Spring Boot controller unit test : Failed to load ApplicationContext

Question

I have a simple spring boot controller and I want to write unit test for it but there is an error. I've googled for hours but still cannot find the solution. Here is code:

HelloController.java

@RestController
public class HelloController {

    @Autowired
    private HelloService helloService;

    @GetMapping("/hello")
    public String sayHello(){
        return helloService.sayHello();
    }
}

HelloService.java:

@Service
public class HelloService {
    public String sayHello(){
        return "Hello";
    }
}

And unit test file: HelloControllerTest.java:

@RunWith(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.class)
@WebMvcTest(HelloController.class)
public class HelloControllerTest {

    @Autowired
    private MockMvc mockMvc;

    @Mock
    private HelloService helloService;

    @Before
    public void setUp(){
        MockitoAnnotations.initMocks(this);
    }

    @Test
    public void sayHello() throws Exception {
        when(helloService.sayHello()).thenReturn("thach");
        mockMvc.perform(get("/hello"))
                .andExpect(status().isOk())
                .andExpect(content().string("thach"));
    }

}

But there is an error:

java.lang.IllegalStateException: Failed to load ApplicationContext

    at org.springframework.test.context.CacheAwareContextLoaderDelegate.loadContext(CacheAwareContextLoaderDelegate.java:99)
    at org.springframework.test.context.TestContext.getApplicationContext(TestContext.java:122)
    at org.springframework.test.context.web.ServletTestExecutionListener.setUpRequestContextIfNecessary(ServletTestExecutionListener.java:105)
    at org.springframework.test.context.web.ServletTestExecutionListener.prepareTestInstance(ServletTestExecutionListener.java:74)
    at org.springframework.test.context.TestContextManager.prepareTestInstance(TestContextManager.java:312)
    at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.createTest(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.java:211)
    at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringJUnit4ClassRunner$1.runReflectiveCall(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.java:288)
    at org.junit.internal.runners.model.ReflectiveCallable.run(ReflectiveCallable.java:12)
    at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.methodBlock(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.java:284)
    at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.runChild(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.java:231)
    at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.runChild(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.java:88)
    at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner$3.run(ParentRunner.java:238)
    at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner$1.schedule(ParentRunner.java:63)
    at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner.runChildren(ParentRunner.java:236)
    at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner.access$000(ParentRunner.java:53)
    at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner$2.evaluate(ParentRunner.java:229)
    at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.statements.RunBeforeTestClassCallbacks.evaluate(RunBeforeTestClassCallbacks.java:61)
    at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.statements.RunAfterTestClassCallbacks.evaluate(RunAfterTestClassCallbacks.java:71)
    at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner.run(ParentRunner.java:309)
    at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.run(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.java:174)
    at org.junit.runner.JUnitCore.run(JUnitCore.java:160)
    at com.intellij.junit4.JUnit4IdeaTestRunner.startRunnerWithArgs(JUnit4IdeaTestRunner.java:68)
    at com.intellij.rt.execution.junit.IdeaTestRunner$Repeater.startRunnerWithArgs(IdeaTestRunner.java:47)
    at com.intellij.rt.execution.junit.JUnitStarter.prepareStreamsAndStart(JUnitStarter.java:242)
    at com.intellij.rt.execution.junit.JUnitStarter.main(JUnitStarter.java:70)
Caused by: java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: Cannot load an ApplicationContext with a NULL 'contextLoader'. Consider annotating your test class with @ContextConfiguration or @ContextHierarchy.
    at org.springframework.util.Assert.notNull(Assert.java:134)
    at org.springframework.test.context.CacheAwareContextLoaderDelegate.loadContextInternal(CacheAwareContextLoaderDelegate.java:57)
    at org.springframework.test.context.CacheAwareContextLoaderDelegate.loadContext(CacheAwareContextLoaderDelegate.java:91)
    ... 24 more

Can any one help me ? I am just a newbie to Spring boot

Possible duplicate of Failed to load ApplicationContext when running Integration Tests — xingbin
– xingbin, Commented Jan 14, 2018 at 7:15

Mandar Pandit · Accepted Answer · 2023-11-08 11:19:06Z

15

I had similar issue. Please see code below:

@RunWith(SpringRunner.class)
@SpringBootTest
@AutoConfigureMockMvc
public class ApplicationControllerTest {

    @Autowired
    MockMvc mockMvc;

    @MockBean
    ApplicationService applicationService;

    @Test
    public void testGetImagePath() throws Exception {

        RequestBuilder requestBuilder = MockMvcRequestBuilders.get("/application/get-image")
                .contentType(MediaType.IMAGE_GIF);

        MvcResult result = mockMvc.perform(requestBuilder).andReturn();
        System.out.println(result.getResponse());
    }
}

Please see below test case execution:

Check Annotations you used i.e. :

@RunWith(SpringRunner.class)
@SpringBootTest
@AutoConfigureMockMvc

edited Nov 8, 2023 at 11:19

Mandar Pandit

2,2197 gold badges38 silver badges61 bronze badges

answered Aug 2, 2018 at 20:48

Shashank Bodkhe

1,04212 silver badges16 bronze badges

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1 Comment

logbasex Over a year ago

Some cases need to specify classes property for @SpringBootTest annotation

Bunyod · Accepted Answer · 2020-04-17 01:43:17Z

8

For anyone that runs into the same issue - It is important to use @MockBean. (@Mock won't cut it)

See https://spring.io/guides/gs/testing-web/:

We use @MockBean to create and inject a mock for the GreetingService (if you do not do so, the application context cannot start), and we set its expectations using Mockito.

So it is likely all may have been fine if OP just replaced

@Mock
private HelloService helloService;

with

@MockBean
private HelloService helloService;

So the additional class annotations from the accepted answer should not be necessary

edited Apr 17, 2020 at 1:43

Bunyod

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answered Apr 16, 2020 at 11:39

Adam

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Comments

vamsi krishna · Accepted Answer · 2020-07-23 12:55:20Z

3

if converted into @SpringBootTest it will becomes integration testing. but we want to test only specific controller (unit testing) with @WebMvcTest so how it will become a feasible solution.

answered Jul 23, 2020 at 12:55

vamsi krishna

411 bronze badge

1 Comment

Rhubarb Over a year ago

agreed but doesnt say how to solve it exactly

dStulle · Accepted Answer · 2023-11-08 11:57:56Z

0

I had the same problem and tried different ways, but none of them didn't work, Finally, I included two annotations to my Test Class which resolved my problem:

@SpringBootTest(webEnvironment = SpringBootTest.WebEnvironment.RANDOM_PORT)
@AutoConfigureMockMvc
HelloControllerTest {
}

If you don't want to generate random port to test your API just add the following annotations:

@SpringBootTest
@AutoConfigureMockMvc
HelloControllerTest {
}

edited Nov 8, 2023 at 11:57

dStulle

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answered May 31, 2021 at 7:21

Programmer

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Comments

Bilal Abdulkany · Accepted Answer · 2018-08-16 05:52:11Z

-1

What's missing in here is the @SpringBootTest annotation. This annotation is used to load @Configuration classes for testing and start the embedded container with the default port.
If a @Configuration class is not specified, it would use the default @SpringBootApplication class, since it has @Configuration inside its annotation.

answered Aug 16, 2018 at 5:52

Bilal Abdulkany

416 bronze badges

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