test-infrastructure

Test Infrastructure

When to use

• Setting up database tests with real PostgreSQL (not mocks)
• Isolating tests that run in parallel
• Managing test data with factories and seeds
• Handling flaky tests in CI
• Testcontainers for integration tests

Core principles

1. Real database over mocks — SQLite for tests when you use PostgreSQL in prod = false confidence
2. Parallel isolation via schemas — each worker gets its own schema, no shared state
3. Deterministic test data — use factories, not shared fixtures that accumulate side effects
4. Flaky tests: quarantine immediately — don't let them degrade CI trust
5. Fast teardown — truncate tables, not DROP/CREATE (seconds vs minutes)

References available

• references/testcontainers-setup.md — PostgreSqlContainer config, 60s startup timeout, migrate on start
• references/per-worker-isolation.md — vitest thread pool, globalSetup schema creation, search_path config
• references/test-data-seeding.md — factory pattern with beforeEach, seedStandardData, truncateAll
• references/flaky-quarantine.md — it.skip + ticket process, 1-week SLA, fix vs delete decision
• references/ci-database-setup.md — GitHub Actions service containers, health checks, schema init steps