Introduction

Setting up automated unit tests in GitHub can streamline your development process, ensuring code quality and reliability. This guide demonstrates how to create a simple Java project with unit tests and configure GitHub Actions to run these tests automatically.

You can check out the GitHub repository used for this project here: github-workflow-demo.

Creating a Project with Unit Tests

We will now create a simple Java project with a unit test. This will serve as the foundation for setting up automated unit testing in GitHub.

Generate Code Using Spring Initializr:

• Open IntelliJ IDEA.
• Go to File > New > Project.
• Select Spring Boot and configure your project (Group, Artifact, etc.).
• Choose "Spring Web" as a dependency.
• Click Create, and IntelliJ IDEA will generate the project code for you.

This project can be found at github-workflow-demo GitHub repository.

Now we will "put some meat" into the project. Let's add a controller:

...and a unit test:

We will launch the application and see how it works. Right-click GithubWorkflowDemoApplication class and choose "Run 'GithubWorkflow....main()':

The application will start very quickly:

In a browser, navigate to http://localhost:8080/, and you will see the message "Hello, World!" as we programmed in our application:

Now let's launch the tests. Right-click GithubWorkflowDemoApplicationTests and choose "Run GithubWorkflowDemoApplicationTests:"

The tests are successful:

Great! You now have a simple application with a unit test. Don't forget to commit and push your new code to the repository.

Creating a Unit Test Workflow in GitHub

We will start with GitHub out-of-the-box template workflow for unit tests. Go to the "Actions" tab:

...and then click on the "New workflow" button:

Search for "test":

The very first option is what we are looking for - we have a Maven project. Click "Configure":

GitHub will generate a sample workflow for you:

After you check it in, it will run it. However, unfortunately, the default workflow fails:

You will need to add to it to make it succeed.

What's Wrong with the Out-of-the-Box Workflow?

Amazingly, the out-of-the-box workflow doesn't do any testing! I had to modify it as follows to make it run the tests:

I also added the surefire Maven plugin to pom.xml:

Now it actually runs the tests, however we still have errors.

Dependency Graph Errors

The errors are security related, and are about the dependency graph:

GitHub template has these lines at the end, that are indicated as "optional", and they are giving errors:

To fix the dependency graph permissions, let's create a personal access token with all the needed permissions. First, go to your profile > Settings:

Then navigate to "Developer Settings" at the bottom:

Create a personal access token. Make sure you check all the needed permissions:

Copy your token:

Then navigate to your repository's Settings > Secrets and variables > Actions, and create a secret with the name GH_TOKEN and the value - the token that you just created:

Add your token to the workflow configuration:

Now the workflow succeeds!

Testing the Workflow

Our workflow seems to be working well. Let's see what happens if our tests fail.

I made the test fail as follows:

Now when I launch them from the IDE, one of them fails:

After committing the changes, I found that the workflow also failed:

You can see the details, e.g., which tests failed and why, in the log:

I also see the failure in my email that is associated with my GitHub account:

Once I fixed the tests, the workflow was successful again:

Conclusion

By following this guide, you have successfully set up a simple Java project with unit tests and configured GitHub Actions to automate the testing process. This ensures continuous integration and helps maintain code quality as your project evolves.