Enhancement: Clarification on Using Http::fake() with Custom Guzzle Clients in Laravel

[DanieleAsrael]

I would like to address an important aspect of testing with the Http facade in Laravel, particularly when using custom Guzzle clients.

When making a request using the Http facade like this:

Http::setClient($this->client)->get($url);

I am setting a Guzzle client that I created beforehand. This works perfectly fine in terms of functionality. However, when it comes to testing, if I call Http::fake($fakeResponse); prior to this call and then make the request, the final endpoint invocation still occurs.

The issue arises because the HTTP facade adds specific handlers to the Guzzle stack during the creation of the client that help determine if the request is fake or not. More specifically, in the PendingRequest class, we have the following method:

public function buildClient()
{
    return $this->client ?? $this->createClient($this->buildHandlerStack());
}

If I create the client differently (specifically, with the \Microsoft\Graph\Core\GraphClientFactory class), those handlers do not get added, and the request to the actual endpoint is executed despite the expectation that it would be intercepted by Http::fake().

Proposed Solution:

To resolve this issue, I modified the client creation process to include the necessary handlers. Here’s how I did it:

$httpClient = GraphClientFactory::createWithConfig([
    'handler' => Http::buildHandlerStack()
]);

By adding the handlers in this manner, I ensured that the custom client's request handling aligns properly with Laravel's Http facade's mocking capabilities.

Debugging Insight:

To understand the issue thoroughly, I had to debug down to the final request. This insight into how the handlers work was crucial for solving the problem and ensuring successful testing with mocked HTTP responses.

Conclusion:

To enhance clarity for developers regarding this behavior, I propose the following adjustments to the documentation:

1. Explicit Mention: Clearly indicate that using Http::fake() with a custom Guzzle client set via Http::setClient() may result in actual requests to the intended endpoint if those handlers are not added to the client stack.

2. Example Modifications: Provide example code demonstrating the correct way to handle HTTP requests in tests, especially when dealing with external APIs using a custom client.

By documenting this behavior and providing clear guidelines, we can help developers avoid confusion and improve their testing strategies with the Http facade in Laravel.

Thank you for considering this contribution to the documentation. I believe it will be beneficial for the Laravel community, especially those who work with custom Guzzle clients and require clarity on how to effectively leverage Http::fake() in their tests.