route-tester

Purpose

This skill provides patterns for testing authenticated routes in the your project using cookie-based JWT authentication.

When to Use This Skill

• Testing new API endpoints
• Validating route functionality after changes
• Debugging authentication issues
• Testing POST/PUT/DELETE operations
• Verifying request/response data

your project Authentication Overview

The your project uses:

• Keycloak for SSO (realm: yourRealm)
• Cookie-based JWT tokens (not Bearer headers)
• Cookie name: refresh_token
• JWT signing: Using secret from config.ini

Testing Methods

Method 1: test-auth-route.js (RECOMMENDED)

The test-auth-route.js script handles all authentication complexity automatically.

Location: /root/git/your project_pre/scripts/test-auth-route.js

Basic GET Request

node scripts/test-auth-route.js http://localhost:3000/blog-api/api/endpoint

POST Request with JSON Data

node scripts/test-auth-route.js \
    http://localhost:3000/blog-api/777/submit \
    POST \
    '{"responses":{"4577":"13295"},"submissionID":5,"stepInstanceId":"11"}'

What the Script Does

1. Gets a refresh token from Keycloak
   • Username: testuser
   • Password: testpassword
2. Signs the token with JWT secret from config.ini
3. Creates cookie header: refresh_token=<signed-token>
4. Makes the authenticated request
5. Shows the exact curl command to reproduce manually

Script Output

The script outputs:

• The request details
• The response status and body
• A curl command for manual reproduction

Note: The script is verbose - look for the actual response in the output.

Method 2: Manual curl with Token

Use the curl command from the test-auth-route.js output:

# The script outputs something like:
# 💡 To test manually with curl:
# curl -b "refresh_token=eyJhbGci..." http://localhost:3000/blog-api/api/endpoint

# Copy and modify that curl command:
curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/blog-api/777/submit \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -b "refresh_token=<COPY_TOKEN_FROM_SCRIPT_OUTPUT>" \
  -d '{"your": "data"}'

Method 3: Mock Authentication (Development Only - EASIEST)

For development, bypass Keycloak entirely using mock auth.

Setup

# Add to service .env file (e.g., blog-api/.env)
MOCK_AUTH=true
MOCK_USER_ID=test-user
MOCK_USER_ROLES=admin,operations

Usage

curl -H "X-Mock-Auth: true" \
     -H "X-Mock-User: test-user" \
     -H "X-Mock-Roles: admin,operations" \
     http://localhost:3002/api/protected

Mock Auth Requirements

Mock auth ONLY works when:

• NODE_ENV is development or test
• The mockAuth middleware is added to the route
• Will NEVER work in production (security feature)

Common Testing Patterns

Test Form Submission

node scripts/test-auth-route.js \
    http://localhost:3000/blog-api/777/submit \
    POST \
    '{"responses":{"4577":"13295"},"submissionID":5,"stepInstanceId":"11"}'

Test Workflow Start

node scripts/test-auth-route.js \
    http://localhost:3002/api/workflow/start \
    POST \
    '{"workflowCode":"DHS_CLOSEOUT","entityType":"Submission","entityID":123}'

Test Workflow Step Completion

node scripts/test-auth-route.js \
    http://localhost:3002/api/workflow/step/complete \
    POST \
    '{"stepInstanceID":789,"answers":{"decision":"approved","comments":"Looks good"}}'

Test GET with Query Parameters

node scripts/test-auth-route.js \
    "http://localhost:3002/api/workflows?status=active&limit=10"

Test File Upload

# Get token from test-auth-route.js first, then:
curl -X POST http://localhost:5000/upload \
  -H "Content-Type: multipart/form-data" \
  -b "refresh_token=<TOKEN>" \
  -F "file=@/path/to/file.pdf" \
  -F "metadata={\"description\":\"Test file\"}"

Hardcoded Test Credentials

The test-auth-route.js script uses these credentials:

• Username: testuser
• Password: testpassword
• Keycloak URL: From config.ini (usually http://localhost:8081)
• Realm: yourRealm
• Client ID: From config.ini

Service Ports

| Service | Port | Base URL | |---------|------|----------| | Users | 3000 | http://localhost:3000 | | Projects| 3001 | http://localhost:3001 | | Form | 3002 | http://localhost:3002 | | Email | 3003 | http://localhost:3003 | | Uploads | 5000 | http://localhost:5000 |

Route Prefixes

Check /src/app.ts in each service for route prefixes:

// Example from blog-api/src/app.ts
app.use('/blog-api/api', formRoutes);          // Prefix: /blog-api/api
app.use('/api/workflow', workflowRoutes);  // Prefix: /api/workflow

Full Route = Base URL + Prefix + Route Path

Example:

• Base: http://localhost:3002
• Prefix: /form
• Route: /777/submit
• Full URL: http://localhost:3000/blog-api/777/submit

Testing Checklist

Before testing a route:

• [ ] Identify the service (form, email, users, etc.)
• [ ] Find the correct port
• [ ] Check route prefixes in app.ts
• [ ] Construct the full URL
• [ ] Prepare request body (if POST/PUT)
• [ ] Determine authentication method
• [ ] Run the test
• [ ] Verify response status and data
• [ ] Check database changes if applicable

Verifying Database Changes

After testing routes that modify data:

# Connect to MySQL
docker exec -i local-mysql mysql -u root -ppassword1 blog_dev

# Check specific table
mysql> SELECT * FROM WorkflowInstance WHERE id = 123;
mysql> SELECT * FROM WorkflowStepInstance WHERE instanceId = 123;
mysql> SELECT * FROM WorkflowNotification WHERE recipientUserId = 'user-123';

Debugging Failed Tests

401 Unauthorized

Possible causes:

1. Token expired (regenerate with test-auth-route.js)
2. Incorrect cookie format
3. JWT secret mismatch
4. Keycloak not running

Solutions:

# Check Keycloak is running
docker ps | grep keycloak

# Regenerate token
node scripts/test-auth-route.js http://localhost:3002/api/health

# Verify config.ini has correct jwtSecret

403 Forbidden

Possible causes:

1. User lacks required role
2. Resource permissions incorrect
3. Route requires specific permissions

Solutions:

# Use mock auth with admin role
curl -H "X-Mock-Auth: true" \
     -H "X-Mock-User: test-admin" \
     -H "X-Mock-Roles: admin" \
     http://localhost:3002/api/protected

404 Not Found

Possible causes:

1. Incorrect URL
2. Missing route prefix
3. Route not registered

Solutions:

1. Check app.ts for route prefixes
2. Verify route registration
3. Check service is running (pm2 list)

500 Internal Server Error

Possible causes:

1. Database connection issue
2. Missing required fields
3. Validation error
4. Application error

Solutions:

1. Check service logs (pm2 logs <service>)
2. Check Sentry for error details
3. Verify request body matches expected schema
4. Check database connectivity

Using auth-route-tester Agent

For comprehensive route testing after making changes:

1. Identify affected routes
2. Gather route information:
   • Full route path (with prefix)
   • Expected POST data
   • Tables to verify
3. Invoke auth-route-tester agent

The agent will:

• Test the route with proper authentication
• Verify database changes
• Check response format
• Report any issues

Example Test Scenarios

After Creating a New Route

# 1. Test with valid data
node scripts/test-auth-route.js \
    http://localhost:3002/api/my-new-route \
    POST \
    '{"field1":"value1","field2":"value2"}'

# 2. Verify database
docker exec -i local-mysql mysql -u root -ppassword1 blog_dev \
    -e "SELECT * FROM MyTable ORDER BY createdAt DESC LIMIT 1;"

# 3. Test with invalid data
node scripts/test-auth-route.js \
    http://localhost:3002/api/my-new-route \
    POST \
    '{"field1":"invalid"}'

# 4. Test without authentication
curl http://localhost:3002/api/my-new-route
# Should return 401

After Modifying a Route

# 1. Test existing functionality still works
node scripts/test-auth-route.js \
    http://localhost:3002/api/existing-route \
    POST \
    '{"existing":"data"}'

# 2. Test new functionality
node scripts/test-auth-route.js \
    http://localhost:3002/api/existing-route \
    POST \
    '{"new":"field","existing":"data"}'

# 3. Verify backward compatibility
# Test with old request format (if applicable)

Configuration Files

config.ini (each service)

[keycloak]
url = http://localhost:8081
realm = yourRealm
clientId = app-client

[jwt]
jwtSecret = your-jwt-secret-here

.env (each service)

NODE_ENV=development
MOCK_AUTH=true           # Optional: Enable mock auth
MOCK_USER_ID=test-user   # Optional: Default mock user
MOCK_USER_ROLES=admin    # Optional: Default mock roles

Key Files

• /root/git/your project_pre/scripts/test-auth-route.js - Main testing script
• /blog-api/src/app.ts - Form service routes
• /notifications/src/app.ts - Email service routes
• /auth/src/app.ts - Users service routes
• /config.ini - Service configuration
• /.env - Environment variables

Related Skills

• Use database-verification to verify database changes
• Use error-tracking to check for captured errors
• Use workflow-builder for workflow route testing
• Use notification-sender to verify notifications sent