    test_home_page_loads
// 
//  Tests:  1 passed
//  Time:   0.12s

Important Notes

Laravel includes PHPUnit by default, so no extra installation is needed.

Test files go in the tests folder, usually Feature or Unit.

Use descriptive test method names starting with test for clarity.

Summary

PHPUnit helps test Laravel apps to catch bugs early.

Create tests with php artisan make:test and run them with php artisan test.

Write simple tests to check your app's pages and features work as expected.