testing-anti-patterns

To stop unit tests from validating mock behavior, enforce guidelines that prevent mock behavior testing and ensure mocks mirror real data structures. This approach shifts focus back to validating actual system behavior rather than mocked implementation details.

Common testing anti-patterns include mock behavior testing, test-only production code, incomplete mocks, and over-mocking. These anti-patterns degrade test quality by creating brittle tests that validate mock details rather than real behavior.

Apply TDD cycles by writing a failing test first, implementing minimal production code to pass, and using well-scoped mocks at the appropriate level. This disciplined approach prevents over-mocking by ensuring tests reflect real behavior.

Use mocks in integration testing and unit testing by following concrete gate-logic recommendations to decide when and what to mock. This ensures mocks are applied at appropriate levels to guard against brittle tests across both test types.

Test-only production code pollutes your codebase by adding methods solely for test access, which degrades test reliability. Remove this anti-pattern by enforcing guidelines that eliminate test-only production code and prevent misunderstood dependencies.