Package org.springframework.test.annotation

Annotation Interface DirtiesContext

@Target({TYPE,METHOD}) @Retention(RUNTIME) @Documented @Inherited public @interface DirtiesContext
Test annotation which indicates that the ApplicationContext associated with a test is dirty and should therefore be closed and removed from the context cache.

Use this annotation if a test has modified the context — for example, by modifying the state of a singleton bean, modifying the state of an embedded database, etc. Subsequent tests that request the same context will be supplied a new context.

@DirtiesContext may be used as a class-level and method-level annotation within the same test class or test class hierarchy. In such scenarios, the ApplicationContext will be marked as dirty before or after any such annotated method as well as before or after the current test class, depending on the configured methodMode() and classMode(). When @DirtiesContext is declared at both the class level and the method level, the configured test phases from both annotations will be honored. For example, if the class mode is set to BEFORE_EACH_TEST_METHOD and the method mode is set to AFTER_METHOD, the context will be marked as dirty both before and after the given test method.

Supported Test Phases

  • Before current test class: when declared at the class level with class mode set to BEFORE_CLASS
  • Before each test method in current test class: when declared at the class level with class mode set to BEFORE_EACH_TEST_METHOD
  • Before current test method: when declared at the method level with method mode set to BEFORE_METHOD
  • After current test method: when declared at the method level with method mode set to AFTER_METHOD
  • After each test method in current test class: when declared at the class level with class mode set to AFTER_EACH_TEST_METHOD
  • After current test class: when declared at the class level with class mode set to AFTER_CLASS

BEFORE_* modes are supported by the DirtiesContextBeforeModesTestExecutionListener; AFTER_* modes are supported by the DirtiesContextTestExecutionListener.

This annotation may be used as a meta-annotation to create custom composed annotations.

As of Spring Framework 5.3, this annotation will be inherited from an enclosing test class by default. See @NestedTestConfiguration for details.

Since:
2.0
Author:
Sam Brannen, Rod Johnson
See Also:

  • Element Details

    • methodMode

      DirtiesContext.MethodMode methodMode
      The mode to use when a test method is annotated with @DirtiesContext.

      Defaults to AFTER_METHOD.

      Setting the method mode on an annotated test class has no meaning. For class-level control, use classMode() instead.

      Since:
      4.2
      Default:
      AFTER_METHOD

    • classMode

      DirtiesContext.ClassMode classMode
      The mode to use when a test class is annotated with @DirtiesContext.

      Defaults to AFTER_CLASS.

      Setting the class mode on an annotated test method has no meaning. For method-level control, use methodMode() instead.

      Since:
      3.0
      Default:
      AFTER_CLASS

    • hierarchyMode

      DirtiesContext.HierarchyMode hierarchyMode
      The context cache clearing mode to use when a context is configured as part of a hierarchy via @ContextHierarchy.

      Defaults to EXHAUSTIVE.

      Since:
      3.2.2
      Default:
      EXHAUSTIVE