[GitHub Discussions] Testing documentation gaps

Summary

Based on analysis of 820 GitHub discussions from dotnet/aspire.

Question counts:

Topic	Questions
Integration testing	20+
Mocking/stubbing	10+
CI/CD test failures	8+

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Docs That Exist - Verified If They Answer Questions

✅ Questions Answered by Docs

Question	Doc	Section That Answers
How to test Aspire apps?	testing-overview	DistributedApplicationTestingBuilder full guide
Randomize ports for parallel tests?	testing-overview	"Disable port randomization" - DcpPublisher:RandomizePorts=false
Enable dashboard during tests?	testing-overview	"Enable the dashboard" - DisableDashboard = false

❌ Questions NOT Answered by Any Doc

Question	Searched Docs	What's Missing
https://github.com/dotnet/aspire/discussions/11127: Tests fail in Azure pipeline	testing-overview	No CI/CD troubleshooting
https://github.com/dotnet/aspire/discussions/10423: How to mock a database?	testing-overview	Explicitly says NOT supported - "doesn't enable scenarios for mocking"
https://github.com/dotnet/aspire/discussions/9834: Seed test data before tests	testing-overview	No database seeding patterns
https://github.com/dotnet/aspire/discussions/9234: Container cleanup after tests	testing-overview	Not covered

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Critical Gaps

❌ P0: CI/CD Testing Guide

Questions: https://github.com/dotnet/aspire/discussions/11127, https://github.com/dotnet/aspire/discussions/10234, https://github.com/dotnet/aspire/discussions/9899
Status: No CI/CD testing docs
Missing:

• Azure DevOps pipeline for Aspire tests
• GitHub Actions for Aspire tests
• Docker-in-Docker requirements
• Container registry auth in CI
• Resource limits (memory, timeout)
• "Works locally, fails in CI" troubleshooting

❌ P1: When Mocking is Needed - Alternatives

Questions: https://github.com/dotnet/aspire/discussions/10423, https://github.com/dotnet/aspire/discussions/9234
Status: Doc says "not supported" but gives no alternatives
Missing:

• What to do when you need isolated unit tests
• WebApplicationFactory patterns for single services
• Test containers as "mock" alternatives
• Hybrid testing strategies

❌ P2: Test Data Management

Questions: https://github.com/dotnet/aspire/discussions/9834, https://github.com/dotnet/aspire/discussions/8765
Status: Not documented
Missing:

• Database seeding before tests
• Container cleanup after tests
• Test data isolation patterns

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Key Finding

The docs explicitly state mocking is NOT supported, but many users ask about mocking anyway. This means:

1. Users don't read this section
2. Users need the capability and are confused why it's missing
3. Docs should explain ALTERNATIVES to mocking

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Data Source

• GitHub Discussions: 820 total, 40 testing-related
• Verification method: aspire-get_doc to read actual doc content
• Date: February 2026