Redis configuration

This guide covers how to configure Redis for integration testing with tomato.

Overview

Redis is an in-memory data structure store used as a database, cache, and message broker. Tomato's Redis handler supports strings, hashes, lists, and sets.

Container setup

Add a Redis container to your tomato.yml:

containers:
  redis:
    image: redis:7-alpine
    ports:
      - "6379/tcp"
    wait_for:
      type: port
      target: "6379"
      timeout: 30s

With password authentication

containers:
  redis:
    image: redis:7-alpine
    command: redis-server --requirepass mysecretpassword
    ports:
      - "6379/tcp"
    wait_for:
      type: port
      target: "6379"
      timeout: 30s

With persistence (optional)

For tests that need data persistence across container restarts:

containers:
  redis:
    image: redis:7-alpine
    command: redis-server --appendonly yes
    ports:
      - "6379/tcp"
    volumes:
      - redis-data:/data
    wait_for:
      type: port
      target: "6379"
      timeout: 30s

Resource configuration

Configure the Redis resource:

resources:
  cache:
    type: redis
    container: redis
    options:
      db: 0
      password: ""
      reset_strategy: flush

Resource options

Option	Type	Default	Description
db	int	0	Redis database number (0-15)
password	string	""	Redis password (if authentication enabled)
reset_strategy	string	flush	How to reset between scenarios
reset_pattern	string	*	Pattern for selective key deletion (when using pattern strategy)

Reset strategies

Strategy	Description
flush	Flush all keys in the database (recommended, fastest)
pattern	Delete keys matching reset_pattern (useful for shared databases)

Complete example

Here's a complete tomato.yml with Redis:

version: 2

settings:
  timeout: 5m
  fail_fast: false
  output: pretty

containers:
  redis:
    image: redis:7-alpine
    ports:
      - "6379/tcp"
    wait_for:
      type: port
      target: "6379"
      timeout: 30s

resources:
  cache:
    type: redis
    container: redis
    options:
      db: 0
      reset_strategy: flush

features:
  paths:
    - ./features

Writing Redis tests

String operations

Feature: Caching

  Scenario: Cache user data
    Given "cache" key "user:123" is "John Doe"
    Then "cache" key "user:123" exists
    And "cache" key "user:123" has value "John Doe"

  Scenario: Cache with expiration
    Given "cache" key "session:abc" is "token123" with TTL "1h"
    Then "cache" key "session:abc" has TTL greater than "3500" seconds

  Scenario: Store JSON data
    Given "cache" key "config" is:
      """
      {"debug": true, "timeout": 30}
      """
    Then "cache" key "config" contains "debug"

Hash operations

Scenario: Store user profile as hash
  Given "cache" hash "user:100" has fields:
    | field | value           |
    | name  | Alice           |
    | email | alice@test.com  |
    | role  | admin           |
  Then "cache" hash "user:100" field "name" is "Alice"
  And "cache" hash "user:100" contains:
    | field | value          |
    | email | alice@test.com |

List operations

Scenario: Manage task queue
  Given "cache" list "tasks" has values:
    | process-order-1 |
    | process-order-2 |
    | send-email-3    |
  Then "cache" list "tasks" has "3" items
  And "cache" list "tasks" contains "process-order-1"

Set operations

Scenario: Track unique visitors
  Given "cache" set "visitors" has members:
    | user-1 |
    | user-2 |
    | user-3 |
  Then "cache" set "visitors" has "3" members
  And "cache" set "visitors" contains "user-2"

Counter operations

Scenario: Track page views
  Given "cache" key "pageviews" is "100"
  When "cache" key "pageviews" is incremented
  Then "cache" key "pageviews" has value "101"
  When "cache" key "pageviews" is incremented by "10"
  Then "cache" key "pageviews" has value "111"

See Redis Steps for the complete list of available steps.

Multiple Redis databases

You can configure multiple Redis resources pointing to different databases:

resources:
  cache:
    type: redis
    container: redis
    options:
      db: 0
      reset_strategy: flush

  sessions:
    type: redis
    container: redis
    options:
      db: 1
      reset_strategy: flush

Troubleshooting

Connection refused

If tests fail with "connection refused":

1. Verify Redis container is running: docker ps
2. Check port mapping: docker port <container_id>
3. Ensure no firewall is blocking the connection

Authentication failed

If using password authentication:

1. Verify password matches in container command and resource options
2. Check for special characters that may need escaping

Keys not being reset

If keys persist between scenarios:

1. Verify reset_strategy is set (defaults to flush)
2. If using pattern strategy, verify reset_pattern matches your keys