> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://suvera.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Testing Winter Boot Applications with #[WinterBootTest]

> Mark test classes as beans with #[WinterBootTest] and run the framework's zero-dependency test harness to exercise services against a real application context.

Winter Boot ships a `#[WinterBootTest]` stereotype that registers a class as a first-class bean during startup, plus a small zero-dependency test runner (`srcTests/run.php`) that the framework itself uses. Together they let you write integration tests that exercise your services against a real DI container without pulling in PHPUnit.

## The `#[WinterBootTest]` attribute

Apply `#[WinterBootTest]` to any class. The container treats it the same way it treats `#[Service]` or `#[Component]`: it registers the class as a bean, resolves its dependencies via `#[Autowired]`, and runs its `#[PostConstruct]` hooks.

```php srcTests/UserServiceTest.php theme={null}
<?php
declare(strict_types=1);

namespace com\example\test;

use dev\winterframework\stereotype\Autowired;
use dev\winterframework\stereotype\test\WinterBootTest;

#[WinterBootTest]
class UserServiceTest
{
    #[Autowired]
    private UserService $users;

    public function testCreateUser(): void
    {
        $id = $this->users->create('alice', 'alice@example.com');
        // assert on $id
    }
}
```

The attribute lives at `dev\winterframework\stereotype\test\WinterBootTest`.

## The bundled test runner

Winter Boot's own tests use a plain PHP runner with no external dependencies. You can lift the same pattern into your project.

### Run

From the repository root:

```bash theme={null}
php srcTests/run.php
```

The exit code is `0` when all tests pass and `1` otherwise.

### Layout

* `run.php` discovers `*Test.php` files in the directory and runs every public `test*` method, printing `ok` or `FAIL` per test plus a pass/fail summary.
* `Support/TestCase.php` is a base class with `assertSame`, `assertTrue`, `assertFalse`, `assertNull`, and `assertThrows`. Assertion failures throw `AssertionFailed`.
* `Support/StubPropertySource.php` is an in-memory `PropertySource` for tests. Choose the dataset via the `dataset` key of the `propertySources` entry in the fixture yml, and register rows in `StubPropertySource::$datasets` before building the context.
* `fixtures/<name>/application.yml` is a config directory you pass to `new WinterPropertyContext(['.../fixtures/<name>'])`.

### Add a test

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create the test file">
    Create `SomethingTest.php` in `srcTests/`, namespace `winterBootTests`, class `SomethingTest extends \winterBootTests\Support\TestCase`.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add public test methods">
    Add public methods starting with `test`. No registration is needed; `run.php` picks the file up automatically.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Related pages

* [Dependency injection](/core/dependency-injection) explains how the container resolves `#[Autowired]` dependencies in test beans.
* [Application lifecycle](/core/application-lifecycle) covers container boot order that also applies to test contexts.