Asserting Exceptions in Laravel Tests

Published on by

Asserting Exceptions in Laravel Tests image

Laravel's recent release of Laravel 11.4 introduced the Exceptions facade, which adds conveniences around asserting exceptions in Laravel's exception handler. Before this release, I would typically use the $this->withoutExceptionHandling() to assert that a specific exception happened during an HTTP test:

use App\Exceptions\WelcomeException;
 
$this->withoutExceptionHandling();
 
try {
$this->get('/');
} catch (WelcomeException $e) {
$this->assertEquals('Woops, there was an issue with your request!', $e->getMessage());
 
return;
}
 
$this->fail(sprintf('The expected "%s" exception was not thrown.', WelcomeException::class));

When you expect a request to not throw any exceptions, using withoutExceptionHandling cuts out the middleman when you're debugging why an error is happening when you don't expect it. The above code is tedious to write, because it manually captures the exception, makes assertions about the exception, and calls return to avoid the manual $this->fail() call. The manual failure will catch situations when the test doesn't throw an exception when expected.

If $this->fail() is called in the above scenario, here's what the output would look like:

$ phpunit
 
There was 1 failure:
 
1) Tests\Feature\ExampleTest::test_the_application_returns_a_successful_response
The expected "App\Exceptions\WelcomeException" exception was not thrown.
 
/app/tests/Feature/ExampleTest.php:33

Laravel's Exceptions Facade

Let's look at how the new Exceptions facade can simplify our test; the first example, rewritten, would look as follows:

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Exceptions;
 
Exceptions::fake();
 
$this->get('/');
 
Exceptions::assertReported(function (WelcomeException $e): bool {
return $e->getMessage() === "Woops, there was an issue with your request!";
});

Using the Exceptions facade gives us the bonus of not having to capture an exception to assert things manually. Said another way, the test can keep Laravel's exception handler in place but still be able to assert exceptions that happened during a request.

If we want to be sure that a test doesn't throw a specific exception or doesn't throw any exceptions, period, the new facade has our back:

Exceptions::assertNotReported(WelcomeException::class);
 
Exceptions::assertNothingReported();

If the exception handler does not report the WelcomeException, the test output would give us a nicely formatted message:

$ phpunit
 
There was 1 failure:
 
1) Tests\Feature\ExampleTest::test_the_application_returns_a_successful_response
The expected [App\Exceptions\WelcomeException] exception was not reported.

While there may be times when you don't want to fake Laravel's exception handler, when testing edge cases, the new Exceptions facade is tremendously helpful and cleans up our code:

Exceptions::assertReported(WelcomeException::class);
Exceptions::assertReportedCount($count);
Exceptions::assertNotReported(WelcomeException::class);
Exceptions::assertNothingReported();
Exceptions::throwFirstReported();

To learn more about the Exceptions facade, check out Laravel’s documentation.

Paul Redmond photo

Staff writer at Laravel News. Full stack web developer and author.

Cube

Laravel Newsletter

Join 40k+ other developers and never miss out on new tips, tutorials, and more.

Laravel Forge logo

Laravel Forge

Easily create and manage your servers and deploy your Laravel applications in seconds.

Laravel Forge
Tinkerwell logo

Tinkerwell

The must-have code runner for Laravel developers. Tinker with AI, autocompletion and instant feedback on local and production environments.

Tinkerwell
No Compromises logo

No Compromises

Joel and Aaron, the two seasoned devs from the No Compromises podcast, are now available to hire for your Laravel project. ⬧ Flat rate of $7500/mo. ⬧ No lengthy sales process. ⬧ No contracts. ⬧ 100% money back guarantee.

No Compromises
Kirschbaum logo

Kirschbaum

Providing innovation and stability to ensure your web application succeeds.

Kirschbaum
Shift logo

Shift

Running an old Laravel version? Instant, automated Laravel upgrades and code modernization to keep your applications fresh.

Shift
Bacancy logo

Bacancy

Supercharge your project with a seasoned Laravel developer with 4-6 years of experience for just $2500/month. Get 160 hours of dedicated expertise & a risk-free 15-day trial. Schedule a call now!

Bacancy
Lucky Media logo

Lucky Media

Get Lucky Now - the ideal choice for Laravel Development, with over a decade of experience!

Lucky Media
Lunar: Laravel E-Commerce logo

Lunar: Laravel E-Commerce

E-Commerce for Laravel. An open-source package that brings the power of modern headless e-commerce functionality to Laravel.

Lunar: Laravel E-Commerce
LaraJobs logo

LaraJobs

The official Laravel job board

LaraJobs
SaaSykit: Laravel SaaS Starter Kit logo

SaaSykit: Laravel SaaS Starter Kit

SaaSykit is a Multi-tenant Laravel SaaS Starter Kit that comes with all features required to run a modern SaaS. Payments, Beautiful Checkout, Admin Panel, User dashboard, Auth, Ready Components, Stats, Blog, Docs and more.

SaaSykit: Laravel SaaS Starter Kit
Rector logo

Rector

Your partner for seamless Laravel upgrades, cutting costs, and accelerating innovation for successful companies

Rector
MongoDB logo

MongoDB

Enhance your PHP applications with the powerful integration of MongoDB and Laravel, empowering developers to build applications with ease and efficiency. Support transactional, search, analytics and mobile use cases while using the familiar Eloquent APIs. Discover how MongoDB's flexible, modern database can transform your Laravel applications.

MongoDB

The latest

View all →
API Platform for Laravel image

API Platform for Laravel

Read article
Pan - A simple, lightweight, and privacy-focused product analytics php package image

Pan - A simple, lightweight, and privacy-focused product analytics php package

Read article
The Inertia.js v2 Beta is Here image

The Inertia.js v2 Beta is Here

Read article
Mastering Laravel, No Compromises, and SourceDive with Joel Clermont image

Mastering Laravel, No Compromises, and SourceDive with Joel Clermont

Read article
Now you can install PHP and the Laravel installer with a single command image

Now you can install PHP and the Laravel installer with a single command

Read article
WireSpy is a Sleek New Debug Bar for Laravel Livewire image

WireSpy is a Sleek New Debug Bar for Laravel Livewire

Read article