Integration testing is the process of making sure all the pieces of your over-engineered, microservice-laden application actually work together without everything bursting into flames. It's like trying to get a bunch of spoiled toddlers to play nice together in the sandbox, except the toddlers are actually APIs, databases, and third-party services that all hate each other.

How to use it in a sentence

1. "I spent all day writing integration tests for our new feature, and I'm pretty sure I aged 10 years in the process. But hey, at least we know our app won't crash and burn like a startup that just lost its funding."

2. "I told my manager I couldn't finish the integration testing by the deadline because I was too busy trying to decipher the cryptic error messages from our logging system. He just stared at me blankly and said, 'I don't care how you do it, just make it work.' Typical."

If you actually want to learn more...

• The Practical Test Pyramid: This article by Martin Fowler dives into the different types of integration tests, from narrow to broad, and how to effectively use them in your testing strategy. It's like a treasure map for navigating the treacherous waters of integration testing.

• Integration Test: Another gem from Martin Fowler, this article clarifies the confusion around the term "integration test" and explains the two main aspects of integration testing. It's like a decoder ring for understanding what people actually mean when they say "integration test".

Note: the Developer Dictionary is in Beta. Please direct feedback to skye@statsig.com.