Functional Testing Philosophy

Core Principle

ALWAYS test the public interface of a project. Tests should interact with the system the same way end users or consumers would, never calling internal/private functions directly.

The "public interface" varies by project type:

• HTTP APIs: Test via HTTP requests to running server
• Libraries: Test via exported package functions
• CLIs: Test via command execution with captured output

CLI Testing Pattern

Code Structure

Structure CLI applications to be testable by making the main() function a thin wrapper:

package main

import (
    "context"
    "os"
    "github.com/your/project"
)

func main() {
    ctx := context.Background()
    os.Exit(project.Run(ctx, os.Argv[1:], project.RunOptions{
        Stdout: os.Stdout,
        Stderr: os.Stderr,
    }))
}

Run Function Signature

The Run() function should accept:

• context.Context - for cancellation (servers) or timeout control. May be omitted for simple CLIs.
• []string - command arguments (os.Argv[1:])
• Options struct - for dependency injection (stdout, stderr, config, etc.)

Examples:

// Simple CLI (no context needed)
func Run(args []string, opts RunOptions) int

// Server CLI (needs context for shutdown)
func Run(ctx context.Context, args []string, opts RunOptions) int

// RunOptions provides testable dependencies
type RunOptions struct {
    Stdout io.Writer // Defaults to os.Stdout if nil
    Stderr io.Writer // Defaults to os.Stderr if nil
    // ... other dependencies
}

Test Implementation

Tests call Run() with test arguments and capture output:

package cmd_test

import (
    "bytes"
    "context"
    "testing"
    "yourproject/cmd"
    "github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
    "github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
)

func TestSubCommand(t *testing.T) {
    var stdout bytes.Buffer

    exitCode := cmd.Run([]string{"sub-command", "-f", "filename.ext"}, cmd.RunOptions{
        Stdout: &stdout,
    })

    require.Equal(t, 0, exitCode)
    assert.Contains(t, stdout.String(), "expected output")
}

func TestSubCommandWithContext(t *testing.T) {
    ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
    defer cancel()

    var stdout bytes.Buffer

    exitCode := cmd.Run(ctx, []string{"server", "start"}, cmd.RunOptions{
        Stdout: &stdout,
    })

    require.Equal(t, 0, exitCode)
}

HTTP API Testing Pattern

Code Structure

Structure HTTP services with a testable server lifecycle:

type Server struct {
    // ... server state
}

func NewServer(opts ServerOptions) *Server {
    return &Server{...}
}

func (s *Server) Start(ctx context.Context, addr string) error {
    // Start HTTP server
}

func (s *Server) Shutdown(ctx context.Context) error {
    // Graceful shutdown
}

Test Implementation

Tests start a real server and make HTTP requests:

package api_test

import (
    "context"
    "net/http"
    "testing"
    "yourproject/api"
    "github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
    "github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
)

func TestCreateUser(t *testing.T) {
    server := api.NewServer(api.ServerOptions{
	   // ... actual or mocked dependencies
    })

    ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
    defer cancel()

    go server.Start(ctx, "localhost:0")
    defer server.Shutdown(context.Background())

    // Make actual HTTP request
    resp, err := http.Post(
        "http://localhost:8080/users",
        "application/json",
        strings.NewReader(`{"name":"Alice"}`),
    )
    require.NoError(t, err)
    defer resp.Body.Close()

    assert.Equal(t, http.StatusCreated, resp.StatusCode)
}

Library Testing Pattern

Code Structure

Export public functions that encapsulate business logic:

package converter

// Public API
func Convert(input []byte, opts ConvertOptions) (*Result, error) {
    // Implementation
}

// Internal functions (not tested directly)
func parseSchema(data []byte) (*schema, error) {
    // Internal implementation
}

Test Implementation

Tests call exported functions only:

package converter_test

import (
    "testing"
    "yourproject/converter"
    "github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
    "github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
)

func TestConvert(t *testing.T) {
    for _, test := range []struct {
        name     string
        input    string
        expected string
    }{
        {
            name:     "simple conversion",
            input:    "input data",
            expected: "expected output",
        },
    } {
        t.Run(test.name, func(t *testing.T) {
            result, err := converter.Convert([]byte(test.input), converter.ConvertOptions{
                PackageName: "testpkg",
            })
            require.NoError(t, err)
            assert.Equal(t, test.expected, string(result.Output))
        })
    }
}

Testing Internal Behavior via Observability

The Problem

Some important code paths execute without direct user interaction. Examples:

• Background workers (cache eviction, garbage collection)
• Periodic operations (WAL writes, checkpoints, compaction)
• Performance optimizations (query plan caching, connection pooling)

If these behaviors are important enough to test, they're important enough to expose to users.

The Solution: Expose Statistics and Observability

Instead of testing internal functions, expose public APIs that make internal behavior observable.

Example: Database WAL Writes

Bad Approach - Testing internal functions:

// DON'T DO THIS
package db

func (db *DB) writeWAL() error { ... }

// Test calls internal function
func TestWriteWAL(t *testing.T) {
    db := NewDB()
    err := db.writeWAL() // Testing internal function
    require.NoError(t, err)
}

Good Approach - Expose statistics API:

package db

type Stats struct {
    WALWriteCount     int64
    WALLastWriteTime  time.Time
    DirtyPages        int64
    PagesFlushedToWAL int64
    PagesFlushedToDB  int64
}

func (db *DB) Stats() Stats {
    return db.stats.snapshot()
}

// Internal function - not tested directly
func (db *DB) writeWAL() error {
    // Implementation
    db.stats.walWriteCount++
    db.stats.walLastWriteTime = time.Now()
}

Test using public Stats API:

package db_test

func TestWALPeriodicWrite(t *testing.T) {
    db := NewDB(DBOptions{
        WALFlushInterval: 100 * time.Millisecond,
    })
    defer db.Close()

    // Perform operations
    require.NoError(t, db.Insert("key", "value"))

    // Poll statistics until expected behavior occurs
    require.Eventually(t, func() bool {
        stats := db.Stats()
        return stats.WALWriteCount > 0 && stats.DirtyPages == 0
    }, time.Second, 10*time.Millisecond)

    stats := db.Stats()
    assert.Greater(t, stats.PagesFlushedToWAL, int64(0))
}

Benefits of Statistics APIs

1. Users benefit: Statistics are useful for monitoring, debugging, and optimization
2. Tests verify real behavior: Tests observe actual system behavior, not mocked internals
3. No test-only code: The statistics API is production code that serves real users
4. Better diagnostics: Users can troubleshoot issues using the same APIs tests use

Decision Tree for Untestable Code

If code cannot be reached via the public interface:

Can this code be reached via public interface?
├─ No → Is this code important to project correctness?
│       ├─ No → Remove the code (it's dead code)
│       └─ Yes → Expose observability (statistics, metrics, debug APIs)
└─ Yes → Test via public interface

When to Extract Internal Packages

The Problem Domain Principle

Not all internal functionality should remain buried in a single package. When internal code represents a distinct problem domain that's part of your deliverable product, it should be extracted into its own internal package with a well-defined public interface.

Identifying Extraction Candidates

Ask: "Is this internal functionality part of the observable product contract?"

Examples of problem domains worth extracting:

• Database page format: Users expect format consistency across versions
• Wire protocol encoding: The encoding scheme is part of the API contract
• Configuration file parsing: The config format is part of the user interface
• Log format serialization: Log structure is an observable product feature

Counter-examples (keep as private functions):

• Helper functions for string manipulation
• Internal cache eviction algorithms
• Temporary data structure transformations

Example: Database Page Marshalling

Before - Monolithic package:

package db

type DB struct {
    file *os.File
}

// Tightly coupled to DB internals
func (db *DB) writePage(page *page) error {
    data := marshalPage(page) // Private function
    return db.file.Write(data)
}

func marshalPage(p *page) []byte {
    // Complex marshalling logic
}

func unmarshalPage(data []byte) (*page, error) {
    // Complex unmarshalling logic
}

// Can't test marshalling without testing entire DB

After - Extracted internal package:

// internal/pageformat/format.go
package pageformat

// Marshal converts a Page into wire format
func Marshal(p *Page) ([]byte, error) {
    // Complex marshalling logic
}

// Unmarshal converts wire format into a Page
func Unmarshal(data []byte) (*Page, error) {
    // Complex unmarshalling logic
}

// internal/pageformat/format_test.go
package pageformat_test

import (
    "testing"
    "yourproject/internal/pageformat"
    "github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
    "github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
)

func TestMarshalUnmarshal(t *testing.T) {
    for _, test := range []struct {
        name string
        page *pageformat.Page
    }{
        {
            name: "empty page",
            page: &pageformat.Page{ID: 1, Data: nil},
        },
        {
            name: "page with data",
            page: &pageformat.Page{ID: 42, Data: []byte("content")},
        },
    } {
        t.Run(test.name, func(t *testing.T) {
            data, err := pageformat.Marshal(test.page)
            require.NoError(t, err)

            result, err := pageformat.Unmarshal(data)
            require.NoError(t, err)
            assert.Equal(t, test.page, result)
        })
    }
}

func TestUnmarshalInvalidData(t *testing.T) {
    for _, test := range []struct {
        name    string
        data    []byte
        wantErr string
    }{
        {
            name:    "empty data",
            data:    []byte{},
            wantErr: "insufficient data",
        },
        {
            name:    "corrupt header",
            data:    []byte{0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF},
            wantErr: "invalid header",
        },
    } {
        t.Run(test.name, func(t *testing.T) {
            _, err := pageformat.Unmarshal(test.data)
            require.ErrorContains(t, err, test.wantErr)
        })
    }
}

// db.go - now uses the extracted package
package db

import "yourproject/internal/pageformat"

type DB struct {
    file *os.File
}

func (db *DB) writePage(page *pageformat.Page) error {
    data, err := pageformat.Marshal(page)
    if err != nil {
        return err
    }
    return db.file.Write(data)
}

Benefits of Extraction

1. Testable Boundaries: Complex logic gets its own focused test suite
2. Clear Interfaces: Package boundaries force explicit API design
3. Tight Coupling, Loose Organization: Code remains tightly coupled (it should be) but with clean separation
4. Reusability: Other parts of the system can use the same package
5. Easier Reasoning: Each package has a single, well-defined responsibility

Testing Internal Packages

Apply the same functional testing principles:

• Tests in package XXX_test to enforce public interface testing
• Test the exported functions only
• No access to internal package details
• Comprehensive coverage of the public API surface

The fact that it's an internal/ package doesn't change testing strategy - you still test the public interface of that package.

When NOT to Extract

Don't extract packages for:

• Simple helpers: Pure utility functions without domain meaning
• Implementation details: Truly private algorithms that aren't part of product contract
• Premature abstraction: Wait until the domain boundary is clear

If internal code doesn't represent a distinct problem domain that users depend on (even implicitly), keep it as private functions.

Key Principles

1. Test Behavior, Not Implementation: Tests should verify what the system does, not how it does it
2. Tests Are End-Users: If a test needs to call internal functions, the code structure is wrong
3. Unreachable Code Path: If code cannot be tested via public interface, either remove it or expose observability
4. Dependency Injection: Use options structs to inject testable dependencies (stdout, http clients, etc.)
5. Real Execution: Tests should execute real code paths, not mocks of the main logic
6. Package Separation: Tests MUST be in package XXX_test to enforce public interface testing
7. Problem Domain Extraction: When internal logic represents a distinct problem domain, extract it to an internal package with testable boundaries

When to Deviate

Never test internal functions directly. Instead:

• If internal logic is complex but not important: Remove or simplify it
• If internal logic is complex and important: Expose it as a public API or extract to separate package
• If internal behavior is important but implicit: Add statistics/observability APIs

Benefits

• Tests verify actual user experience
• Refactoring internal code doesn't break tests
• Tests serve as usage examples
• Higher confidence in deployments
• Forces good API design