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Dev MaxxingIntermediateTesting75 sec
Integration test
An integration test checks that multiple parts of a system, such as an API and a real database, work correctly together, not just individually.
Prerequisite: Unit test
What matters
Because unit tests check pieces in isolation, they can miss bugs that only appear when components interact, which is exactly what integration tests are designed to catch.
Example
An integration test might submit a real request to an API endpoint and check that it correctly wrote a new row to an actual test database.
Common misconception
Integration tests are not simply slower unit tests; they specifically verify interactions between components, which unit tests deliberately avoid by design.
Recall question
What kind of bug can an integration test catch that unit tests typically miss?
Keywords and related concepts
integration testcomponent interactionsoftware testingunit test