Unit Testing Spring Caching

Overview

This skill provides patterns for unit testing Spring caching annotations (@Cacheable, @CacheEvict, @CachePut) without full Spring context. It covers cache hits/misses, invalidation, key generation, and conditional caching using in-memory ConcurrentMapCacheManager.

When to Use

• Writing unit tests for @Cacheable method behavior
• Verifying @CacheEvict cache invalidation works correctly
• Testing @CachePut cache updates
• Validating cache key generation from SpEL expressions
• Testing conditional caching with unless/condition parameters
• Mocking cache managers in fast unit tests without Redis

Instructions

1. Configure in-memory CacheManager: Use ConcurrentMapCacheManager for tests
2. Set up test fixtures: Mock repository and create service instance in @BeforeEach
3. Verify repository call counts: Use times(n) assertions to confirm cache behavior
4. Test cache hit: Call method twice, verify repository called once
5. Test cache miss: Verify repository called on each invocation
6. Test eviction: After @CacheEvict, verify repository called again on next read
7. Test key generation: Verify compound keys from SpEL expressions
8. Validate conditional caching: Test unless (null results) and condition (parameter-based)

Validation checkpoints:

• Run test → If cache not working: verify @EnableCaching annotation present
• If proxy issues: ensure method calls go through Spring proxy (no direct this calls)
• If key mismatches: log actual cache key and compare with @Cacheable(key="...") expression

Examples

Maven

<dependency>
  <groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
  <artifactId>spring-boot-starter-cache</artifactId>
</dependency>
<dependency>
  <groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
  <artifactId>spring-boot-starter-test</artifactId>
  <scope>test</scope>
</dependency>

Gradle

dependencies {
  implementation("org.springframework.boot:spring-boot-starter-cache")
  testImplementation("org.springframework.boot:spring-boot-starter-test")
}

Testing @Cacheable (Cache Hit/Miss)

// Service
@Service
public class UserService {
  private final UserRepository userRepository;

  public UserService(UserRepository userRepository) {
    this.userRepository = userRepository;
  }

  @Cacheable("users")
  public User getUserById(Long id) {
    return userRepository.findById(id).orElse(null);
  }
}

// Test
class UserServiceCachingTest {

  private UserRepository userRepository;
  private UserService userService;

  @BeforeEach
  void setUp() {
    userRepository = mock(UserRepository.class);
    userService = new UserService(userRepository);
  }

  @Test
  void shouldCacheUserAfterFirstCall() {
    User user = new User(1L, "Alice");
    when(userRepository.findById(1L)).thenReturn(Optional.of(user));

    // First call - hits database
    User firstCall = userService.getUserById(1L);
    // Second call - hits cache
    User secondCall = userService.getUserById(1L);

    assertThat(firstCall).isEqualTo(secondCall);
    verify(userRepository, times(1)).findById(1L); // Only once due to cache
  }

  @Test
  void shouldInvokeRepositoryOnCacheMiss() {
    when(userRepository.findById(1L)).thenReturn(Optional.of(new User(1L, "Bob")));

    userService.getUserById(1L);
    userService.getUserById(1L);

    verify(userRepository, times(2)).findById(1L); // No caching occurred
  }
}

Testing @CacheEvict

// Service
@Service
public class ProductService {
  private final ProductRepository productRepository;

  public ProductService(ProductRepository productRepository) {
    this.productRepository = productRepository;
  }

  @Cacheable("products")
  public Product getProductById(Long id) {
    return productRepository.findById(id).orElse(null);
  }

  @CacheEvict("products")
  public void deleteProduct(Long id) {
    productRepository.deleteById(id);
  }
}

// Test
class ProductCacheEvictTest {

  private ProductRepository productRepository;
  private ProductService productService;

  @BeforeEach
  void setUp() {
    productRepository = mock(ProductRepository.class);
    productService = new ProductService(productRepository);
  }

  @Test
  void shouldEvictProductFromCacheWhenDeleted() {
    Product product = new Product(1L, "Laptop", 999.99);
    when(productRepository.findById(1L)).thenReturn(Optional.of(product));

    productService.getProductById
how to use unit-test-caching
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How to use unit-test-caching on Cursor
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1
Prerequisites
Before installing skills in Cursor, ensure your development environment meets these requirements:
›Cursor installed and configured on your development machine
›Node.js version 16.0+ with npm package manager (verify with node --version)
›Active project directory or workspace where you want to add unit-test-caching
2
Execute installation command
Execute the skills CLI command in your project's root directory to begin installation:
$npx skills add https://github.com/giuseppe-trisciuoglio/developer-kit --skill unit-test-cachingcopy
The skills CLI fetches unit-test-caching from GitHub repository giuseppe-trisciuoglio/developer-kit and configures it for Cursor.
3
Select Cursor when prompted
The CLI will show a list of available agents. Use arrow keys to navigate and space to select Cursor:
◆ Which agents do you want to install to?
│
│ ── Universal (.agents/skills) ── always included ────
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│ ●Cursor(selected)
│   • Cursor
│   • Windsurf
4
Verify installation
Confirm successful installation by checking the skill directory location:
.cursor/skills/unit-test-caching
Reload or restart Cursor to activate unit-test-caching. Access the skill through slash commands (e.g., /unit-test-caching) or your agent's skill management interface.
⚠
Security & Verification Notice
We perform automated surface-level scans (Gen AI Scanner, Socket, Snyk) during installation. These checks detect common vulnerabilities but do not guarantee complete security. Always review skill source code and verify the publisher's reputation before production use.
Skills execute code in your development environment. Always verify the publisher's identity, review recent commits, and test in isolated environments before production deployment.
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