#184 - Contract Testing Essentials: A Comprehensive Guide - Lewis Prescott

“Contract testing is a form of testing where you are verifying two systems have the same shared understanding about the expectations."

Lewis Prescott is the coauthor of “Contract Testing in Action”. In this episode, join us to demystify contract testing and its critical role in modern software development. Discover how contract testing ensures reliable software integration, particularly in complex microservice architectures.

Lewis explains the core concepts, the difference between consumer-driven and provider-driven approaches, and how contract testing fits into your testing strategy and CI/CD pipeline. We also touch on the practicalities of implementing contract testing, including tool options like Pact, and how it can also be applied in event-driven architectures.

Whether you’re a seasoned developer or just starting, this episode offers valuable insights to help you level up your software development approach.  

Listen out for:

• Career Journey - [00:01:56]
• Problems Contract Testing is Solving - [00:04:57]
• Contract Testing Use Cases - [00:07:20]
• Contract Testing Components - [00:09:52]
• Shared Understanding of the Expectations - [00:11:42]
• Benefits of Contract Testing - [00:15:02]
• Contract Testing in Testing Pyramid - [00:18:29]
• Contract vs Unit vs Integration Tests - [00:19:37]
• Contract Testing for Public APIs - [00:21:28]
• Types of Contract Testing - [00:22:46]
• CI/CD Workflow with Contract Testing - [00:25:33]
• Provider Workflow - [00:31:55]
• Getting the Buy-In - [00:33:31]
• Owning the Broker - [00:36:00]
• Pact & Other Tooling - [00:37:19]
• Versioning Contracts - [00:39:34]
• Consumer-Driven Contract Testing - [00:42:15]
• Contract Testing for Event-Driven Architecture - [00:46:53]
• 3 Tech Lead Wisdom - [00:49:40]

_____

Lewis Prescott’s Bio
Lewis Prescott is a Test Specialist at IBM. He has 9 years experience in software testing, is a recognized champion of Contract Testing and course author at Test Automation University, as well as an active mentor in the testing community.

Follow Lewis:

• LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/lewis-prescott-12409a44/
• Website – pactman.co.uk
• 📚 Contract Testing in Action – manning.com/books/contract-testing-in-action
• Book’s forum – livebook.manning.com/forum?product=cruz2

_____

Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/184.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.