# Testing With Codeception

Elentra uses [Codeception](https://codeception.com/) as its integrated testing environment. It allows you to create and run unit tests, integration tests, and functional tests separately or together.

**Unit tests** are designed to run quickly and test small portions of code that have no external dependencies. For example, testing a function that takes a `Models_User` object and returns an array with the name, address, and email.

**Integrations tests** are for testing multiple units that work together. An example would be an API call to get a list of a given Learner's courses.

**Functional tests** will test the interaction of code that is in multiple integration tests, like a Learner's dashboard page that contains a list of courses, Message Centre, Assessments, etc.

Codeception test files are found in the `/developers/tests` section of your Elentra ME development environment, and basic configuration is in `/developers/codeception.yml`. Configuration for the individual kinds of tests can be found in `/developers/tests/*.suite.yml`

### The Difference Between Unit and Integration Testing <a href="#user-content-the-difference-between-unit-and-integration-testing" id="user-content-the-difference-between-unit-and-integration-testing"></a>

<table><thead><tr><th width="359.8561019172851">Unit Testing</th><th>Integration Testing</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Unit tests mock interactions with external dependencies (database, IO, etc.)</td><td>Integration tests use the real dependencies</td></tr><tr><td>Developers write unit tests</td><td>Testers or other QA professionals usually write integration tests</td></tr><tr><td>Unit tests provide precise feedback</td><td>Integration tests provide less precise feedback</td></tr><tr><td>It tests a unit without the need for other units to be complete</td><td>The units must all be complete</td></tr><tr><td>Developers run unit tests on their machines frequently</td><td>Developers run integration tests on their machines less frequently, or not at all</td></tr><tr><td>The CI server runs the unit test suite at each commit to the main branch or check-in</td><td>The CI server might run integration tests less often, as they need a more involving setup process and are slower to run</td></tr><tr><td>Unit tests are easier to write</td><td>Integration tests are harder to write</td></tr><tr><td>Unit tests can be run in any order, or even simultaneously</td><td>Integration tests usually required a strict order and can’t be run simultaneously</td></tr><tr><td>Unit tests are stable</td><td>Integration tests can experience instability due to reliance on remote resources and potential network conditions</td></tr></tbody></table>


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