How It Works

Understanding how the plugin connects your Laravel backend with external frontends is key to successful testing.

The Testing Triangle

When you run browser tests with Pest Bridge Plugin, three components interact:

Configuration Responsibilities

Each side needs different configuration:

Component	Configuration	Purpose
Laravel Backend	Bridge::add()	Tell tests where frontend is
External Frontend	API_URL or similar	Tell frontend where API is

Backend Configuration

In your tests/Pest.php:

use TestFlowLabs\PestPluginBridge\Bridge;

Bridge::add('http://localhost:3000');

That's it! The backend just needs to know where to find the frontend.

Frontend Configuration

Your frontend needs to know where the Laravel API is. This varies by framework:

Nuxt 3

// nuxt.config.ts
export default defineNuxtConfig({
  runtimeConfig: {
    public: {
      apiBase: 'http://localhost:8000'
    }
  }
})

React / Vite

# .env
VITE_API_URL=http://localhost:8000

Next.js

# .env.local
NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL=http://localhost:8000

Vue CLI

# .env
VUE_APP_API_URL=http://localhost:8000

Angular

# environment.ts
export const environment = {
  apiUrl: 'http://localhost:8000'
};

Authentication Patterns

Pattern A: Laravel Sanctum (SPA)

Best for: Same-domain or subdomain setups

Frontend (localhost:3000)
    |
    +-- 1. GET /sanctum/csrf-cookie
    |       +-- Receives XSRF-TOKEN cookie
    |
    +-- 2. POST /login {email, password}
    |       +-- Session cookie set
    |
    +-- 3. GET /api/user
            +-- Returns authenticated user

Laravel Configuration (config/sanctum.php):

'stateful' => [
    'localhost:3000',
    // Add your frontend domains
],

CORS Configuration (config/cors.php):

return [
    'paths' => ['api/*', 'sanctum/csrf-cookie', 'login', 'logout'],
    'allowed_origins' => ['http://localhost:3000'],
    'supports_credentials' => true,
];

Pattern B: API Tokens

Best for: Mobile apps, third-party integrations

Frontend (localhost:3000)
    |
    +-- 1. POST /api/login {email, password}
    |       +-- Returns {token: "..."}
    |
    +-- 2. GET /api/user
            +-- Header: Authorization: Bearer {token}

Laravel Configuration:

// routes/api.php
Route::post('/login', function (Request $request) {
    $user = User::where('email', $request->email)->first();

    if (!$user || !Hash::check($request->password, $user->password)) {
        return response()->json(['message' => 'Invalid credentials'], 401);
    }

    return response()->json([
        'token' => $user->createToken('api')->plainTextToken,
        'user' => $user,
    ]);
});

Pattern C: External Auth Provider

Best for: OAuth, SSO, enterprise apps

Frontend (localhost:3000)
    |
    +-- 1. Redirect to Auth0/Firebase/Okta
    |       +-- User authenticates
    |
    +-- 2. Callback with token/code
    |       +-- Exchange for JWT
    |
    +-- 3. GET /api/user
            +-- Header: Authorization: Bearer {jwt}

Running Tests

Automatic Server Management (Recommended)

With ->serve() configuration, frontend servers start automatically on first bridge() call:

// tests/Pest.php
use TestFlowLabs\PestPluginBridge\Bridge;
use Tests\TestCase;

Bridge::add('http://localhost:3000')
    ->serve('npm run dev', cwd: '../frontend');

pest()->extends(TestCase::class)->in('Browser');

Then simply run:

./vendor/bin/pest tests/Browser

The Laravel API is started automatically by pest-plugin-browser (in-process via amphp), and the frontend is started by pest-plugin-bridge via ->serve(). Both are cleaned up automatically when tests complete.

Manual Approach

If you prefer to start servers manually:

Terminal 1 - Frontend Dev Server:

npm run dev

Terminal 2 - Tests:

./vendor/bin/pest tests/Browser

Note: The Laravel API is still started automatically by pest-plugin-browser.

Troubleshooting

CORS Errors

Symptom: Frontend console shows "Access-Control-Allow-Origin" errors

Solution: Update config/cors.php:

'allowed_origins' => ['http://localhost:3000'],
'supports_credentials' => true,  // Important for cookies!

Cookies Not Sent

Symptom: Authentication works in browser but not in tests

Solution:

1. Check SESSION_DOMAIN in .env:

   SESSION_DOMAIN=localhost

2. Ensure Sanctum stateful domains include your frontend
3. Frontend must send credentials with requests

Port Conflicts

Symptom: "Port already in use" errors

Solution:

# Kill process on port 8000
lsof -ti:8000 | xargs kill -9

# Kill process on port 3000
lsof -ti:3000 | xargs kill -9

Database Configuration

Laravel Trait Compatibility

Trait	Mechanism	Commits Data?	Browser Tests?
RefreshDatabase	Transaction wrap	❌ No	❌ Does NOT work
LazilyRefreshDatabase	Same, lazy init	❌ No	❌ Does NOT work
DatabaseTransactions	Transaction only	❌ No	❌ Does NOT work
DatabaseMigrations	migrate:fresh each test	✅ Yes	✅ Works (slower)
DatabaseTruncation	First: migrate, then: TRUNCATE	✅ Yes	✅ Works (faster)

SQLite In-Memory Not Supported

SQLite in-memory databases (:memory:) do not work with browser tests. Each database connection gets its own isolated in-memory database, so the frontend's API calls cannot see test data.

Transaction-Based Traits Don't Work

RefreshDatabase, LazilyRefreshDatabase, and DatabaseTransactions use database transactions for isolation. Transaction data is only visible to the same connection. When your frontend makes API calls, those use separate database connections that cannot see uncommitted transaction data.

Recommended Setup

1. Configure database in phpunit.xml:

<phpunit>
    <php>
        <env name="DB_CONNECTION" value="sqlite"/>
        <!-- File-based database (not :memory:) -->
        <env name="DB_DATABASE" value="database/database.sqlite"/>
    </php>
</phpunit>

2. Use DatabaseTruncation (recommended) or DatabaseMigrations:

// tests/Pest.php
use Illuminate\Foundation\Testing\DatabaseTruncation;

// Truncation is faster - migrate:fresh once, then TRUNCATE tables
pest()->extends(TestCase::class)
    ->use(DatabaseTruncation::class)
    ->in('Browser');

Or use DatabaseMigrations if you need completely fresh schema each test:

use Illuminate\Foundation\Testing\DatabaseMigrations;

// Slower - runs migrate:fresh for each test
pest()->extends(TestCase::class)
    ->use(DatabaseMigrations::class)
    ->in('Browser');

Using Same Database for Unit and Browser Tests

You CAN use the same database for all tests, but with different traits:

// tests/Pest.php
use Illuminate\Foundation\Testing\RefreshDatabase;
use Illuminate\Foundation\Testing\DatabaseTruncation;

// Unit/Feature tests: RefreshDatabase (fast, transaction-based)
pest()->extends(TestCase::class)
    ->use(RefreshDatabase::class)
    ->in('Feature', 'Unit');

// Browser tests: DatabaseTruncation (commits data, visible to API)
pest()->extends(TestCase::class)
    ->use(DatabaseTruncation::class)
    ->in('Browser');

Do I Need a Separate .env File?

No Separate .env Needed

Unlike Laravel Dusk (which ran a separate PHP process for the server), Pest Bridge Plugin uses pest-plugin-browser which runs Laravel in-process via amphp. You don't need a separate .env.dusk.local file.

Configure your test database in phpunit.xml - this works for both unit and browser tests:

<phpunit>
    <php>
        <env name="APP_ENV" value="testing"/>
        <env name="DB_CONNECTION" value="sqlite"/>
        <env name="DB_DATABASE" value="database/database.sqlite"/>
    </php>
</phpunit>

Alternative: Unique Test Data

If you prefer not to truncate/migrate, use unique identifiers:

test('user can register', function () {
    $email = 'test-'.Str::uuid().'@example.com';

    $this->bridge('/register')
        ->typeSlowly('[data-testid="email"]', $email, 20)
        // ...
});

Configuration Summary

Laravel Backend

tests/Pest.php:

use TestFlowLabs\PestPluginBridge\Bridge;

Bridge::add('http://localhost:3000');

phpunit.xml (database configuration):

<phpunit>
    <php>
        <env name="APP_ENV" value="testing"/>
        <env name="DB_CONNECTION" value="sqlite"/>
        <env name="DB_DATABASE" value="database/database.sqlite"/>
        <env name="SESSION_DRIVER" value="array"/>
    </php>
</phpunit>

.env.testing (optional, for Sanctum SPA auth):

APP_URL=http://localhost:8000
SANCTUM_STATEFUL_DOMAINS=localhost:3000
SESSION_DOMAIN=localhost

Frontend (example for Vite-based apps)

# .env or .env.local

VITE_API_URL=http://localhost:8000