Testing Authentication and Authorization

Test identity verification and permissions as independent behaviors. The examples separate the essential operation from the conditions a production implementation must enforce.

What It Does

Test identity verification and permissions as independent behaviors.

Prerequisites

Use a dedicated development environment with test accounts and records. Separate authorization, validation and error handling from response formatting; never copy demonstration-only secrets into production.

Example 1: Core Behavior

The first example isolates the core operation so its result is easy to understand.

<?php
function mayEdit(int $ownerId, int $actorId): bool { return $ownerId === $actorId; }
assert(mayEdit(42,42));
assert(!mayEdit(42,7));
echo 'Owner and non-owner checks complete';

Example 2: Alternative or Failure Case

The second example demonstrates an alternative outcome, rule or failure condition.

<?php
function mayView(int $tenantId, int $actorTenant): bool { return $tenantId === $actorTenant; }
foreach ([[3,3,true],[3,9,false]] as [$resource,$actor,$expected]) { if (mayView($resource,$actor) !== $expected) throw new LogicException('Policy failure'); }
echo 'Tenant checks passed';

Practical Example: Applying the Rule

The practical example shows how to carry the same constraint into application code.

<?php
function requireAdmin(array $actor): void { if (!in_array('admin', $actor['roles'] ?? [], true)) throw new RuntimeException('Forbidden'); }
try { requireAdmin(['roles'=>['viewer']]); } catch (RuntimeException $e) { echo 'Expected 403 policy result'; }

Important Behavior and Edge Cases

A login success must never imply access to another user's resources.

Comparison with Related Functions or Patterns

Common Beginner Mistakes

Key Takeaways

• Test identity verification and permissions as independent behaviors.
• A login success must never imply access to another user's resources.
• Integration tests cover request boundaries while unit tests cover policy decisions.

Select this API or pattern based on its documented behavior and the trust boundaries in your own application, and test all external integrations against their actual deployments.