323 Frameworks Spring Boot Testing Acceptance Tests

Spring Boot acceptance tests from Gherkin

Implement acceptance tests from Gherkin feature files in Spring Boot projects. Given a .feature file in context, find @acceptance-tagged scenarios and implement happy-path tests with @SpringBootTest, TestRestTemplate, Testcontainers, and WireMock.

What is covered in this Skill?

• Parse Gherkin .feature files to find scenarios tagged @acceptance or @acceptance-tests
• Implement happy-path acceptance tests (one test per scenario)
• @SpringBootTest(webEnvironment = RANDOM_PORT), @Autowired TestRestTemplate (auto-configured, no extra dependency)
• @ServiceConnection for Testcontainers (Spring Boot 4.0.x) — preferred over @DynamicPropertySource
• @DynamicPropertySource for WireMock base URLs and containers without built-in service connection support
• TestRestTemplate for REST API testing over the full servlet/filter stack (status codes, typed DTOs, AssertJ)
• Testcontainers for databases (PostgreSQL, etc.) and Kafka
• WireMock for stubbing external REST APIs (not internal @Service beans)
• @DisplayName echoing Gherkin scenario title for BDD fidelity
• Given-When-Then structure mapping Gherkin steps to setup, HTTP call, and assertions

Preconditions: (1) The Gherkin .feature file must be in context. (2) The project must use Spring Boot. For framework-agnostic Java, use @133-java-testing-acceptance-tests.

Scope: Implements only happy-path scenarios. Use the reference for detailed examples and constraints.

Constraints

Before applying any acceptance test changes, ensure the Gherkin .feature file is in context and the project compiles. If compilation fails or the feature file is missing, stop immediately.

• PRECONDITION: The Gherkin .feature file MUST be in context; the project MUST use Spring Boot
• MANDATORY: Run ./mvnw compile or mvn compile before applying any change
• SAFETY: If compilation fails, stop immediately and do not proceed
• VERIFY: Run ./mvnw clean verify or mvn clean verify after applying improvements
• BEFORE APPLYING: Read the reference for detailed examples, good/bad patterns, and constraints

When to use this skill

• Review Java code for Spring Boot acceptance tests
• Apply best practices for Spring Boot acceptance tests in Java code

Workflow

1. Read reference and assess project context

Read references/323-frameworks-spring-boot-testing-acceptance-tests.md and inspect the current project setup before proposing changes.

2. Gather scope and decide target improvements

Identify requested outcomes, constraints, and the minimum safe set of changes to apply.

3. Apply framework-aligned changes

Implement or refactor configuration/code following the reference patterns and project conventions.

4. Run verification and report results

Execute appropriate build/tests and summarize what changed, what was verified, and any follow-up actions.

Reference

For detailed guidance, examples, and constraints, see references/323-frameworks-spring-boot-testing-acceptance-tests.md.