name	pytest-patterns
description	Python testing with pytest covering fixtures, parametrization, mocking, and test organization for reliable test suites

Pytest Patterns - Comprehensive Testing Guide

A comprehensive skill for mastering Python testing with pytest. This skill covers everything from basic test structure to advanced patterns including fixtures, parametrization, mocking, test organization, coverage analysis, and CI/CD integration.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

Writing tests for Python applications (web apps, APIs, CLI tools, libraries)
Setting up test infrastructure for a new Python project
Refactoring existing tests to be more maintainable and efficient
Implementing test-driven development (TDD) workflows
Creating fixture patterns for database, API, or external service testing
Organizing large test suites with hundreds or thousands of tests
Debugging failing tests or improving test reliability
Setting up continuous integration testing pipelines
Measuring and improving code coverage
Writing integration, unit, or end-to-end tests
Testing async Python code
Mocking external dependencies and services

Core Concepts

What is pytest?

pytest is a mature, full-featured Python testing framework that makes it easy to write simple tests, yet scales to support complex functional testing. It provides:

Simple syntax: Use plain assert statements instead of special assertion methods
Powerful fixtures: Modular, composable test setup and teardown
Parametrization: Run the same test with different inputs
Plugin ecosystem: Hundreds of plugins for extended functionality
Detailed reporting: Clear failure messages and debugging information
Test discovery: Automatic test collection following naming conventions

pytest vs unittest

# unittest (traditional)
import unittest

class TestMath(unittest.TestCase):
    def test_addition(self):
        self.assertEqual(2 + 2, 4)

# pytest (simpler)
def test_addition():
    assert 2 + 2 == 4

Test Discovery Rules

pytest automatically discovers tests by following these conventions:

Test files: test_*.py or *_test.py
Test functions: Functions prefixed with test_
Test classes: Classes prefixed with Test (no __init__ method)
Test methods: Methods prefixed with test_ inside Test classes

Fixtures - The Heart of pytest

What are Fixtures?

Fixtures provide a fixed baseline for tests to run reliably and repeatably. They handle setup, provide test data, and perform cleanup.

Basic Fixture Pattern

import pytest

@pytest.fixture
def sample_data():
    """Provides sample data for testing."""
    return {"name": "Alice", "age": 30}

def test_data_access(sample_data):
    assert sample_data["name"] == "Alice"
    assert sample_data["age"] == 30

Fixture Scopes

Fixtures can have different scopes controlling how often they're created:

function (default): Created for each test function
class: Created once per test class
module: Created once per test module
package: Created once per test package
session: Created once per test session

@pytest.fixture(scope="session")
def database_connection():
    """Database connection created once for entire test session."""
    conn = create_db_connection()
    yield conn
    conn.close()  # Cleanup after all tests

@pytest.fixture(scope="module")
def api_client():
    """API client created once per test module."""
    client = APIClient()
    client.authenticate()
    yield client
    client.logout()

@pytest.fixture  # scope="function" is default
def temp_file():
    """Temporary file created for each test."""
    import tempfile
    f = tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile(mode='w', delete=False)
    yield f.name
    os.unlink(f.name)

Fixture Dependencies

Fixtures can depend on other fixtures, creating a dependency graph:

@pytest.fixture
def database():
    db = Database()
    db.connect()
    yield db
    db.disconnect()

@pytest.fixture
def user_repository(database):
    """Depends on database fixture."""
    return UserRepository(database)

@pytest.fixture
def sample_user(user_repository):
    """Depends on user_repository, which depends on database."""
    user = user_repository.create(name="Test User")
    yield user
    user_repository.delete(user.id)

def test_user_operations(sample_user):
    """Uses sample_user fixture (which uses user_repository and database)."""
    assert sample_user.name == "Test User"

Autouse Fixtures

Fixtures that run automatically without being explicitly requested:

@pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
def reset_database():
    """Runs before every test automatically."""
    clear_database()
    seed_test_data()

@pytest.fixture(autouse=True, scope="session")
def configure_logging():
    """Configure logging once for entire test session."""
    import logging
    logging.basicConfig(level=logging.DEBUG)

Fixture Factories

Fixtures that return functions for creating test data:

@pytest.fixture
def make_user():
    """Factory fixture for creating users."""
    users = []

    def _make_user(name, email=None):
        user = User(name=name, email=email or f"{name}@example.com")
        users.append(user)
        return user

    yield _make_user

    # Cleanup all created users
    for user in users:
        user.delete()

def test_multiple_users(make_user):
    user1 = make_user("Alice")
    user2 = make_user("Bob", email="bob@test.com")
    assert user1.name == "Alice"
    assert user2.email == "bob@test.com"

Parametrization - Testing Multiple Cases

Basic Parametrization

Run the same test with different inputs:

import pytest

@pytest.mark.parametrize("input_value,expected", [
    (2, 4),
    (3, 9),
    (4, 16),
    (5, 25),
])
def test_square(input_value, expected):
    assert input_value ** 2 == expected

Multiple Parameters

@pytest.mark.parametrize("x", [0, 1])
@pytest.mark.parametrize("y", [2, 3])
def test_combinations(x, y):
    """Runs 4 times: (0,2), (0,3), (1,2), (1,3)."""
    assert x < y

Parametrizing with IDs

Make test output more readable:

@pytest.mark.parametrize("test_input,expected", [
    pytest.param("3+5", 8, id="addition"),
    pytest.param("2*4", 8, id="multiplication"),
    pytest.param("10-2", 8, id="subtraction"),
])
def test_eval(test_input, expected):
    assert eval(test_input) == expected

# Output:
# test_eval[addition] PASSED
# test_eval[multiplication] PASSED
# test_eval[subtraction] PASSED

Parametrizing Fixtures

Create fixture instances with different values:

@pytest.fixture(params=["mysql", "postgresql", "sqlite"])
def database_type(request):
    """Test runs three times, once for each database."""
    return request.param

def test_database_connection(database_type):
    conn = connect_to_database(database_type)
    assert conn.is_connected()

Combining Parametrization and Marks

@pytest.mark.parametrize("test_input,expected", [
    ("valid@email.com", True),
    ("invalid-email", False),
    pytest.param("edge@case", True, marks=pytest.mark.xfail),
    pytest.param("slow@test.com", True, marks=pytest.mark.slow),
])
def test_email_validation(test_input, expected):
    assert is_valid_email(test_input) == expected

Indirect Parametrization

Pass parameters through fixtures:

@pytest.fixture
def database(request):
    """Create database based on parameter."""
    db_type = request.param
    db = Database(db_type)
    db.connect()
    yield db
    db.close()

@pytest.mark.parametrize("database", ["mysql", "postgres"], indirect=True)
def test_database_operations(database):
    """database fixture receives the parameter value."""
    assert database.is_connected()
    database.execute("SELECT 1")

Mocking and Monkeypatching

Using pytest's monkeypatch

The monkeypatch fixture provides safe patching that's automatically undone:

def test_get_user_env(monkeypatch):
    """Test environment variable access."""
    monkeypatch.setenv("USER", "testuser")
    assert os.getenv("USER") == "testuser"

def test_remove_env(monkeypatch):
    """Test with missing environment variable."""
    monkeypatch.delenv("PATH", raising=False)
    assert os.getenv("PATH") is None

def test_modify_path(monkeypatch):
    """Test sys.path modification."""
    monkeypatch.syspath_prepend("/custom/path")
    assert "/custom/path" in sys.path

Mocking Functions and Methods

import requests

def get_user_data(user_id):
    response = requests.get(f"https://api.example.com/users/{user_id}")
    return response.json()

def test_get_user_data(monkeypatch):
    """Mock external API call."""
    class MockResponse:
        @staticmethod
        def json():
            return {"id": 1, "name": "Test User"}

    def mock_get(*args, **kwargs):
        return MockResponse()

    monkeypatch.setattr(requests, "get", mock_get)

    result = get_user_data(1)
    assert result["name"] == "Test User"

Using unittest.mock

from unittest.mock import Mock, MagicMock, patch, call

def test_with_mock():
    """Basic mock usage."""
    mock_db = Mock()
    mock_db.get_user.return_value = {"id": 1, "name": "Alice"}

    user = mock_db.get_user(1)
    assert user["name"] == "Alice"
    mock_db.get_user.assert_called_once_with(1)

def test_with_patch():
    """Patch during test execution."""
    with patch('mymodule.database.get_connection') as mock_conn:
        mock_conn.return_value = Mock()
        # Test code that uses database.get_connection()
        assert mock_conn.called

@patch('mymodule.send_email')
def test_notification(mock_email):
    """Patch as decorator."""
    send_notification("test@example.com", "Hello")
    mock_email.assert_called_once()

Mock Return Values and Side Effects

def test_mock_return_values():
    """Different return values for sequential calls."""
    mock_api = Mock()
    mock_api.fetch.side_effect = [
        {"status": "pending"},
        {"status": "processing"},
        {"status": "complete"}
    ]

    assert mock_api.fetch()["status"] == "pending"
    assert mock_api.fetch()["status"] == "processing"
    assert mock_api.fetch()["status"] == "complete"

def test_mock_exception():
    """Mock raising exceptions."""
    mock_service = Mock()
    mock_service.connect.side_effect = ConnectionError("Failed to connect")

    with pytest.raises(ConnectionError):
        mock_service.connect()

Spy Pattern - Partial Mocking

def test_spy_pattern(monkeypatch):
    """Spy on a function while preserving original behavior."""
    original_function = mymodule.process_data
    call_count = 0

    def spy_function(*args, **kwargs):
        nonlocal call_count
        call_count += 1
        return original_function(*args, **kwargs)

    monkeypatch.setattr(mymodule, "process_data", spy_function)

    result = mymodule.process_data([1, 2, 3])
    assert call_count == 1
    assert result is not None  # Original function executed

Test Organization

Directory Structure

project/
├── src/
│   └── mypackage/
│       ├── __init__.py
│       ├── models.py
│       ├── services.py
│       └── utils.py
├── tests/
│   ├── __init__.py
│   ├── conftest.py          # Shared fixtures
│   ├── unit/
│   │   ├── __init__.py
│   │   ├── test_models.py
│   │   └── test_utils.py
│   ├── integration/
│   │   ├── __init__.py
│   │   ├── conftest.py      # Integration-specific fixtures
│   │   └── test_services.py
│   └── e2e/
│       └── test_workflows.py
├── pytest.ini               # pytest configuration
└── setup.py

conftest.py - Sharing Fixtures

The conftest.py file makes fixtures available to all tests in its directory and subdirectories:

# tests/conftest.py
import pytest

@pytest.fixture(scope="session")
def database():
    """Database connection available to all tests."""
    db = Database()
    db.connect()
    yield db
    db.disconnect()

@pytest.fixture
def clean_database(database):
    """Reset database before each test."""
    database.clear_all_tables()
    return database

def pytest_configure(config):
    """Register custom markers."""
    config.addinivalue_line(
        "markers", "slow: marks tests as slow (deselect with '-m \"not slow\"')"
    )
    config.addinivalue_line(
        "markers", "integration: marks tests as integration tests"
    )

Using Markers

Markers allow categorizing and selecting tests:

import pytest

@pytest.mark.slow
def test_slow_operation():
    """Marked as slow test."""
    time.sleep(5)
    assert True

@pytest.mark.integration
def test_api_integration():
    """Marked as integration test."""
    response = requests.get("https://api.example.com")
    assert response.status_code == 200

@pytest.mark.skip(reason="Not implemented yet")
def test_future_feature():
    """Skipped test."""
    pass

@pytest.mark.skipif(sys.version_info < (3, 8), reason="Requires Python 3.8+")
def test_python38_feature():
    """Conditionally skipped."""
    pass

@pytest.mark.xfail(reason="Known bug in dependency")
def test_known_failure():
    """Expected to fail."""
    assert False

@pytest.mark.parametrize("env", ["dev", "staging", "prod"])
@pytest.mark.integration
def test_environments(env):
    """Multiple markers on one test."""
    assert environment_exists(env)

Running tests with markers:

pytest -m slow                    # Run only slow tests
pytest -m "not slow"              # Skip slow tests
pytest -m "integration and not slow"  # Integration tests that aren't slow
pytest --markers                  # List all available markers

Test Classes for Organization

class TestUserAuthentication:
    """Group related authentication tests."""

    @pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
    def setup(self):
        """Setup for all tests in this class."""
        self.user_service = UserService()

    def test_login_success(self):
        result = self.user_service.login("user", "password")
        assert result.success

    def test_login_failure(self):
        result = self.user_service.login("user", "wrong")
        assert not result.success

    def test_logout(self):
        self.user_service.login("user", "password")
        assert self.user_service.logout()

class TestUserRegistration:
    """Group related registration tests."""

    def test_register_new_user(self):
        pass

    def test_register_duplicate_email(self):
        pass

Coverage Analysis

Installing Coverage Tools

pip install pytest-cov

Running Coverage

# Basic coverage report
pytest --cov=mypackage tests/

# Coverage with HTML report
pytest --cov=mypackage --cov-report=html tests/
# Opens htmlcov/index.html

# Coverage with terminal report
pytest --cov=mypackage --cov-report=term-missing tests/

# Coverage with multiple formats
pytest --cov=mypackage --cov-report=html --cov-report=term tests/

# Fail if coverage below threshold
pytest --cov=mypackage --cov-fail-under=80 tests/

Coverage Configuration

# pytest.ini or setup.cfg
[tool:pytest]
addopts =
    --cov=mypackage
    --cov-report=html
    --cov-report=term-missing
    --cov-fail-under=80

[coverage:run]
source = mypackage
omit =
    */tests/*
    */venv/*
    */__pycache__/*

[coverage:report]
exclude_lines =
    pragma: no cover
    def __repr__
    raise AssertionError
    raise NotImplementedError
    if __name__ == .__main__.:
    if TYPE_CHECKING:

Coverage in Code

def critical_function():  # pragma: no cover
    """Excluded from coverage."""
    pass

if sys.platform == 'win32':  # pragma: no cover
    # Platform-specific code excluded
    pass

pytest Configuration

pytest.ini

[pytest]
# Test discovery
testpaths = tests
python_files = test_*.py *_test.py
python_classes = Test*
python_functions = test_*

# Output options
addopts =
    -ra
    --strict-markers
    --strict-config
    --showlocals
    --tb=short
    --cov=mypackage
    --cov-report=html
    --cov-report=term-missing

# Markers
markers =
    slow: marks tests as slow (deselect with '-m "not slow"')
    integration: marks tests as integration tests
    unit: marks tests as unit tests
    smoke: marks tests as smoke tests
    regression: marks tests as regression tests

# Timeout for tests
timeout = 300

# Minimum Python version
minversion = 7.0

# Directories to ignore
norecursedirs = .git .tox dist build *.egg venv

# Warning filters
filterwarnings =
    error
    ignore::DeprecationWarning

pyproject.toml Configuration

[tool.pytest.ini_options]
testpaths = ["tests"]
python_files = ["test_*.py", "*_test.py"]
addopts = [
    "-ra",
    "--strict-markers",
    "--cov=mypackage",
    "--cov-report=html",
    "--cov-report=term-missing",
]
markers = [
    "slow: marks tests as slow",
    "integration: marks tests as integration tests",
]

[tool.coverage.run]
source = ["mypackage"]
omit = ["*/tests/*", "*/venv/*"]

[tool.coverage.report]
exclude_lines = [
    "pragma: no cover",
    "def __repr__",
    "raise NotImplementedError",
]

CI/CD Integration

GitHub Actions

# .github/workflows/test.yml
name: Tests

on: [push, pull_request]

jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
    strategy:
      matrix:
        os: [ubuntu-latest, windows-latest, macos-latest]
        python-version: ['3.8', '3.9', '3.10', '3.11', '3.12']

    steps:
    - uses: actions/checkout@v3

    - name: Set up Python ${{ matrix.python-version }}
      uses: actions/setup-python@v4
      with:
        python-version: ${{ matrix.python-version }}

    - name: Install dependencies
      run: |
        python -m pip install --upgrade pip
        pip install -e .[dev]
        pip install pytest pytest-cov pytest-xdist

    - name: Run tests
      run: |
        pytest --cov=mypackage --cov-report=xml --cov-report=term-missing -n auto

    - name: Upload coverage to Codecov
      uses: codecov/codecov-action@v3
      with:
        file: ./coverage.xml
        fail_ci_if_error: true

GitLab CI

# .gitlab-ci.yml
image: python:3.11

stages:
  - test
  - coverage

variables:
  PIP_CACHE_DIR: "$CI_PROJECT_DIR/.cache/pip"

cache:
  paths:
    - .cache/pip
    - venv/

before_script:
  - python -m venv venv
  - source venv/bin/activate
  - pip install -e .[dev]
  - pip install pytest pytest-cov

test:
  stage: test
  script:
    - pytest --junitxml=report.xml --cov=mypackage --cov-report=xml
  artifacts:
    when: always
    reports:
      junit: report.xml
      coverage_report:
        coverage_format: cobertura
        path: coverage.xml

coverage:
  stage: coverage
  script:
    - pytest --cov=mypackage --cov-report=html --cov-fail-under=80
  coverage: '/(?i)total.*? (100(?:\.0+)?\%|[1-9]?\d(?:\.\d+)?\%)$/'
  artifacts:
    paths:
      - htmlcov/

Jenkins Pipeline

// Jenkinsfile
pipeline {
    agent any

    stages {
        stage('Setup') {
            steps {
                sh 'python -m venv venv'
                sh '. venv/bin/activate && pip install -e .[dev]'
                sh '. venv/bin/activate && pip install pytest pytest-cov pytest-html'
            }
        }

        stage('Test') {
            steps {
                sh '. venv/bin/activate && pytest --junitxml=results.xml --html=report.html --cov=mypackage'
            }
            post {
                always {
                    junit 'results.xml'
                    publishHTML([
                        allowMissing: false,
                        alwaysLinkToLastBuild: true,
                        keepAll: true,
                        reportDir: 'htmlcov',
                        reportFiles: 'index.html',
                        reportName: 'Coverage Report'
                    ])
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

Advanced Patterns

Testing Async Code

import pytest
import asyncio

@pytest.fixture
def event_loop():
    """Create event loop for async tests."""
    loop = asyncio.new_event_loop()
    yield loop
    loop.close()

@pytest.mark.asyncio
async def test_async_function():
    result = await async_fetch_data()
    assert result is not None

@pytest.mark.asyncio
async def test_async_with_timeout():
    with pytest.raises(asyncio.TimeoutError):
        await asyncio.wait_for(slow_async_operation(), timeout=1.0)

# Using pytest-asyncio plugin
# pip install pytest-asyncio

Testing Database Operations

@pytest.fixture(scope="session")
def database_engine():
    """Create database engine for test session."""
    engine = create_engine("postgresql://test:test@localhost/testdb")
    Base.metadata.create_all(engine)
    yield engine
    Base.metadata.drop_all(engine)
    engine.dispose()

@pytest.fixture
def db_session(database_engine):
    """Create new database session for each test."""
    connection = database_engine.connect()
    transaction = connection.begin()
    session = Session(bind=connection)

    yield session

    session.close()
    transaction.rollback()
    connection.close()

def test_user_creation(db_session):
    user = User(name="Test User", email="test@example.com")
    db_session.add(user)
    db_session.commit()

    assert user.id is not None
    assert db_session.query(User).count() == 1

Testing with Temporary Files

@pytest.fixture
def temp_directory(tmp_path):
    """Create temporary directory with sample files."""
    data_dir = tmp_path / "data"
    data_dir.mkdir()

    (data_dir / "config.json").write_text('{"debug": true}')
    (data_dir / "data.csv").write_text("name,value\ntest,42")

    return data_dir

def test_file_processing(temp_directory):
    config = load_config(temp_directory / "config.json")
    assert config["debug"] is True

    data = load_csv(temp_directory / "data.csv")
    assert len(data) == 1

Caplog - Capturing Log Output

import logging

def test_logging_output(caplog):
    """Test that function logs correctly."""
    with caplog.at_level(logging.INFO):
        process_data()

    assert "Processing started" in caplog.text
    assert "Processing completed" in caplog.text
    assert len(caplog.records) == 2

def test_warning_logged(caplog):
    """Test warning is logged."""
    caplog.set_level(logging.WARNING)
    risky_operation()

    assert any(record.levelname == "WARNING" for record in caplog.records)

Capsys - Capturing stdout/stderr

def test_print_output(capsys):
    """Test console output."""
    print("Hello, World!")
    print("Error message", file=sys.stderr)

    captured = capsys.readouterr()
    assert "Hello, World!" in captured.out
    assert "Error message" in captured.err

def test_progressive_output(capsys):
    """Test multiple output captures."""
    print("First")
    captured = capsys.readouterr()
    assert captured.out == "First\n"

    print("Second")
    captured = capsys.readouterr()
    assert captured.out == "Second\n"

Test Examples

Example 1: Basic Unit Test

# test_calculator.py
import pytest
from calculator import add, subtract, multiply, divide

def test_add():
    assert add(2, 3) == 5
    assert add(-1, 1) == 0
    assert add(0, 0) == 0

def test_subtract():
    assert subtract(5, 3) == 2
    assert subtract(0, 5) == -5

def test_multiply():
    assert multiply(3, 4) == 12
    assert multiply(-2, 3) == -6

def test_divide():
    assert divide(10, 2) == 5
    assert divide(7, 2) == 3.5

def test_divide_by_zero():
    with pytest.raises(ZeroDivisionError):
        divide(10, 0)

Example 2: Parametrized String Validation

# test_validators.py
import pytest
from validators import is_valid_email, is_valid_phone, is_valid_url

@pytest.mark.parametrize("email,expected", [
    ("user@example.com", True),
    ("user.name+tag@example.co.uk", True),
    ("invalid.email", False),
    ("@example.com", False),
    ("user@", False),
    ("", False),
])
def test_email_validation(email, expected):
    assert is_valid_email(email) == expected

@pytest.mark.parametrize("phone,expected", [
    ("+1-234-567-8900", True),
    ("(555) 123-4567", True),
    ("1234567890", True),
    ("123", False),
    ("abc-def-ghij", False),
])
def test_phone_validation(phone, expected):
    assert is_valid_phone(phone) == expected

@pytest.mark.parametrize("url,expected", [
    ("https://www.example.com", True),
    ("http://example.com/path?query=1", True),
    ("ftp://files.example.com", True),
    ("not a url", False),
    ("http://", False),
])
def test_url_validation(url, expected):
    assert is_valid_url(url) == expected

Example 3: API Testing with Fixtures

# test_api.py
import pytest
import requests
from api_client import APIClient

@pytest.fixture(scope="module")
def api_client():
    """Create API client for test module."""
    client = APIClient(base_url="https://api.example.com")
    client.authenticate(api_key="test-key")
    yield client
    client.close()

@pytest.fixture
def sample_user(api_client):
    """Create sample user for testing."""
    user = api_client.create_user({
        "name": "Test User",
        "email": "test@example.com"
    })
    yield user
    api_client.delete_user(user["id"])

def test_get_user(api_client, sample_user):
    user = api_client.get_user(sample_user["id"])
    assert user["name"] == "Test User"
    assert user["email"] == "test@example.com"

def test_update_user(api_client, sample_user):
    updated = api_client.update_user(sample_user["id"], {
        "name": "Updated Name"
    })
    assert updated["name"] == "Updated Name"

def test_list_users(api_client):
    users = api_client.list_users()
    assert isinstance(users, list)
    assert len(users) > 0

def test_user_not_found(api_client):
    with pytest.raises(requests.HTTPError) as exc:
        api_client.get_user("nonexistent-id")
    assert exc.value.response.status_code == 404

Example 4: Database Testing

# test_models.py
import pytest
from sqlalchemy import create_engine
from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
from models import Base, User, Post

@pytest.fixture(scope="function")
def db_session():
    """Create clean database session for each test."""
    engine = create_engine("sqlite:///:memory:")
    Base.metadata.create_all(engine)
    session = Session(engine)

    yield session

    session.close()

@pytest.fixture
def sample_user(db_session):
    """Create sample user."""
    user = User(username="testuser", email="test@example.com")
    db_session.add(user)
    db_session.commit()
    return user

def test_user_creation(db_session):
    user = User(username="newuser", email="new@example.com")
    db_session.add(user)
    db_session.commit()

    assert user.id is not None
    assert db_session.query(User).count() == 1

def test_user_posts(db_session, sample_user):
    post1 = Post(title="First Post", content="Content 1", user=sample_user)
    post2 = Post(title="Second Post", content="Content 2", user=sample_user)
    db_session.add_all([post1, post2])
    db_session.commit()

    assert len(sample_user.posts) == 2
    assert sample_user.posts[0].title == "First Post"

def test_user_deletion_cascades(db_session, sample_user):
    post = Post(title="Post", content="Content", user=sample_user)
    db_session.add(post)
    db_session.commit()

    db_session.delete(sample_user)
    db_session.commit()

    assert db_session.query(Post).count() == 0

Example 5: Mocking External Services

# test_notification_service.py
import pytest
from unittest.mock import Mock, patch
from notification_service import NotificationService, EmailProvider, SMSProvider

@pytest.fixture
def mock_email_provider():
    provider = Mock(spec=EmailProvider)
    provider.send.return_value = {"status": "sent", "id": "email-123"}
    return provider

@pytest.fixture
def mock_sms_provider():
    provider = Mock(spec=SMSProvider)
    provider.send.return_value = {"status": "sent", "id": "sms-456"}
    return provider

@pytest.fixture
def notification_service(mock_email_provider, mock_sms_provider):
    return NotificationService(
        email_provider=mock_email_provider,
        sms_provider=mock_sms_provider
    )

def test_send_email_notification(notification_service, mock_email_provider):
    result = notification_service.send_email(
        to="user@example.com",
        subject="Test",
        body="Test message"
    )

    assert result["status"] == "sent"
    mock_email_provider.send.assert_called_once()
    call_args = mock_email_provider.send.call_args
    assert call_args[1]["to"] == "user@example.com"

def test_send_sms_notification(notification_service, mock_sms_provider):
    result = notification_service.send_sms(
        to="+1234567890",
        message="Test SMS"
    )

    assert result["status"] == "sent"
    mock_sms_provider.send.assert_called_once_with(
        to="+1234567890",
        message="Test SMS"
    )

def test_notification_retry_on_failure(notification_service, mock_email_provider):
    mock_email_provider.send.side_effect = [
        Exception("Network error"),
        Exception("Network error"),
        {"status": "sent", "id": "email-123"}
    ]

    result = notification_service.send_email_with_retry(
        to="user@example.com",
        subject="Test",
        body="Test message",
        max_retries=3
    )

    assert result["status"] == "sent"
    assert mock_email_provider.send.call_count == 3

Example 6: Testing File Operations

# test_file_processor.py
import pytest
from pathlib import Path
from file_processor import process_csv, process_json, FileProcessor

@pytest.fixture
def csv_file(tmp_path):
    """Create temporary CSV file."""
    csv_path = tmp_path / "data.csv"
    csv_path.write_text(
        "name,age,city\n"
        "Alice,30,New York\n"
        "Bob,25,Los Angeles\n"
        "Charlie,35,Chicago\n"
    )
    return csv_path

@pytest.fixture
def json_file(tmp_path):
    """Create temporary JSON file."""
    import json
    json_path = tmp_path / "data.json"
    data = {
        "users": [
            {"name": "Alice", "age": 30},
            {"name": "Bob", "age": 25}
        ]
    }
    json_path.write_text(json.dumps(data))
    return json_path

def test_process_csv(csv_file):
    data = process_csv(csv_file)
    assert len(data) == 3
    assert data[0]["name"] == "Alice"
    assert data[1]["age"] == "25"

def test_process_json(json_file):
    data = process_json(json_file)
    assert len(data["users"]) == 2
    assert data["users"][0]["name"] == "Alice"

def test_file_not_found():
    with pytest.raises(FileNotFoundError):
        process_csv("nonexistent.csv")

def test_file_processor_creates_backup(tmp_path):
    processor = FileProcessor(tmp_path)
    source = tmp_path / "original.txt"
    source.write_text("original content")

    processor.process_with_backup(source)

    backup = tmp_path / "original.txt.bak"
    assert backup.exists()
    assert backup.read_text() == "original content"

Example 7: Testing Classes and Methods

# test_shopping_cart.py
import pytest
from shopping_cart import ShoppingCart, Product

@pytest.fixture
def cart():
    """Create empty shopping cart."""
    return ShoppingCart()

@pytest.fixture
def products():
    """Create sample products."""
    return [
        Product(id=1, name="Book", price=10.99),
        Product(id=2, name="Pen", price=2.50),
        Product(id=3, name="Notebook", price=5.99),
    ]

def test_add_product(cart, products):
    cart.add_product(products[0], quantity=2)
    assert cart.total_items() == 2
    assert cart.subtotal() == 21.98

def test_remove_product(cart, products):
    cart.add_product(products[0], quantity=2)
    cart.remove_product(products[0].id, quantity=1)
    assert cart.total_items() == 1

def test_clear_cart(cart, products):
    cart.add_product(products[0])
    cart.add_product(products[1])
    cart.clear()
    assert cart.total_items() == 0

def test_apply_discount(cart, products):
    cart.add_product(products[0], quantity=2)
    cart.apply_discount(0.10)  # 10% discount
    assert cart.total() == pytest.approx(19.78, rel=0.01)

def test_cannot_add_negative_quantity(cart, products):
    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="Quantity must be positive"):
        cart.add_product(products[0], quantity=-1)

class TestShoppingCartDiscounts:
    """Test various discount scenarios."""

    @pytest.fixture
    def cart_with_items(self, cart, products):
        cart.add_product(products[0], quantity=2)
        cart.add_product(products[1], quantity=3)
        return cart

    def test_percentage_discount(self, cart_with_items):
        original = cart_with_items.total()
        cart_with_items.apply_discount(0.20)
        assert cart_with_items.total() == original * 0.80

    def test_fixed_discount(self, cart_with_items):
        original = cart_with_items.total()
        cart_with_items.apply_fixed_discount(5.00)
        assert cart_with_items.total() == original - 5.00

    def test_cannot_apply_negative_discount(self, cart_with_items):
        with pytest.raises(ValueError):
            cart_with_items.apply_discount(-0.10)

Example 8: Testing Command-Line Interface

# test_cli.py
import pytest
from click.testing import CliRunner
from myapp.cli import cli

@pytest.fixture
def runner():
    """Create CLI test runner."""
    return CliRunner()

def test_cli_help(runner):
    result = runner.invoke(cli, ['--help'])
    assert result.exit_code == 0
    assert 'Usage:' in result.output

def test_cli_version(runner):
    result = runner.invoke(cli, ['--version'])
    assert result.exit_code == 0
    assert '1.0.0' in result.output

def test_cli_process_file(runner, tmp_path):
    input_file = tmp_path / "input.txt"
    input_file.write_text("test data")

    result = runner.invoke(cli, ['process', str(input_file)])
    assert result.exit_code == 0
    assert 'Processing complete' in result.output

def test_cli_invalid_option(runner):
    result = runner.invoke(cli, ['--invalid-option'])
    assert result.exit_code != 0
    assert 'Error' in result.output

Example 9: Testing Async Functions

# test_async_operations.py
import pytest
import asyncio
from async_service import fetch_data, process_batch, AsyncWorker

@pytest.mark.asyncio
async def test_fetch_data():
    data = await fetch_data("https://api.example.com/data")
    assert data is not None
    assert 'results' in data

@pytest.mark.asyncio
async def test_process_batch():
    items = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
    results = await process_batch(items)
    assert len(results) == 5

@pytest.mark.asyncio
async def test_async_worker():
    worker = AsyncWorker()
    await worker.start()

    result = await worker.submit_task("process", data={"key": "value"})
    assert result["status"] == "completed"

    await worker.stop()

@pytest.mark.asyncio
async def test_concurrent_requests():
    async with AsyncWorker() as worker:
        tasks = [
            worker.submit_task("task1"),
            worker.submit_task("task2"),
            worker.submit_task("task3"),
        ]
        results = await asyncio.gather(*tasks)
        assert len(results) == 3

Example 10: Fixture Parametrization

# test_database_backends.py
import pytest
from database import DatabaseConnection

@pytest.fixture(params=['sqlite', 'postgresql', 'mysql'])
def db_connection(request):
    """Test runs three times, once for each database."""
    db = DatabaseConnection(request.param)
    db.connect()
    yield db
    db.disconnect()

def test_database_insert(db_connection):
    """Test insert operation on each database."""
    db_connection.execute("INSERT INTO users (name) VALUES ('test')")
    result = db_connection.execute("SELECT COUNT(*) FROM users")
    assert result[0][0] == 1

def test_database_transaction(db_connection):
    """Test transaction support on each database."""
    with db_connection.transaction():
        db_connection.execute("INSERT INTO users (name) VALUES ('test')")
        db_connection.rollback()

    result = db_connection.execute("SELECT COUNT(*) FROM users")
    assert result[0][0] == 0

Example 11: Testing Exceptions

# test_error_handling.py
import pytest
from custom_errors import ValidationError, AuthenticationError
from validator import validate_user_input
from auth import authenticate_user

def test_validation_error_message():
    with pytest.raises(ValidationError) as exc_info:
        validate_user_input({"email": "invalid"})

    assert "Invalid email format" in str(exc_info.value)
    assert exc_info.value.field == "email"

def test_multiple_validation_errors():
    with pytest.raises(ValidationError) as exc_info:
        validate_user_input({
            "email": "invalid",
            "age": -5
        })

    assert len(exc_info.value.errors) == 2

def test_authentication_error():
    with pytest.raises(AuthenticationError, match="Invalid credentials"):
        authenticate_user("user", "wrong_password")

@pytest.mark.parametrize("input_data,error_type", [
    ({"email": ""}, ValidationError),
    ({"email": None}, ValidationError),
    ({}, ValidationError),
])
def test_various_validation_errors(input_data, error_type):
    with pytest.raises(error_type):
        validate_user_input(input_data)

Example 12: Testing with Fixtures and Mocks

# test_payment_service.py
import pytest
from unittest.mock import Mock, patch
from payment_service import PaymentService, PaymentGateway
from models import Order, PaymentStatus

@pytest.fixture
def mock_gateway():
    gateway = Mock(spec=PaymentGateway)
    gateway.process_payment.return_value = {
        "transaction_id": "tx-12345",
        "status": "success"
    }
    return gateway

@pytest.fixture
def payment_service(mock_gateway):
    return PaymentService(gateway=mock_gateway)

@pytest.fixture
def sample_order():
    return Order(
        id="order-123",
        amount=99.99,
        currency="USD",
        customer_id="cust-456"
    )

def test_successful_payment(payment_service, mock_gateway, sample_order):
    result = payment_service.process_order(sample_order)

    assert result.status == PaymentStatus.SUCCESS
    assert result.transaction_id == "tx-12345"
    mock_gateway.process_payment.assert_called_once()

def test_payment_failure(payment_service, mock_gateway, sample_order):
    mock_gateway.process_payment.return_value = {
        "status": "failed",
        "error": "Insufficient funds"
    }

    result = payment_service.process_order(sample_order)

    assert result.status == PaymentStatus.FAILED
    assert "Insufficient funds" in result.error_message

def test_payment_retry_logic(payment_service, mock_gateway, sample_order):
    mock_gateway.process_payment.side_effect = [
        {"status": "error", "error": "Network timeout"},
        {"status": "error", "error": "Network timeout"},
        {"transaction_id": "tx-12345", "status": "success"}
    ]

    result = payment_service.process_order_with_retry(sample_order, max_retries=3)

    assert result.status == PaymentStatus.SUCCESS
    assert mock_gateway.process_payment.call_count == 3

Example 13: Integration Test Example

# test_integration_workflow.py
import pytest
from app import create_app
from database import db, User, Order

@pytest.fixture(scope="module")
def app():
    """Create application for testing."""
    app = create_app('testing')
    return app

@pytest.fixture(scope="module")
def client(app):
    """Create test client."""
    return app.test_client()

@pytest.fixture(scope="function")
def clean_db(app):
    """Clean database before each test."""
    with app.app_context():
        db.drop_all()
        db.create_all()
        yield db
        db.session.remove()

@pytest.fixture
def authenticated_user(client, clean_db):
    """Create and authenticate user."""
    user = User(username="testuser", email="test@example.com")
    user.set_password("password123")
    clean_db.session.add(user)
    clean_db.session.commit()

    # Login
    response = client.post('/api/auth/login', json={
        'username': 'testuser',
        'password': 'password123'
    })
    token = response.json['access_token']

    return {'user': user, 'token': token}

def test_create_order_workflow(client, authenticated_user):
    """Test complete order creation workflow."""
    headers = {'Authorization': f'Bearer {authenticated_user["token"]}'}

    # Create order
    response = client.post('/api/orders',
        headers=headers,
        json={
            'items': [
                {'product_id': 1, 'quantity': 2},
                {'product_id': 2, 'quantity': 1}
            ]
        }
    )
    assert response.status_code == 201
    order_id = response.json['order_id']

    # Verify order was created
    response = client.get(f'/api/orders/{order_id}', headers=headers)
    assert response.status_code == 200
    assert len(response.json['items']) == 2

    # Update order status
    response = client.patch(f'/api/orders/{order_id}',
        headers=headers,
        json={'status': 'processing'}
    )
    assert response.status_code == 200
    assert response.json['status'] == 'processing'

Example 14: Property-Based Testing

# test_property_based.py
import pytest
from hypothesis import given, strategies as st
from string_utils import reverse_string, is_palindrome

@given(st.text())
def test_reverse_string_twice(s):
    """Reversing twice should return original string."""
    assert reverse_string(reverse_string(s)) == s

@given(st.lists(st.integers()))
def test_sort_idempotent(lst):
    """Sorting twice should be same as sorting once."""
    sorted_once = sorted(lst)
    sorted_twice = sorted(sorted_once)
    assert sorted_once == sorted_twice

@given(st.text(alphabet=st.characters(whitelist_categories=('Lu', 'Ll'))))
def test_palindrome_reverse(s):
    """If a string is a palindrome, its reverse is too."""
    if is_palindrome(s):
        assert is_palindrome(reverse_string(s))

@given(st.integers(min_value=1, max_value=1000))
def test_factorial_positive(n):
    """Factorial should always be positive."""
    from math import factorial
    assert factorial(n) > 0

Example 15: Performance Testing

# test_performance.py
import pytest
import time
from data_processor import process_large_dataset, optimize_query

@pytest.mark.slow
def test_large_dataset_processing_time():
    """Test that large dataset is processed within acceptable time."""
    start = time.time()
    data = list(range(1000000))
    result = process_large_dataset(data)
    duration = time.time() - start

    assert len(result) == 1000000
    assert duration < 5.0  # Should complete in under 5 seconds

@pytest.mark.benchmark
def test_query_optimization(benchmark):
    """Benchmark query performance."""
    result = benchmark(optimize_query, "SELECT * FROM users WHERE active=1")
    assert result is not None

@pytest.mark.parametrize("size", [100, 1000, 10000])
def test_scaling_performance(size):
    """Test performance with different data sizes."""
    data = list(range(size))
    start = time.time()
    result = process_large_dataset(data)
    duration = time.time() - start

    # Should scale linearly
    expected_max_time = size / 100000  # 1 second per 100k items
    assert duration < expected_max_time

Best Practices

Test Organization

One test file per source file: mymodule.py → test_mymodule.py
Group related tests in classes: Use Test* classes for logical grouping
Use descriptive test names: test_user_login_with_invalid_credentials
Keep tests independent: Each test should work in isolation
Use fixtures for setup: Avoid duplicate setup code

Writing Effective Tests

Follow AAA pattern: Arrange, Act, Assert

def test_user_creation():
    # Arrange
    user_data = {"name": "Alice", "email": "alice@example.com"}

    # Act
    user = create_user(user_data)

    # Assert
    assert user.name == "Alice"

Test one thing per test: Each test should verify a single behavior
Use descriptive assertions: Make failures easy to understand
Avoid test interdependencies: Tests should not depend on execution order
Test edge cases: Empty lists, None values, boundary conditions

Fixture Best Practices

Use appropriate scope: Minimize fixture creation cost
Keep fixtures small: Each fixture should have a single responsibility
Use fixture factories: For creating multiple test objects
Clean up resources: Use yield for teardown
Share fixtures via conftest.py: Make common fixtures available

Coverage Guidelines

Aim for high coverage: 80%+ is a good target
Focus on critical paths: Prioritize important business logic
Don't chase 100%: Some code doesn't need tests (getters, setters)
Use coverage to find gaps: Not as a quality metric
Exclude generated code: Mark with # pragma: no cover

CI/CD Integration

Run tests on every commit: Catch issues early
Test on multiple Python versions: Ensure compatibility
Generate coverage reports: Track coverage trends
Fail on low coverage: Maintain coverage standards
Run tests in parallel: Speed up CI pipeline

Useful Plugins

pytest-cov: Coverage reporting
pytest-xdist: Parallel test execution
pytest-asyncio: Async/await support
pytest-mock: Enhanced mocking
pytest-timeout: Test timeouts
pytest-randomly: Randomize test order
pytest-html: HTML test reports
pytest-benchmark: Performance benchmarking
hypothesis: Property-based testing
pytest-django: Django testing support
pytest-flask: Flask testing support

Troubleshooting

Tests Not Discovered

Check file naming: test_*.py or *_test.py
Check function naming: test_*
Verify __init__.py files exist in test directories
Run with -v flag to see discovery process

Fixtures Not Found

Check fixture is in conftest.py or same file
Verify fixture scope is appropriate
Check for typos in fixture name
Use --fixtures flag to list available fixtures

Test Failures

Use -v for verbose output
Use --tb=long for detailed tracebacks
Use --pdb to drop into debugger on failure
Use -x to stop on first failure
Use --lf to rerun last failed tests

Import Errors

Ensure package is installed: pip install -e .
Check PYTHONPATH is set correctly
Verify __init__.py files exist
Use sys.path manipulation if needed

Resources

pytest Documentation: https://docs.pytest.org/
pytest GitHub: https://github.com/pytest-dev/pytest
pytest Plugins: https://docs.pytest.org/en/latest/reference/plugin_list.html
Real Python pytest Guide: https://realpython.com/pytest-python-testing/
Test-Driven Development with Python: https://www.obeythetestinggoat.com/

Skill Version: 1.0.0 Last Updated: October 2025 Skill Category: Testing, Python, Quality Assurance, Test Automation Compatible With: pytest 7.0+, Python 3.8+

Install Skill

SKILL.md

Pytest Patterns - Comprehensive Testing Guide

When to Use This Skill

Core Concepts

What is pytest?

pytest vs unittest

Test Discovery Rules

Fixtures - The Heart of pytest

What are Fixtures?

Basic Fixture Pattern

Fixture Scopes

Fixture Dependencies

Autouse Fixtures

Fixture Factories

Parametrization - Testing Multiple Cases

Basic Parametrization

Multiple Parameters

Parametrizing with IDs

Parametrizing Fixtures

Combining Parametrization and Marks

Indirect Parametrization

Mocking and Monkeypatching

Using pytest's monkeypatch

Mocking Functions and Methods

Using unittest.mock

Mock Return Values and Side Effects

Spy Pattern - Partial Mocking

Test Organization

Directory Structure

conftest.py - Sharing Fixtures

Using Markers

Test Classes for Organization

Coverage Analysis

Installing Coverage Tools

Running Coverage

Coverage Configuration

Coverage in Code

pytest Configuration

pytest.ini

pyproject.toml Configuration

CI/CD Integration

GitHub Actions

GitLab CI

Jenkins Pipeline

Advanced Patterns

Testing Async Code

Testing Database Operations

Testing with Temporary Files

Caplog - Capturing Log Output

Capsys - Capturing stdout/stderr

Test Examples

Example 1: Basic Unit Test

Example 2: Parametrized String Validation

Example 3: API Testing with Fixtures

Example 4: Database Testing

Example 5: Mocking External Services

Example 6: Testing File Operations

Example 7: Testing Classes and Methods

Example 8: Testing Command-Line Interface

Example 9: Testing Async Functions

Example 10: Fixture Parametrization

Example 11: Testing Exceptions

Example 12: Testing with Fixtures and Mocks

Example 13: Integration Test Example

Example 14: Property-Based Testing

Example 15: Performance Testing

Best Practices

Test Organization

Writing Effective Tests

Fixture Best Practices

Coverage Guidelines

CI/CD Integration

Useful Plugins

Troubleshooting

Tests Not Discovered

Fixtures Not Found

Test Failures

Import Errors

Resources