Critical Rules

• ALWAYS use response.json()["data"] not response.data
• ALWAYS use content_type = "application/vnd.api+json" for PATCH/PUT requests
• ALWAYS use format="vnd.api+json" for POST requests
• ALWAYS test cross-tenant isolation - RLS returns 404, NOT 403
• NEVER skip RLS isolation tests when adding new endpoints
• NEVER use realistic-looking API keys in tests (TruffleHog will flag them)
• ALWAYS mock BOTH .delay() AND Task.objects.get for async task tests

1. Fixture Dependency Chain

create_test_user (session) ─► tenants_fixture (function) ─► authenticated_client
                                     │
                                     └─► providers_fixture ─► scans_fixture ─► findings_fixture

Key Fixtures

RBAC Fixtures

2. JSON:API Requests

POST (Create)

response = client.post(
    reverse("provider-list"),
    data={"data": {"type": "providers", "attributes": {...}}},
    format="vnd.api+json",  # NOT content_type!
)

PATCH (Update)

response = client.patch(
    reverse("provider-detail", kwargs={"pk": provider.id}),
    data={"data": {"type": "providers", "id": str(provider.id), "attributes": {...}}},
    content_type="application/vnd.api+json",  # NOT format!
)

Reading Responses

data = response.json()["data"]
attrs = data["attributes"]
errors = response.json()["errors"]  # For 400 responses

3. RLS Isolation (Cross-Tenant)

RLS returns 404, NOT 403 - the resource is invisible, not forbidden.

def test_cross_tenant_access_denied(self, authenticated_client, tenants_fixture):
    other_tenant = tenants_fixture[2]  # Isolated tenant
    foreign_provider = Provider.objects.create(tenant_id=other_tenant.id, ...)

    response = authenticated_client.get(reverse("provider-detail", args=[foreign_provider.id]))
    assert response.status_code == status.HTTP_404_NOT_FOUND  # NOT 403!

4. Celery Task Testing

Testing Strategies

Why NOT task_always_eager

Instead, use: task.apply() for sync execution, mocking for isolation.

Full examples: See assets/api_test.py for TestCeleryTaskLogic, TestCeleryCanvas, TestSetTenantDecorator, TestBeatScheduling.

5. Fake Secrets (TruffleHog)

# BAD - TruffleHog flags these:
api_key = "sk-test1234567890T3BlbkFJtest1234567890"

# GOOD - obviously fake:
api_key = "sk-fake-test-key-for-unit-testing-only"

6. Response Status Codes

Commands

cd api && poetry run pytest -x --tb=short
cd api && poetry run pytest -k "test_provider"
cd api && poetry run pytest api/src/backend/api/tests/test_rbac.py

Resources

• Full Examples: See assets/api_test.py for complete test patterns
• Fixture Reference: See references/test-api-docs.md
• Fixture Source: api/src/backend/conftest.py