pytest best practices for writing comprehensive test suites. Use when writing or running Python tests, setting up test fixtures, mocking, or achieving good test coverage.
Scanned 9/7/2026
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---
name: pytest-patterns
description: pytest best practices for writing comprehensive test suites. Use when writing or running Python tests, setting up test fixtures, mocking, or achieving good test coverage.
---
# pytest Patterns
## Structure
```
tests/
conftest.py # Shared fixtures
unit/ # Pure unit tests (no I/O)
integration/ # DB, Redis, API tests
e2e/ # Full flow tests
test_models.py # Test naming: test_<module>.py
```
## conftest.py (Fixtures)
```python
import pytest
from httpx import AsyncClient, ASGITransport
from sqlalchemy.ext.asyncio import create_async_engine, AsyncSession
@pytest.fixture(scope="session")
def event_loop():
loop = asyncio.new_event_loop()
yield loop
loop.close()
@pytest.fixture(scope="session")
async def engine():
engine = create_async_engine("postgresql+asyncpg://test:test@localhost/test_db")
async with engine.begin() as conn:
await conn.run_sync(Base.metadata.create_all)
yield engine
async with engine.begin() as conn:
await conn.run_sync(Base.metadata.drop_all)
@pytest.fixture
async def db(engine):
async with AsyncSession(engine) as session:
yield session
await session.rollback()
@pytest.fixture
async def client(db):
app.dependency_overrides[get_db] = lambda: db
async with AsyncClient(transport=ASGITransport(app=app), base_url="http://test") as c:
yield c
app.dependency_overrides.clear()
@pytest.fixture
async def user(db):
u = User(email="test@example.com", name="Test")
db.add(u)
await db.flush()
return u
```
## Test Patterns
```python
# Parametrize for edge cases
@pytest.mark.parametrize("email,valid", [
("user@example.com", True),
("invalid", False),
("", False),
("a" * 300 + "@x.com", False),
])
async def test_email_validation(email, valid):
...
# Mock external services
from unittest.mock import AsyncMock, patch
async def test_sends_email(client, user):
with patch("app.services.email.send") as mock_send:
mock_send.return_value = None
resp = await client.post("/users/verify", json={"email": user.email})
assert resp.status_code == 200
mock_send.assert_called_once_with(user.email, subject="Verify your account")
# Test error cases
async def test_get_user_not_found(client):
resp = await client.get("/users/99999")
assert resp.status_code == 404
assert "not found" in resp.json()["detail"].lower()
```
## Running Tests
```bash
# Full suite with coverage
pytest tests/ -v --tb=short --cov=app --cov-report=term-missing
# Fast: only unit tests
pytest tests/unit/ -v
# Specific test
pytest tests/test_auth.py::test_login_success -v
# Stop on first failure
pytest -x
```
## Rules
- Every fixture that creates DB data must rollback after test
- Mock ALL external APIs (email, Stripe, S3) — never call real ones in tests
- Test both success AND failure paths for every endpoint
- Use parametrize for boundary conditions
- Keep unit tests pure (no I/O, no DB) — they must run in < 1ms each
- Coverage goal: 80%+ for services, 60%+ overall
- Test names must describe WHAT they test: test_login_with_wrong_password_returns_401
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