Console tests

Learn how to test Artisan commands in Laravel, including expectations for input and output, exit code verification, and console event verification.

Console tests

Laravel lets you write concise tests for Artisan commands that include input and output.

This page is aligned with Laravel’s latest console testing API and also covers expectsSearch for verifying Laravel Prompts search inputs.

Introduction

Use the artisan method to run the command and chain expectations to verify it.

Pest

test('question command', function () {
    // Verify user input and output in sequence
    $this->artisan('question')
        ->expectsQuestion('What is your name?', 'Taylor Otwell')
        ->expectsQuestion('Which language do you prefer?', 'PHP')
        ->expectsOutput('Your name is Taylor Otwell and you prefer PHP.')
        ->doesntExpectOutput('Your name is Taylor Otwell and you prefer Ruby.')
        ->assertExitCode(0);
});

PHPUnit

public function test_question_command(): void
{
    // Verify the command's interactive flow
    $this->artisan('question')
        ->expectsQuestion('What is your name?', 'Taylor Otwell')
        ->expectsQuestion('Which language do you prefer?', 'PHP')
        ->expectsOutput('Your name is Taylor Otwell and you prefer PHP.')
        ->doesntExpectOutput('Your name is Taylor Otwell and you prefer Ruby.')
        ->assertExitCode(0);
}

Success / failure assertions

You can verify the command’s success or failure by checking the exit status.

$this->artisan('inspire')->assertExitCode(0);
$this->artisan('inspire')->assertSuccessful();
$this->artisan('inspire')->assertFailed();

Input / output expectations

Input expectations

You can mock user interactions for question prompts and search inputs.

// Mock both question and search inputs
$this->artisan('example')
    ->expectsQuestion('What is your name?', 'Taylor Otwell')
    ->expectsSearch('What is your name?', search: 'Tay', answers: [
        'Taylor Otwell',
        'Taylor Swift',
        'Darian Taylor',
    ], answer: 'Taylor Otwell')
    ->assertExitCode(0);

Output expectations

You can verify exact matches, partial matches, or table output.

// Verify that only the expected output is displayed
$this->artisan('users:all')
    ->expectsOutput('The expected output')
    ->doesntExpectOutput('Unexpected output')
    ->expectsOutputToContain('expected')
    ->expectsTable([
        'ID',
        'Email',
    ], [
        [1, '[e-mail]'],
        [2, '[e-mail]'],
    ])
    ->assertExitCode(0);

Confirmation expectations

For yes/no confirmation prompts, use expectsConfirmation.

$this->artisan('module:import')
    ->expectsConfirmation('Do you really wish to run this command?', 'no')
    ->assertExitCode(1);

Console events

By default, CommandStarting and CommandFinished are not fired during tests.

Add WithConsoleEvents to test classes that need to verify these events.

<?php

namespace Tests\Feature;

use Illuminate\Foundation\Testing\WithConsoleEvents;
use Tests\TestCase;

class ConsoleEventTest extends TestCase
{
    use WithConsoleEvents;
}

Use WithConsoleEvents only for the tests that need it to keep your general test speed high.