Skill Store 33

Smoke Test

Smoke testing patterns for verifying backend implementations end-to-end.

by claude-dev-suite · MIT

The skill

Smoke testing patterns for verifying backend implementations end-to-end. Covers build verification, service health checks, authentication flows, test data setup, and HTTP endpoint validation. USE WHEN: user mentions "smoke test", "verify implementation", "test endpoints", "check if it works", "end-to-end verification", "does it actually run" DO NOT USE FOR: Unit test writing - use `vitest` or `junit`; E2E browser tests - use `playwright`; Load testing - use `performance-expert`; Static API validation - use `integration-validator-expert`

Smoke Testing Core Knowledge

Deep Knowledge: Use mcp__documentation__fetch_docs with technology: smoke-testing for comprehensive documentation.

When NOT to Use This Skill

  • Unit Testing — Use vitest, jest, junit, or pytest for isolated unit tests
  • E2E Browser Testing — Use playwright or cypress for browser-driven end-to-end tests
  • Static API Contract Validation — Use integration-validator-expert for OpenAPI schema validation without running services
  • Load/Performance Testing — Use performance-expert for benchmarks and profiling

Stack Detection Table

Marker File Stack Build Command Test Command Run Command Default Port
pom.xml Spring Boot ./mvnw clean compile -q ./mvnw test -q ./mvnw spring-boot:run & 8080
build.gradle Spring Boot (Gradle) ./gradlew build -x test ./gradlew test ./gradlew bootRun & 8080
package.json + @nestjs/core NestJS npm run build npm test npm run start:dev & 3000
package.json + express Express npm run build npm test npm start & 3000
requirements.txt + fastapi FastAPI — pytest uvicorn main:app --reload & 8000
go.mod Go go build ./... go test ./... go run . & 8080
Cargo.toml Rust cargo build cargo test cargo run & 8080
*.csproj .NET dotnet build dotnet test dotnet run & 5000

Health Check Endpoints

Stack Endpoint Dependency
Spring Boot /actuator/health spring-boot-starter-actuator
NestJS /health @nestjs/terminus (or custom)
FastAPI /health or /docs Custom route
Express /health or /api/health Custom route
Go /health or /healthz Custom handler
.NET /health Microsoft.Extensions.Diagnostics.HealthChecks

Port Detection Strategy

Search in order:

  1. CLAUDE.md — explicit port mentions
  2. application.yml / application.properties → server.port
  3. package.json scripts → --port flag
  4. .env / .env.local → PORT=
  5. Fall back to stack default from table above

Authentication Patterns

JWT Login Flow

POST /api/auth/login
Content-Type: application/json

{"email": "{email}", "password": "{password}"}

→ Response: {"token": "eyJ...", "refreshToken": "..."}
→ Use: Authorization: Bearer {token}

Credential Discovery

Search in order:

  1. Test files → Grep for login, password, testUser in src/test/ or test/
  2. Config files → application-test.yml, .env.test, test.env
  3. Seed/fixture files → data.sql, seed.ts, fixtures/
  4. Known defaults → admin/admin, test@test.com/password

Detecting Auth Requirement

No auth needed if:

  • No security dependencies in pom.xml / package.json
  • Health endpoint returns 200 without token
  • No @PreAuthorize, @UseGuards, Depends(get_current_user) in controllers

Log File Locations

Stack Typical Paths Config Key
Spring Boot logs/, target/ logging.file.path in application*.yml
NestJS logs/ LoggerModule config or winston transport
FastAPI logs/ logging.config in Python files
Docker Container stdout Access via docker logs or docker-manager MCP

Fallback chain: /tmp/smoke-test-app.log (stdout redirect) → Glob **/logs/*.log → Docker container logs

HTTP Verification Patterns

Positive Cases

Method Expected Status Body Check
GET (list) 200 Array response, non-empty
GET (by ID) 200 Object with matching ID
POST (create) 201 Created object with generated ID
PUT (update) 200 Updated fields reflected
DELETE 204 or 200 Subsequent GET returns 404

Negative Cases

Test Expected Status Meaning
No auth token 401 Unauthorized
Invalid ID (e.g. 999999) 404 Not Found
Invalid body (missing required field) 400 Bad Request
Wrong HTTP method 405 Method Not Allowed

Anti-Patterns

Anti-Pattern Why It's Bad Solution
Testing against production DB Data corruption risk Use test profile or Docker container
Hardcoding test credentials Security risk, breaks across envs Read from env/test config files
Skipping cleanup Leftover processes and test data Always kill PID, prefix data with smoke-test-*
Testing all endpoints Scope creep, slow Focus on recently implemented endpoints
Ignoring log errors Hidden bugs slip through Always check logs in Phase 7
Retrying without fixing Wastes iterations Delegate fix before retrying

Quick Troubleshooting

Problem Likely Cause Solution
Health check timeout App not started or wrong port Check log file, verify port in config
401 on all endpoints JWT expired or wrong header format Re-authenticate, check Authorization: Bearer format
Connection refused Service not listening yet Increase health check retry interval
500 on POST Missing required fields or DB constraint Check DTO validation and entity defaults
Port already in use Previous smoke test didn't cleanup kill $(lsof -ti:PORT) then retry
Build fails on Windows Maven wrapper not executable Use mvnw.cmd instead of ./mvnw

Reference Documentation

Use this skill

Connect your agent to the Skill Store MCP server and ask for it by ref: claude-dev-suite/smoke-test-18111950072.

Download SKILL.md · Markdown version

Details

Publisher
claude-dev-suite
Category
Software Development › Testing & QA
License
MIT
Updated
2026-10-19

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