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1# Unit tests
2
3The sources in this directory are unit test cases. Boost includes a
4unit testing framework, and since Bitcoin Core already uses Boost, it makes
5sense to simply use this framework rather than require developers to
6configure some other framework (we want as few impediments to creating
7unit tests as possible).
8
9The build system is set up to compile an executable called `test_bitcoin`
10that runs all of the unit tests. The main source file for the test library is found in
11`util/setup_common.cpp`.
12
13The examples in this document assume the build directory is named
14`build`. You'll need to adapt them if you named it differently.
15
16### Compiling/running unit tests
17
18Unit tests will be automatically compiled if dependencies were met
19during the generation of the Bitcoin Core build system
20and tests weren't explicitly disabled.
21
22The unit tests can be run with `ctest --test-dir build`, which includes unit
23tests from subtrees.
24
25Run `build/bin/test_bitcoin --list_content` for the full list of tests.
26
27To run the unit tests manually, launch `build/bin/test_bitcoin`. To recompile
28after a test file was modified, run `cmake --build build` and then run the test again. If you
29modify a non-test file, use `cmake --build build --target test_bitcoin` to recompile only what's needed
30to run the unit tests.
31
32To add more unit tests, add `BOOST_AUTO_TEST_CASE` functions to the existing
33.cpp files in the `test/` directory or add new .cpp files that
34implement new `BOOST_AUTO_TEST_SUITE` sections.
35
36To run the GUI unit tests manually, launch `build/bin/test_bitcoin-qt`
37
38To add more GUI unit tests, add them to the `src/qt/test/` directory and
39the `src/qt/test/test_main.cpp` file.
40
41### Running individual tests
42
43The `test_bitcoin` runner accepts command line arguments from the Boost
44framework. To see the list of arguments that may be passed, run:
45
46```
47build/bin/test_bitcoin --help
48```
49
50For example, to run only the tests in the `getarg_tests` file, with full logging:
51
52```bash
53build/bin/test_bitcoin --log_level=all --run_test=getarg_tests
54```
55
56or
57
58```bash
59build/bin/test_bitcoin -l all -t getarg_tests
60```
61
62or to run only the doubledash test in `getarg_tests`
63
64```bash
65build/bin/test_bitcoin --run_test=getarg_tests/doubledash
66```
67
68The `--log_level=` (or `-l`) argument controls the verbosity of the test output.
69
70The `test_bitcoin` runner also accepts some of the command line arguments accepted by
71`bitcoind`. Use `--` to separate these sets of arguments:
72
73```bash
74build/bin/test_bitcoin --log_level=all --run_test=getarg_tests -- -printtoconsole=1
75```
76
77The `-printtoconsole=1` after the two dashes sends debug logging, which
78normally goes only to `debug.log` within the data directory, to the
79standard terminal output as well.
80
81Running `test_bitcoin` creates a temporary working (data) directory with a randomly
82generated pathname within `test_common bitcoin/`, which in turn is within
83the system's temporary directory (see
84[`temp_directory_path`](https://en.cppreference.com/w/cpp/filesystem/temp_directory_path)).
85This data directory looks like a simplified form of the standard `bitcoind` data
86directory. Its content will vary depending on the test, but it will always
87have a `debug.log` file, for example.
88
89The location of the temporary data directory can be specified with the
90`-testdatadir` option. This can make debugging easier. The directory
91path used is the argument path appended with
92`/test_common bitcoin/<test-name>/datadir`.
93The directory path is created if necessary.
94Specifying this argument also causes the data directory
95not to be removed after the last test. This is useful for looking at
96what the test wrote to `debug.log` after it completes, for example.
97(The directory is removed at the start of the next test run,
98so no leftover state is used.)
99
100```bash
101$ build/bin/test_bitcoin --run_test=getarg_tests/doubledash -- -testdatadir=/somewhere/mydatadir
102Test directory (will not be deleted): "/somewhere/mydatadir/test_common bitcoin/getarg_tests/doubledash/datadir"
103Running 1 test case...
104
105*** No errors detected
106$ ls -l '/somewhere/mydatadir/test_common bitcoin/getarg_tests/doubledash/datadir'
107total 8
108drwxrwxr-x 2 admin admin 4096 Nov 27 22:45 blocks
109-rw-rw-r-- 1 admin admin 1003 Nov 27 22:45 debug.log
110```
111
112If you run an entire test suite, such as `--run_test=getarg_tests`, or all the test suites
113(by not specifying `--run_test`), a separate directory
114will be created for each individual test.
115
116### Adding test cases
117
118To add a new unit test file to our test suite, you need
119to add the file to either `src/test/CMakeLists.txt` or
120`src/wallet/test/CMakeLists.txt` for wallet-related tests. The pattern is to create
121one test file for each class or source file for which you want to create
122unit tests. The file naming convention is `<source_filename>_tests.cpp`
123and such files should wrap their tests in a test suite
124called `<source_filename>_tests`. For an example of this pattern,
125see `uint256_tests.cpp`.
126
127### Logging and debugging in unit tests
128
129`ctest --test-dir build` will write to the log file `build/Testing/Temporary/LastTest.log`. You can
130additionally use the `--output-on-failure` option to display logs of the failed tests automatically
131on failure. For running individual tests verbosely, refer to the section
132[above](#running-individual-tests).
133
134To write to logs from unit tests you need to use specific message methods
135provided by Boost. The simplest is `BOOST_TEST_MESSAGE`.
136
137For debugging you can launch the `test_bitcoin` executable with `gdb` or `lldb` and
138start debugging, just like you would with any other program:
139
140```bash
141gdb build/bin/test_bitcoin
142```
143
144#### Segmentation faults
145
146If you hit a segmentation fault during a test run, you can diagnose where the fault
147is happening by running `gdb ./build/bin/test_bitcoin` and then using the `bt` command
148within gdb.
149
150Another tool that can be used to resolve segmentation faults is
151[valgrind](https://valgrind.org/).
152
153If for whatever reason you want to produce a core dump file for this fault, you can do
154that as well. By default, the boost test runner will intercept system errors and not
155produce a core file. To bypass this, add `--catch_system_errors=no` to the
156`test_bitcoin` arguments and ensure that your ulimits are set properly (e.g. `ulimit -c
157unlimited`).
158
159Running the tests and hitting a segmentation fault should now produce a file called `core`
160(on Linux platforms, the file name will likely depend on the contents of
161`/proc/sys/kernel/core_pattern`).
162
163You can then explore the core dump using
164```bash
165gdb build/bin/test_bitcoin core
166
167(gdb) bt  # produce a backtrace for where a segfault occurred
168```
169

src/wallet/receive.cpp

src/wallet/coinselection.cpp

src/consensus/validation.h

src/primitives/transaction.cpp

src/script/descriptor.cpp

src/bitcoin-cli.cpp

src/rpc/blockchain.cpp

src/rpc/rawtransaction.cpp

src/init.cpp

src/crypto/sha256.cpp

src/consensus/merkle.h

src/consensus/tx_check.h

src/consensus/tx_verify.h

src/policy/feerate.h

src/policy/feerate.cpp

src/primitives/transaction_identifier.h

src/chainparamsbase.h

src/chainparamsbase.cpp

src/util/moneystr.cpp

src/crypto/ripemd160.h

src/crypto/sha1.h

src/crypto/sha512.h

src/crypto/hmac_sha256.h

src/crypto/hmac_sha512.h

src/crypto/hmac_sha256.cpp

src/crypto/hmac_sha512.cpp

src/crypto/hkdf_sha256_32.h

src/crypto/hkdf_sha256_32.cpp

src/support/cleanse.h

src/support/cleanse.cpp

src/crypto/siphash.cpp

src/crypto/muhash.h

src/crypto/chacha20.h

src/crypto/poly1305.h

src/crypto/chacha20poly1305.h

src/crypto/chacha20poly1305.cpp

src/util/chaintype.cpp

src/util/obfuscation.h

src/util/byte_units.h

src/util/overflow.h

src/blockencodings.cpp

src/net_permissions.cpp

src/policy/packages.cpp

src/policy/rbf.cpp

src/policy/truc_policy.cpp

src/policy/ephemeral_policy.cpp

src/policy/settings.cpp

src/policy/policy.cpp

src/node/transaction.cpp

src/node/coin.cpp

src/rpc/client.cpp

src/rpc/external_signer.cpp

src/rpc/request.cpp

src/rpc/server_util.cpp

src/rpc/fees.cpp

src/rpc/output_script.cpp

src/rpc/rawtransaction_util.cpp

src/rpc/rawtransaction_util.h

src/rpc/register.h

src/rpc/request.h

src/rpc/server_util.h

src/rpc/protocol.h

src/rpc/server.h

src/rpc/signmessage.cpp

src/rpc/txoutproof.cpp

src/rpc/util.cpp

src/rpc/util.h

src/wallet/rpc/addresses.cpp

src/wallet/rpc/backup.cpp

src/wallet/rpc/coins.cpp

src/wallet/rpc/encrypt.cpp

src/wallet/rpc/signmessage.cpp

src/wallet/rpc/util.cpp

src/wallet/rpc/util.h

src/wallet/coincontrol.cpp

src/wallet/coincontrol.h

src/wallet/context.cpp

src/wallet/context.h

src/wallet/crypter.cpp

src/wallet/crypter.h

src/wallet/db.cpp

src/wallet/export.cpp

src/wallet/external_signer_scriptpubkeyman.cpp

src/wallet/rpc/spend.cpp

src/wallet/rpc/transactions.cpp

src/wallet/rpc/wallet.cpp

src/wallet/feebumper.cpp

src/wallet/feebumper.h

src/index/base.h

src/index/base.cpp

src/index/txindex.h

src/index/txindex.cpp

src/index/txindex_key.h

src/index/txospenderindex.h

src/index/txospenderindex.cpp

src/index/blockfilterindex.h

src/index/blockfilterindex.cpp

src/index/coinstatsindex.h

src/index/coinstatsindex.cpp

src/index/db_key.h

src/index/disktxpos.h

src/kernel/chain.cpp

src/kernel/chain.h

src/kernel/checks.cpp

src/kernel/checks.h

src/kernel/context.cpp

src/kernel/context.h

src/kernel/cs_main.cpp

src/kernel/cs_main.h

src/kernel/disconnected_transactions.cpp

src/kernel/disconnected_transactions.h

src/kernel/mempool_removal_reason.cpp

src/kernel/mempool_removal_reason.h

src/kernel/coinstats.cpp

src/kernel/coinstats.h

src/kernel/chainparams.cpp

src/kernel/chainparams.h

src/wallet/sqlite.cpp

src/wallet/sqlite.h

src/wallet/transaction.cpp

src/wallet/transaction.h

src/wallet/dump.cpp

src/wallet/dump.h

src/wallet/init.cpp

src/wallet/walletutil.cpp

src/wallet/walletutil.h

src/wallet/wallettool.cpp

src/wallet/wallettool.h

src/wallet/export.h

src/wallet/migrate.cpp

src/wallet/migrate.h

src/wallet/db.h

src/wallet/walletdb.cpp

src/wallet/interfaces.cpp

src/wallet/scriptpubkeyman.cpp

src/wallet/scriptpubkeyman.h

src/kernel/bitcoinkernel.cpp

src/kernel/bitcoinkernel.h

src/kernel/bitcoinkernel_wrapper.h

src/node/chainstate.cpp

src/node/chainstate.h

src/node/blockstorage.cpp

src/node/blockstorage.h

src/node/mempool_persist.cpp

src/node/mempool_persist.h

src/node/utxo_snapshot.cpp

src/node/utxo_snapshot.h

src/node/kernel_notifications.cpp

src/node/kernel_notifications.h

src/node/blockmanager_args.cpp

src/kernel/blockmanager_opts.h

src/util/expected.cpp

src/policy/settings.h

src/util/types.h

src/kernel/messagestartchars.h

src/kernel/warning.h

src/util/exception.h

src/common/license_info.h

src/node/coins_view_args.h

src/node/database_args.h

src/util/batchpriority.h

src/util/ui_change_type.h

src/node/coins_view_args.cpp

src/node/peerman_args.h

src/util/serfloat.h

src/node/blockmanager_args.h

src/node/database_args.cpp

src/util/overloaded.h

src/interfaces/types.h

src/node/chainstatemanager_args.h

src/node/minisketchwrapper.h

src/util/macros.h

src/util/syserror.h

src/common/run_command.h

src/util/bytevectorhash.cpp

src/node/mempool_persist_args.cpp

src/util/exec.h

src/util/rbf.h

src/crypto/hex_base.h

src/node/mempool_persist_args.h

src/interfaces/echo.h

src/util/any.h

src/util/batchpriority.cpp

src/util/threadnames.h

src/node/coin.h

src/node/mempool_args.h

src/util/asmap.h

src/util/bytevectorhash.h

src/node/context.cpp

src/util/insert.h

src/util/readwritefile.h

src/node/peerman_args.cpp

src/node/interface_ui.cpp

src/interfaces/handler.h

src/node/mining_args.h

src/util/hasher.cpp

src/common/init.h

src/kernel/mempool_limits.h

src/common/system.h

src/crypto/sha3.h

src/util/threadinterrupt.cpp

src/node/protocol_version.h

src/util/exception.cpp

src/common/messages.h

src/node/connection_types.cpp

src/util/bip32.h

src/common/license_info.cpp

src/util/stdmutex.h

src/common/run_command.cpp

src/util/check.cpp

src/util/golombrice.h

src/node/types.h

src/node/timeoffsets.h

src/util/readwritefile.cpp

src/util/fastrange.h

src/util/signalinterrupt.h

src/util/task_runner.h

src/util/syserror.cpp

src/common/interfaces.cpp

src/common/types.h

src/util/threadinterrupt.h

src/kernel/chainstatemanager_opts.h

src/node/psbt.h

src/policy/ephemeral_policy.h

src/util/trace.h

src/common/url.cpp

src/kernel/mempool_options.h

src/util/serfloat.cpp

src/kernel/notifications_interface.h

src/node/timeoffsets.cpp

src/node/warnings.cpp

src/util/hash_type.h

src/crypto/hex_base.cpp

src/node/eviction.h

src/util/tokenbucket.h

src/crypto/aes.h

src/common/pcp.h

src/util/feefrac.cpp

src/node/transaction.h

src/util/threadnames.cpp

src/common/signmessage.h

src/util/exec.cpp

src/util/signalinterrupt.cpp

src/clientversion.cpp

src/common/signmessage.cpp

src/compat/assumptions.h

src/compat/byteswap.h

src/deploymentinfo.cpp

src/deploymentinfo.h

src/deploymentstatus.cpp

src/deploymentstatus.h

src/dummywallet.cpp

src/external_signer.h

src/init/bitcoin-gui.cpp

src/init/bitcoin-node.cpp

src/init/bitcoin-qt.cpp

src/init/bitcoin-wallet.cpp

src/init/bitcoind.cpp

src/init/common.h

src/interfaces/init.h

src/interfaces/ipc.h

src/key_io.h

src/logging/categories.h

src/logging/timer.h

src/mapport.h

src/musig.h

src/net_permissions.h

src/netgroup.h

src/netmessagemaker.h

src/node/chainstatemanager_args.cpp

src/node/connection_types.h

src/node/context.h

src/node/interface_ui.h

src/node/mempool_args.cpp

src/node/mining_args.cpp

src/node/minisketchwrapper.cpp

src/node/txreconciliation.h

src/policy/fees/estimator_args.cpp

src/policy/fees/estimator_args.h

src/policy/fees/estimator_man.cpp

src/policy/fees/estimator_man.h

src/policy/packages.h

src/policy/rbf.h

src/policy/truc_policy.h

src/pow.h

src/primitives/block.cpp

src/randomenv.h

src/rest.h

src/script/keyorigin.h

src/script/parsing.cpp

src/script/parsing.h

src/script/script_error.h

src/script/sigcache.cpp

src/script/sigcache.h

src/script/solver.h

src/script/verify_flags.h

src/semaphore_grant.h

src/signet.h

src/span.h

src/support/allocators/secure.h

src/support/allocators/zeroafterfree.h

src/util/tokenpipe.cpp

src/util/translation.h

src/util/vector.h

src/versionbits.h

src/versionbits_impl.h

src/wallet/external_signer_scriptpubkeyman.h

src/wallet/fees.h

src/wallet/load.h

src/wallet/receive.h

src/wallet/rpc/wallet.h

src/wallet/types.h

src/walletinitinterface.h

src/zmq/zmqabstractnotifier.cpp

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