aspire-test-strategy

Choose builder tests in Aspire when you need to verify configuration quickly without the overhead of containers, and layer in integration tests only when you must validate runtime behavior and end-to-end reliability.

Use builder tests to validate Aspire configuration without starting containers, delivering rapid feedback, then apply integration tests with full container startup only for runtime validation to optimize test execution time.

Use integration tests instead of builder tests in Aspire when you must validate runtime behavior with full container startup to ensure end-to-end reliability, as builder tests only verify configuration without containers.

Yes, the test strategy applies to optimizing existing test suites in Aspire by enforcing a decision matrix that prioritizes the lightest approach validating the requirement across both builder and integration test patterns.

Builder tests in .NET Aspire cannot validate runtime behavior or end-to-end reliability because they bypass container startup, meaning you must layer in integration tests to achieve full runtime validation.