The question of how to unit test Servlets comes up a lot. How can it be done? Should it be done? What are the options?
A unit test, in the realm of xUnit semantics, is an isolated test of the smallest testable subset of a program. Usually this translates to a test of a single method in an Object. When this object itself is part of a framework or container, such tests border on becoming Integration Tests. How could these types of objects still be ‘unit tested’?
Options
Here are a few options.
POJO
When you write a servlet, ultimately the servlet object is instantiated by the server container. These objects do a lot behind the scenes that may prevent invoking methods on them when not attached to an actual container.
A servlet, or any other server based object like an EJB, provides access to problem domain services or functionality. The easiest way to test these Objects is to refactor that service into plain old Java objects, POJO.
Jakob Jenkov writes: “… push the main business logic in the servlet into a separate class which has no dependencies on the Servlet API’s, if possible”.
If your working with a framework that is likely the design approach anyway.
Servlet stub library
A library that allows creation of “server” objects can make creating stubs for testing very easy. Again, a framework should provide such a feature.
Mocking
Mocking using modern libraries like Mockito, Powermock, and JMockit, provides a very powerful approach.
In listing 1 below, a test is created for a target SutServlet class’s doGet. This method will set the response status to 404 if an ID request parameter is null.
Using JMockit, proxies of HttpServletRequest and HttpServletResponse are created. The request’s getParameter and the response’s setError methods are mocked. The actual unit test assertion is done in the mocked setError method.
Listing 1, JMockit use
@RunWith(JMockit.class)
public class SutServletTest_JMockit {
@Test
public void should_Set_ResourceNotFound_If_Id_Is_Null() throws Exception {
new SutServlet().doGet(
new MockUp<HttpServletRequest>() {
@Mock
public String getParameter(String id){
return id.compareToIgnoreCase("id") == 0 ? null : "don't care";
}
}.getMockInstance(),
new MockUp<HttpServletResponse>() {
@Mock
public void sendError(int num){
Assert.assertThat(num, IsEqual.equalTo(HttpServletResponse.SC_NOT_FOUND));
}
}.getMockInstance());
}
}
JDK Dynamic Proxies
The Mock approach can also be duplicated using dynamic proxies. JDK dynamic proxy support is usable here. JDK proxies have one limitation, they can only proxy classes that extend an interface. (Still true in Java 9?). Servlets extend interfaces, so we can the proxy support in the JDK.
Listing 2, using JDK proxies
public class SutServletTest_using_jdk_proxy {
private static final String DON_T_CARE = "don't care";
private static final String SEND_ERROR = "sendError";
private static final String GET_PARAMETER = "getParameter";
/** @throws Exception */
@Test
public void should_Set_ResourceNotFound_If_Id_Is_Null() throws Exception {
// request object that returns null for getParameter("id") method.
HttpServletRequest request = (HttpServletRequest)Proxy.newProxyInstance(this.getClass().getClassLoader(),
new Class[]{HttpServletRequest.class},
new InvocationHandler() {
public Object invoke(Object proxy, Method method, Object[] args) throws Throwable {
if(method.getName().compareToIgnoreCase(GET_PARAMETER) ==0){
return ((String)args[0]).compareToIgnoreCase("id") == 0 ? null : "oops";
}
return DON_T_CARE;
}
}
);
// Response object that asserts that sendError arg is resource not found: 404.
HttpServletResponse response = (HttpServletResponse)Proxy.newProxyInstance(this.getClass().getClassLoader(),
new Class[]{HttpServletResponse.class},
new InvocationHandler() {
public Object invoke(Object proxy, Method method, Object[] args) throws Throwable {
if(method.getName().compareTo(SEND_ERROR) == 0){
Assert.assertThat((Integer) args[0], IsEqual.equalTo(HttpServletResponse.SC_NOT_FOUND));
}
return DON_T_CARE; }
}
);
new SutServlet().doGet(request,response);
}
}
Javassist Proxies
Just for completeness, in listing 3, we use the Javassist library.
Listing 3, using Javassist proxy
public class SutServletTest_using_assist {
private static final String DON_T_CARE = "don't care";
private static final String SEND_ERROR = "sendError";
private static final String GET_PARAMETER = "getParameter";
/** @throws Exception */
@Test
public void should_Set_ResourceNotFound_If_Id_Is_Null() throws Exception {
// request object that returns null for getParameter("id") method.
HttpServletRequest request = (HttpServletRequest)createObject(new Class[]{HttpServletRequest.class},
new MethodHandler() {
public Object invoke(Object self, Method thisMethod, Method proceed, Object[] args) throws Throwable {
if(thisMethod.getName().compareToIgnoreCase(GET_PARAMETER) == 0){
return ((String)args[0]).compareToIgnoreCase("id") == 0 ? null : "oops";
}
return DON_T_CARE;
}
}
);
// Response object that asserts that sendError arg is resource not found: 404.
HttpServletResponse response = (HttpServletResponse)createObject(new Class[]{HttpServletResponse.class},
new MethodHandler() {
public Object invoke(Object self, Method thisMethod, Method proceed, Object[] args) throws Throwable {
if(thisMethod.getName().compareTo(SEND_ERROR) == 0){
Assert.assertThat((Integer) args[0], IsEqual.equalTo(HttpServletResponse.SC_NOT_FOUND));
}
return DON_T_CARE;
}
}
);
new SutServlet().doGet(request,response);
}
/**
* Create Object based on interface.
* <p>
* Just to remove duplicate code in should_Return_ResourceNotFound_If_Id_Is_Null test.
* @param interfaces array of T interfaces
* @param mh MethodHandler
* @return Object
* @throws Exception
*/
private <T> Object createObject(T[] interfaces, MethodHandler mh ) throws Exception{
ProxyFactory factory = new ProxyFactory();
factory.setInterfaces((Class<?>[]) interfaces); // hmmm.
return factory.create(new Class[0], new Object[0], mh);
}
}
Embedded server
Its also possible to start an embedded server, deploy the servlets, and then run the tests. Various Java app servers (like Tomcat and Jetty) support this and are well documented. The complexity comes when only partial integration is required. For example, we may want to have a real app server running the tests, but do we also really need a database server too? Thus, we also have to deploy stubs or mocks to this embedded server. Many resources on web for this approach, for example, “Integration Testing a Spring Boot Application“.
Another approach is the concept of the Hermetic Servers.
AOP
AOP can be used on embedded server, and this would allow “easy” mocking of integration endpoints and mocks. Such an approach was shown here “Unit test Struts applications with mock objects and AOP“.
References
- Hermetic Servers
- Unit test Struts applications with mock objects and AOP
- Servlet Unit Testing
- JMockit: Servlet JUnit test using Jmockit
- Uses Mockito: How to test my servlet using JUnit
Clik here to view.
