Pest Plugin Browser Laravel Package

Getting Started

Install the plugin via Composer (composer require pestphp/pest-plugin-browser --dev), then run pest --init to scaffold the initial Pest setup if not already done. This plugin enables asynchronous browser interaction testing—ideal for real-time UI validation (e.g., WebSocket-driven Livewire apps or real-time dashboards). First use case: test that a Livewire component emits an event when a user types in an input field—without stubbing or waiting for full page reloads.

Implementation Patterns

• Use browser()->connect() to establish a WebSocket connection to your app (typically the test server started via pest()->beforeEach(fn () => $this->startServer())).
• Chain methods like browser()->waitForText('Hello') or browser()->emit('event-name', ['data' => 'value']) inside test closures for reactive UI assertions.
• Pair with pestphp/pest-plugin-laravel to leverage Laravel’s testing helpers (e.g., actingAs()) before opening the browser connection.
• For integration, start an HTTP/WebSocket server in tests/BrowserTest.php (or a base test class), then broadcast events using Browser::emit() or consume them with browser()->on('event', fn (...) => ...).
• Example workflow:

  it('updates live chat message', function () {
      $user = User::factory()->create();
      $this->actingAs($user)->get('/chat');
  
      browser()->connect('ws://localhost:8080/chat')
          ->emit('message', ['text' => 'Hi!'])
          ->waitForText('Hi!')
          ->assertSee('Hi!');
  });
  

Gotchas and Tips

• Requires ext-sockets and PHP 8.3+—verify this in your environment before installing.
• The plugin uses Amp’s async HTTP/WebSocket server—ensure your test server doesn’t block; run in background or use defer/async where applicable.
• Connection timeouts are common—extend default timeout via browser()->withTimeout(10) if testing slow endpoints.
• Debug connection issues by enabling verbose logging: Pest::beforeEach(fn () => $this->app->make('log')->setLogLevel('debug')).
• You must start your app’s WebSocket endpoint manually in tests (e.g., via Artisan::call('websockets:serve'))—this plugin does not auto-start backend servers.
• The plugin’s maturity is low (only README docs); inspect the source at src/ for under-documented features like browser()->broadcast() or onBroadcast().