Rails Testing with RSpec

Build comprehensive test suites using RSpec and FactoryBot. This skill covers spec structure, factories, mocking, and testing best practices.

Quick Start

Add to Gemfile:

group :test do
  gem 'rspec-rails'
  gem 'factory_bot_rails'
  gem 'faker'
end

Generate RSpec install:

rails generate rspec:install

Write a test:

require 'rails_helper'

RSpec.describe User, type: :model do
  describe 'validations' do
    it { is_expected.to validate_presence_of(:email) }
    it { is_expected.to validate_uniqueness_of(:email) }
  end
  
  describe '#full_name' do
    it 'returns concatenated first and last name' do
      user = build(:user, first_name: 'John', last_name: 'Doe')
      expect(user.full_name).to eq('John Doe')
    end
  end
end

Run tests:

rspec                    # All specs
rspec spec/models       # Only model specs
rspec spec/models/user_spec.rb:10  # Specific line

Core Topics

RSpec Setup: See rspec-setup.md for configuration, describe blocks, contexts, and common matchers.

Factories: See factories-fixtures.md for FactoryBot setup, defining factories, and sequences.

Mocking: See mocking-stubbing.md for stubbing, mocking, spies, and testing external dependencies.

Patterns: See patterns.md for test organization, DRY specs, and common patterns.

Examples

See examples.md for:

• Model specs with validations and scopes
• Controller/request specs
• Integration tests
• Testing background jobs