Test environment

How the test database and Flask app are configured when tests run.

Table of contents

• How it works
• Environment variables
• E2E and load variables
• Production guard
• See also

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How it works

1. SPLENT_APP identifies the active product
2. get_create_app_in_testing_mode() calls create_app("testing")
3. Flask picks up TestingConfig

class TestingConfig(Config):
    TESTING = True
    WTF_CSRF_ENABLED = False

    def __init__(self):
        super().__init__()
        self.SQLALCHEMY_DATABASE_URI = _build_db_uri(
            "MARIADB_TEST_DATABASE", "default_test_db"
        )

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Environment variables

Variable	Default	Purpose
MARIADB_USER	default_user	Database username
MARIADB_PASSWORD	default_password	Database password
MARIADB_HOSTNAME	localhost	Database host
MARIADB_TEST_DATABASE	default_test_db	Test database name

Tests always run inside the CLI container. The test database is separate from dev. feature:test validates that SQLALCHEMY_DATABASE_URI contains test before running.

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E2E and load variables

E2E and load tests run against a live server and read their own variables.

Variable	Default	Purpose
SELENIUM_GRID_URL	unset	Attach the Selenium driver to this grid hub instead of launching a local browser.
SELENIUM_BROWSER	chrome	Browser for E2E tests, chrome or firefox.
SELENIUM_TARGET_URL	unset	Base URL for E2E tests. Required with a grid, since the browser container resolves the URL and localhost would point at itself.
SPLENT_LOCUSTFILES	unset	Comma-separated glob patterns that replace the Locust bootstrap’s default locustfile discovery.

See E2E (Selenium) and Load (Locust) for details.

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Production guard

If SPLENT_ENV=prod is detected (in the product’s .env or from the running web container), tests refuse to run.

Cannot run tests in production.
   A production deployment is active.

   Stop the deployment and start dev:
     splent product:deploy --down
     splent product:derive --dev

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See also

• Fixtures. The test fixtures that create the app and reset the DB