Importing JSON

If a test collector is not available for your test framework, you can upload tests results directly to the Test Analytics API or write your own test collector. You can upload JSON-formatted test results (described in this page) or JUnit XML.

How to import JSON in Buildkite

It's possible to import JSON (or JUnit files) to Buildkite Test Analytics with or without the help of a plugin.

Using a plugin

To import JSON-formatted test results to Test Analytics using Test Collector plugin from a build step:

pipeline.yml
steps:
  - label: "🔨 Test"
    command: "make test"
    plugins:
      - test-collector#v1.0.0:
          files: "test-data-*.json"
          format: "json"

See more configuration information in the Test Collector plugin README.

Using the plugin is the recommended way as it allows for a better debugging process in case of an issue.

Without a plugin

If for some reason you cannot or do not want to use the Test Collector plugin, or if you are looking to implement your own integration, another approach is possible.

To import JSON-formatted test results in Buildkite, make a POST request to https://analytics-api.buildkite.com/v1/uploads with a multipart/form-data.

For example, to import the contents of a JSON-formatted test results (test-results.json):

  1. Securely set the Test Analytics token environment variable (BUILDKITE_ANALYTICS_TOKEN).

  2. Run the following curl command:

    curl \
      -X POST \
      -H "Authorization: Token token=\"$BUILDKITE_ANALYTICS_TOKEN\"" \
      -F "data=@test-results.json" \
      -F "format=json" \
      -F "run_env[CI]=buildkite" \
      -F "run_env[key]=$BUILDKITE_BUILD_ID" \
      -F "run_env[url]=$BUILDKITE_BUILD_URL" \
      -F "run_env[branch]=$BUILDKITE_BRANCH" \
      -F "run_env[commit_sha]=$BUILDKITE_COMMIT" \
      -F "run_env[number]=$BUILDKITE_BUILD_NUMBER" \
      -F "run_env[job_id]=$BUILDKITE_JOB_ID" \
      -F "run_env[message]=$BUILDKITE_MESSAGE" \
      https://analytics-api.buildkite.com/v1/uploads
    

To learn more about passing through environment variables to run_env-prefixed fields, see CI environments.

A single file can have a maximum of 5000 test results, and if that limit is exceeded then the upload request will fail. To upload more than 5000 test results for a single run upload multiple smaller files with the same run_env[key].

How to import JSON in CircleCI

To import JSON-formatted test results, make a POST request to https://analytics-api.buildkite.com/v1/uploads with a multipart/form-data body, including as many of the following fields as possible in the request body:

For example, to import the contents of a test-results.json file in a CircleCI pipeline:

  1. Securely set the Test Analytics token environment variable (BUILDKITE_ANALYTICS_TOKEN).

  2. Run the following curl command:

    curl \
    -X POST \
    -H "Authorization: Token token=\"$BUILDKITE_ANALYTICS_TOKEN\"" \
    -F "data=@test-results.json" \
    -F "format=json" \
    -F "run_env[CI]=circleci" \
    -F "run_env[key]=$CIRCLE_WORKFLOW_ID-$CIRCLE_BUILD_NUM" \
    -F "run_env[number]=$CIRCLE_BUILD_NUM" \
    -F "run_env[branch]=$CIRCLE_BRANCH" \
    -F "run_env[commit_sha]=$CIRCLE_SHA1" \
    -F "run_env[url]=$CIRCLE_BUILD_URL" \
    https://analytics-api.buildkite.com/v1/uploads
    

To learn more about passing through environment variables to run_env-prefixed fields, see CI environments.

A single file can have a maximum of 5000 test results, and if that limit is exceeded then the upload request will fail. To upload more than 5000 test results for a single run upload multiple smaller files with the same run_env[key].

How to import JSON in GitHub Actions

To import JSON-formatted test results, make a POST request to https://analytics-api.buildkite.com/v1/uploads with a multipart/form-data body, including as many of the following fields as possible in the request body:

For example, to import the contents of a test-results.json file in a GitHub Actions pipeline run:

  1. Securely set the Test Analytics token environment variable (BUILDKITE_ANALYTICS_TOKEN).

  2. Run the following curl command:

    curl \
    -X POST \
    -H "Authorization: Token token=\"$BUILDKITE_ANALYTICS_TOKEN\"" \
    -F "data=@test-results.json" \
    -F "format=json" \
    -F "run_env[CI]=github_actions" \
    -F "run_env[key]=$GITHUB_ACTION-$GITHUB_RUN_NUMBER-$GITHUB_RUN_ATTEMPT" \
    -F "run_env[number]=$GITHUB_RUN_NUMBER" \
    -F "run_env[branch]=$GITHUB_REF" \
    -F "run_env[commit_sha]=$GITHUB_SHA" \
    -F "run_env[url]=https://github.com/$GITHUB_REPOSITORY/actions/runs/$GITHUB_RUN_ID" \
    https://analytics-api.buildkite.com/v1/uploads
    

To learn more about passing through environment variables to run_env-prefixed fields, see CI environments.

A single file can have a maximum of 5000 test results, and if that limit is exceeded then the upload request will fail. To upload more than 5000 test results for a single run upload multiple smaller files with the same run_env[key].

JSON test results data reference

JSON test results data is made up of an array of one or more "test result" objects. A test result object contains an overall result and metadata. It also contains a history object, which is a summary of the duration of the test run. Within the history object, detailed span objects record the highest resolution details of the test run.

Schematically, the JSON test results data is like this:

Or in a simplified code view:

[
  {
    /* Test result object */
    "history": {
      /* history object */
      "children": [
        /* span objects */
      ]
    }
  },
  { /* Test result object */ },
]

Test result objects

A test result represents a single test run.

Key Type Description Examples
Key id (required) Type UUIDv4 string Description

A unique identifier for this test result. If a test execution with this UUID already exists in the Test Analytics database, this result is ignored.

Examples

1b70486f-ca5f-4e6d-beb8-6347b2e49278

Key scope Type string Description

A group or topic for the test

Examples

Student.isEnrolled()

Key name (required) Type string Description

A name or description for the test

Examples

Manager.isEnrolled() returns_boolean

Key location Type string Description

The file and line number where the test originates, separated by a colon (:)

Examples

./tests/Manager/isEnrolled.js:32

Key file_name Type string Description

The file where the test originates

Examples

./tests/Manager/isEnrolled.js

Key result Type string (passed, failed, skipped or unknown) Description

The outcome of the test

Examples

failed

Key failure_reason Type string Description

If applicable, a short summary of why the test failed

Examples

Expected Boolean, got Object

Key failure_expanded Type array of hashes Description

A more detailed explanation of why the test failed

Examples
Key history (required) Type history object Description

Read History objects

Examples

Example:

{
  "id": "95f7e024-9e0a-450f-bc64-9edb62d43fa9",
  "scope": "Analytics::Upload associations",
  "name": "fails",
  "location": "./spec/models/analytics/upload_spec.rb:24",
  "file_name": "./spec/models/analytics/upload_spec.rb",
  "result": "failed",
  "failure_reason": "Failure/Error: expect(true).to eq false",
  "failure_expanded": [
    /* failure_expanded object */
  ],
  "history": {
    /* history object */
  }
}

Failure expanded objects

A failure expanded array contains extra details about the failed test.

Key Type Description
Key expanded (required) Type array Description

An array of strings describing the failure

Key backtrace (required) Type array Description

An array of strings documenting the backtrace of the failed test

Example:

{
  "expanded": [
    "  expected: false",
    "       got: true",
    "",
    "  (compared using ==)",
    "",
    "  Diff:",
    "  @@ -1 +1 @@",
    "  -false","  +true"
  ],
  "backtrace": [
    "./spec/models/analytics/upload_spec.rb:25:in `block (3 levels) in <top (required)>'","./spec/support/log.rb:17:in `run'",
    "./spec/support/log.rb:66:in `block (2 levels) in <top (required)>'",
    "./spec/support/database.rb:19:in `block (2 levels) in <top (required)>'",
    "/Users/abc/Documents/rspec-buildkite-analytics/lib/rspec/buildkite/analytics/uploader.rb:153:in `block (2 levels) in configure'",
    "-e:1:in `<main>'"
  ]
}

History objects

A history object represents the overall duration of the test run and contains detailed span data, more finely recording the test run.

Key Type Description
Key start_at (required) Type number Description

A monotonically increasing number

Key end_at Type number Description

A monotonically increasing number

Key duration (required) Type number Description

How long the test took to run. This value is seconds stored as a float.

Key children Type array of span objects Description

Read Span objects

Example:

{
  "start_at": 347611.724809,
  "end_at": 347612.451041,
  "duration": 0.726232000044547,
  "children": [
    /* span objects */
  ]
}

Span objects

Span objects represent the finest duration resolution of a test run. It represents, for example, the duration of an individual database query within a test.

Key Type Description
Key section (required) Type string (http, sql, sleep or annotation) Description

A section category for this span

Key start_at Type number Description

A monotonically increasing number

Key end_at Type number Description

A monotonically increasing number

Key duration (required) Type number Description

How long the span took to run. This value is seconds stored as a float.

Key detail Type Description

A detail object containing further details on the span. Required when section is http, or sql. Read Detail objects

Example:

{
  "section": "sql",
  "start_at": 347611.734956,
  "end_at": 347611.735647,
  "duration": 0.0006910000229254365
  "detail": {
    ...
  }
}

Detail objects

Detail objects contains additional information about the span.

Key Type Description
Key method Type string (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, PATCH, HEAD, CONNECT, OPTIONS or TRACE) Description

A HTTP request method (required if parent span has a section of http)

Key url Type string Description

The URL requested (required if parent span has a section of http)

Key lib Type string Description

The library used to make the HTTP request (required if parent span has a section of http)

Key query Type string Description

The SQL query (required if parent span has a section of sql)

HTTP Example:

{
  "detail": {
    method: "POST",
    url: "https://example.com",
    lib: "curl"
  }
}

SQL Example:

{
  "detail": {
    query: "SELECT * FROM ..."
  }
}