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by dkersten
2061 days ago
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Should library code really be relying on a database? If its a database library, then ok, maybe it can stick to a subset of database features that works across all supported databases, but in that case, testing against these databases is no longer a "Forcing Function", but a core part of the libraries test suite to ensure correctness. The same goes for platform code, really. If you are advertising your platform to work with databases X, Y and Z, then you really need to be testing against those and not just as a Forcing Function to see if any brittleness crept in, but as a core part of ensuring your platform does as advertised. |
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Yes, many libraries need, or are enhanced by, persistence, whether that's a double-entry accounting module, a headless cms, or an e-commerce engine.
> you really need to be testing against those
Library authors need tools and guidance, not arbitrary constraints and high-watermark QA demands. Most of us have one or two DBs that we work with day-to-day but still want libraries we contribute to be broadly portable across any of the backends the framework they plug into supports. e.g. I can't maintain a test suite vs Oracle when I don't license it, but I still want to know that It'll Just Work if someone uses it in such combination, or that it's at least close enough they'll not have trouble making it work.
More broadly I think the myth of testing every supported combination leads to a brittle mindset of saying "not supported, won't help", especially when systematised in a commercial environment, and to me it's the antithesis of good engineering.