- What is phisys/testing used for?
- phisys/testing is a Laravel/PHP testing package that bundles utilities for streamlining test setup, assertions, and common testing workflows. The goal is to make application tests easier to write and maintain, and to keep conventions consistent across a codebase. It is intended as a development-time helper rather than application runtime code.
- How do I install phisys/testing in a Laravel project?
- Install it with Composer as a dev dependency, for example composer require --dev phisys/testing. Because it is a testing utility, it belongs in require-dev so it is not pulled into production installs. After installing, check the package README for any service provider registration or configuration publishing steps your version requires.
- Which Laravel and PHP versions does phisys/testing support?
- Version support is defined by the illuminate and php constraints in the package's composer.json. Run composer show phisys/testing or check the Packagist page to see the exact PHP and Laravel ranges for the release you are installing. Composer will refuse to install a version that conflicts with your application's framework version.
- Does phisys/testing work with PHPUnit and Pest?
- Laravel's testing layer is built on PHPUnit, and Pest runs on top of PHPUnit, so helpers and assertions exposed by a testing package are generally usable from both. Exact compatibility depends on the traits, base test case, or functions the package ships, so verify against your installed test runner version. If you use Pest, confirm the helper style (methods versus global functions) in the README.
- Do I need to register a service provider or publish config for phisys/testing?
- That depends on the package version. Laravel auto-discovers service providers listed in a package's composer.json, so many testing packages need no manual registration. Check the README's installation section for any required provider entry, config publishing command, or environment variables before writing tests against it.
- Can I use phisys/testing outside of Laravel in plain PHP projects?
- The package is described as serving both PHP and Laravel projects, so non-framework usage may be possible. However, any helper that relies on the Laravel container, facades, or HTTP kernel will need the framework present. Review the source or README to see which utilities are framework-agnostic before adopting it in a plain PHP test suite.
- How do I run tests that use phisys/testing in CI?
- Nothing special is usually required beyond installing dev dependencies in the pipeline, for example composer install with dev dependencies enabled, then running your normal PHPUnit or Pest command. Make sure your CI image satisfies the PHP version constraint and any extensions the package needs. Keep a separate production install step with --no-dev so the testing package never reaches deployed artifacts.
- Should phisys/testing be used in production?
- No. It is a development dependency intended for test setup and assertions, so it should stay in require-dev and be excluded from production installs. Shipping test helpers to production adds unnecessary code and potential autoload surface. If any helper leaks into application code paths, refactor those calls back into tests.
- What alternatives to phisys/testing should I consider?
- Laravel already ships extensive testing helpers through the framework's own test case, HTTP assertions, database traits, and fakes, and Pest adds a expressive syntax layer on top. Common complements include Mockery for test doubles, Faker for fixture data, and Collision for readable CLI output. Evaluate phisys/testing against what Laravel provides natively so you do not duplicate existing helpers.
- Is phisys/testing actively maintained, and how do I check?
- Check the package on Packagist for recent releases and the linked repository for commit activity, open issues, and pull request responsiveness. Also look at the version tags and whether the composer.json constraints track current Laravel releases. Pinning a known-good version in composer.json protects your suite if maintenance slows down.