Test a Symfony REST API using Behat / Mink : prb with POST request - rest

Question

My challenge here is to find the best way to test a Symfony (3.4) API application using Behat/Mink for functionnal test, in my CICD platform.
Because my testing processes must be called in a shell script, all the tests must be very linear. I have no way to start a standalone webserver like Apache or the PHP/Symfony webserver. Also, Docker is not an option.
For the moment, I can successfully test the GET verbs of the API using the Mink syntax :
-- file test.feature
#function1
Scenario Outline: Test my api
When I go to "/api/v1/hello"
Then the response is JSON
The "I go to" instruction is implemented by Mink (http://docs.behat.org/en/v2.5/cookbook/behat_and_mink.html) and it emulates a GET request only. When this instruction is called by BeHat, the app Symfony kernel is "spawned" and the "api/v1/hello" method is called internally : there is no network trafic, no TCP connection, there is no need for a dedicated webserver (apache, or the symfony standalone server). It looks like Behat is emulating a webserver and start by itself the Symfony app it its own user space.
Now I want to test the POST verbs of my API, with a json payload, but unfortunally Mink do not have other verbs than GET.
I have read some articles over the web (keyword : behat test post api) but all I have seen is based on a Guzzl/Curl client. So a real client-to-server connection is made to http://localhost and a real webserver have to respond to the request.
I want the Symfony API to be called internally without using an other webserver.
Is there a way to do that ? How to test a Symfony REST API and specially the POST verb without needing a standalone server to reply ?
Thank you.

Answer 1

Here is how I do a functional test of a POST API, with BeHat, without a local running webserver :
test.feature :
#function1
Scenario Outline: Test my api
Given I have the payload
"""
{ "data":"object"}
"""
When I request "POST /api/v1/post"
Then the response is JSON
The featureContext file implement two functions :
"I Have The Payload" : See here https://github.com/philsturgeon/build-apis-you-wont-hate/blob/master/chapter8/app/tests/behat/features/bootstrap/FeatureContext.php
"I request" : based on code provided by philsturgeon just above, I modify it to have something like that :
/**
* #When /^I request "(GET|PUT|POST|DELETE|PATCH) ([^"]*)"$/
*/
public function iRequest($httpMethod, $resource)
{
$this->lastResponse = $this->lastRequest = null;
$this->iAmOnHomepage();
$method = strtoupper($httpMethod);
$components = parse_url($this->getSession()->getCurrentUrl());
$baseUrl = $components['scheme'].'://'.$components['host'];
$this->requestUrl = $baseUrl.$resource;
$formParams = json_decode($this->requestPayload, true);
$formParamsList = [];
foreach($formParams as $param => $value) {
$formParamsList[$param] = json_encode($value);
}
// Construct request
$headers = [
'Accept'=>'application/json',
'Content-Type'=>'application/x-www-form-urlencoded'
];
try {
// Magic is here : allow to simulate any HTTP verb
$client = $this->getSession()->getDriver()->getClient();
$client->request(
$method,
$this->requestUrl,
$formParamsList,
[],
$headers,
null);
} catch (BadResponseException $e) {
$response = $e->getResponse();
// Sometimes the request will fail, at which point we have
// no response at all. Let Guzzle give an error here, it's
// pretty self-explanatory.
if (null === $response) {
throw $e;
}
$this->lastResponse = $e->getResponse();
throw new \Exception('Bad response.');
}
}

Answer 2

If you use Mink then it is quite easy
class FeatureContext extends RawMinkContext
{
/**
* #When make POST request to some Uri
*/
public function makePostRequestToSomeUri(): void
{
$uri = '/some-end-point';
/** #var \Symfony\Component\BrowserKit\Client $client */
$client = $this->getSession()->getDriver()->getClient();
$postParams = [];
$files = [];
$serverParams = [];
$rawContent = '';
$client->request(
\Symfony\Component\HttpFoundation\Request::METHOD_POST,
$uri,
$postParams,
$files,
$serverParams,
$rawContent
);
/** #var \Symfony\Component\HttpFoundation\Response $response */
$response = $client->getResponse();
//...
}
}