Automated Testing in CI/CD: Which Test Pyramid Actually Works
The classic test pyramid is a good starting point — but in practice, CI/CD pipelines need a tailored approach. Our experience.
Rethinking the Test Pyramid
The classic pyramid says: many unit tests, few integration tests, barely any E2E tests. In practice with modern web applications, this does not always hold true.
Unit Tests: Fast but Limited
Unit tests are ideal for isolated business logic, calculations, and data validation. But they say nothing about whether your components work together.
Feature Tests: The Sweet Spot
In Laravel projects, feature tests (HTTP tests) are often the best compromise. They test the entire request lifecycle — from the route through the controller and middleware to the database — and still run in milliseconds.
- Database Tests: Use
LazilyRefreshDatabasefor fast, isolated tests with a real database. - Factory States: Define meaningful factory states for different scenarios.
- Assertions: Laravel offers powerful test assertions such as
assertDatabaseHas(),assertRedirect(), andassertSee().
E2E Tests: Use Selectively
Browser tests with tools like Playwright or Dusk should be limited to critical user journeys: login, checkout, registration. They are slow and fragile — but indispensable for happy paths.
Pipeline Integration
In our CI/CD pipelines, unit and feature tests run in parallel, followed by E2E tests only on the staging branch. This keeps feedback cycles short without sacrificing safety.
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