Test Environment Manager

Overview

Provision, configure, and manage isolated test environments for reliable test execution. Supports Docker Compose environments, Testcontainers, local service stacks, and ephemeral CI environments.

Prerequisites

• Docker and Docker Compose installed (for containerized environments)
• Testcontainers library installed if using programmatic container management
• Database client tools (psql, mysql, mongosh) for seed data operations
• Environment variable management via .env files or secrets manager
• Sufficient disk space and memory for running service containers

Instructions

1. Read the project's existing configuration files (docker-compose.yml, .env.test, jest.config.*, pytest.ini) to understand current environment setup.
2. Inventory all external dependencies the test suite requires (databases, message queues, cache servers, third-party API stubs).
3. Create or update a docker-compose.test.yml defining isolated service containers:

• Assign non-conflicting ports to avoid collisions with development services.
• Configure health checks for each service to prevent tests from starting before services are ready.
• Set resource limits (memory, CPU) to match CI runner constraints.

1. Write seed data scripts that populate databases with baseline test data:

• Use idempotent migrations that can run repeatedly without error.
• Create separate seed datasets for unit, integration, and E2E test tiers.
• Include cleanup scripts that truncate tables without dropping schemas.

1. Generate environment configuration files (.env.test) with connection strings, API keys, and feature flags appropriate for testing.
2. Create a startup script that orchestrates the full environment lifecycle:

• Start containers and wait for health checks to pass.
• Run database migrations and seed data.
• Export environment variables for the test runner.
• Execute the test suite.
• Tear down containers and clean up volumes.

1. Validate the environment by running a small smoke test suite against the provisioned services.

Output

• docker-compose.test.yml with all required service definitions
• .env.test with test-specific configuration values
• Database seed scripts (seeds/test-data.sql or equivalent)
• Environment startup/teardown shell script (scripts/test-env.sh)
• Health check verification report confirming all services are operational

Error Handling

/env-setup