/laravel-testing

Define Factories with Typed Fake Data

Impact: CRITICAL (Provides clean, realistic test data without manual setup)

Define model factories using Faker to generate realistic typed attributes. Use PHP 8.3 typed properties in the factory class. Every model that appears in tests should have a factory — raw DB::table()->insert() calls are fragile, bypass model events and casts, and duplicate schema knowledge across tests.

Bad Example

<?php

// Raw DB insert — bypasses model events, casts, and observers
test('user profile is created', function () {
    DB::table('users')->insert([
        'name'       => 'Test User',
        'email'      => 'test@test.com',
        'password'   => 'password',  // plaintext — not hashed
        'created_at' => now(),
        'updated_at' => now(),
    ]);

    $user = User::first();
    expect($user->profile)->not->toBeNull(); // profile observer never fired
});

// Factory without types and with hardcoded values
class UserFactory extends Factory
{
    public function definition()  // missing return type
    {
        return [
            'name'  => 'John',      // hardcoded — collisions in tests
            'email' => 'john@a.com',// always the same — unique constraint fails
        ];
    }
}

Good Example

<?php

namespace Database\Factories;

use App\Enums\UserRole;
use App\Models\User;
use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Factories\Factory;
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Hash;
use Illuminate\Support\Str;

/**
 * @extends Factory<User>
 */
class UserFactory extends Factory
{
    public function definition(): array
    {
        return [
            'name'              => fake()->name(),
            'email'             => fake()->unique()->safeEmail(),
            'email_verified_at' => now(),
            'password'          => Hash::make('password'), // consistent test password
            'remember_token'    => Str::random(10),
            'role'              => UserRole::Member,
        ];
    }
}

Using the factory in tests:

<?php

use App\Models\User;
use Illuminate\Foundation\Testing\RefreshDatabase;

uses(RefreshDatabase::class);

// Create a persisted record
test('user has a profile', function () {
    $user = User::factory()->create();
    expect($user->profile)->not->toBeNull();
});

// Make without persisting (unit tests, no DB needed)
test('user full name is formatted', function () {
    $user = User::factory()->make(['name' => 'Alice Smith']);
    expect($user->full_name)->toBe('Alice Smith');
});

// Create multiple records
test('index returns all users', function () {
    User::factory()->count(5)->create();

    $this->getJson('/api/users')
        ->assertOk()
        ->assertJsonCount(5, 'data');
});

Why It Matters

• Uniqueness: fake()->unique()->safeEmail() prevents constraint violations across test runs
• Model events fire: create() goes through Eloquent — observers, casts, and booted traits work
• Single source of truth: Factory definition lives once — changes propagate everywhere
• Realistic data: Faker generates varied, realistic values that expose edge cases raw data misses

Reference: Laravel Eloquent Factories — Defining Factories