Skip to main content

before and after hooks

Use before and after hooks to execute arbitrary code before and/or after the body of an example is run:

before(:example) # run before each example
before(:context) # run one time only, before all of the examples in a group

after(:example) # run after each example
after(:context) # run one time only, after all of the examples in a group

before and after blocks are called in the following order:

before :suite
before :context
before :example
after  :example
after  :context
after  :suite

A bare before or after hook defaults to the :example scope.

before and after hooks can be defined directly in the example groups they should run in, or in a global RSpec.configure block. Note that the status of the example does not affect the hooks.

WARNING: Setting instance variables are not supported in before(:suite).

WARNING: Mocks are only supported in before(:example).

WARNING: around hooks will execute before any before hooks, and after any after hooks regardless of the context they were defined in.

Note: the :example and :context scopes are also available as :each and :all, respectively. Use whichever you prefer.

Define before(:example) block​

Given a file named "before_example_spec.rb" with:

require "rspec/expectations"

class Thing
  def widgets
    @widgets ||= []
  end
end

RSpec.describe Thing do
  before(:example) do
    @thing = Thing.new
  end

  describe "initialized in before(:example)" do
    it "has 0 widgets" do
      expect(@thing.widgets.count).to eq(0)
    end

    it "can accept new widgets" do
      @thing.widgets << Object.new
    end

    it "does not share state across examples" do
      expect(@thing.widgets.count).to eq(0)
    end
  end
end

When I run rspec before_example_spec.rb

Then the examples should all pass.

Define before(:context) block in example group​

Given a file named "before_context_spec.rb" with:

require "rspec/expectations"

class Thing
  def widgets
    @widgets ||= []
  end
end

RSpec.describe Thing do
  before(:context) do
    @thing = Thing.new
  end

  describe "initialized in before(:context)" do
    it "has 0 widgets" do
      expect(@thing.widgets.count).to eq(0)
    end

    it "can accept new widgets" do
      @thing.widgets << Object.new
    end

    it "shares state across examples" do
      expect(@thing.widgets.count).to eq(1)
    end
  end
end

When I run rspec before_context_spec.rb

Then the examples should all pass

When I run rspec before_context_spec.rb:15

Then the examples should all pass.

Failure in before(:context) block​

Given a file named "before_context_spec.rb" with:

RSpec.describe "an error in before(:context)" do
  before(:context) do
    raise "oops"
  end

  it "fails this example" do
  end

  it "fails this example, too" do
  end

  after(:context) do
    puts "after context ran"
  end

  describe "nested group" do
    it "fails this third example" do
    end

    it "fails this fourth example" do
    end

    describe "yet another level deep" do
      it "fails this last example" do
      end
    end
  end
end

When I run rspec before_context_spec.rb --format documentation

Then the output should contain "5 examples, 5 failures"

And the output should contain:

an error in before(:context)
  fails this example (FAILED - 1)
  fails this example, too (FAILED - 2)
  nested group
    fails this third example (FAILED - 3)
    fails this fourth example (FAILED - 4)
    yet another level deep
      fails this last example (FAILED - 5)
after context ran

When I run rspec before_context_spec.rb:9 --format documentation

Then the output should contain "1 example, 1 failure"

And the output should contain:

an error in before(:context)
  fails this example, too (FAILED - 1)

Failure in after(:context) block​

Given a file named "after_context_spec.rb" with:

RSpec.describe "an error in after(:context)" do
  after(:context) do
    raise StandardError.new("Boom!")
  end

  it "passes this example" do
  end

  it "passes this example, too" do
  end
end

When I run rspec after_context_spec.rb

Then it should fail with:

An error occurred in an `after(:context)` hook.
Failure/Error: raise StandardError.new("Boom!")

StandardError:
  Boom!
# ./after_context_spec.rb:3

A failure in an example does not affect hooks​

Given a file named "failure_in_example_spec.rb" with:

RSpec.describe "a failing example does not affect hooks" do
  before(:context) { puts "before context runs" }
  before(:example) { puts "before example runs" }
  after(:example) { puts "after example runs" }
  after(:context) { puts "after context runs" }

  it "fails the example but runs the hooks" do
    raise "An Error"
  end
end

When I run rspec failure_in_example_spec.rb

Then it should fail with:

before context runs
before example runs
after example runs
Fafter context runs

Define before and after blocks in configuration​

Given a file named "befores_in_configuration_spec.rb" with:

require "rspec/expectations"

RSpec.configure do |config|
  config.before(:example) do
    @before_example = "before example"
  end
  config.before(:context) do
    @before_context = "before context"
  end
end

RSpec.describe "stuff in before blocks" do
  describe "with :context" do
    it "should be available in the example" do
      expect(@before_context).to eq("before context")
    end
  end
  describe "with :example" do
    it "should be available in the example" do
      expect(@before_example).to eq("before example")
    end
  end
end

When I run rspec befores_in_configuration_spec.rb

Then the examples should all pass.

before/after blocks are run in order​

Given a file named "ensure_block_order_spec.rb" with:

require "rspec/expectations"

RSpec.describe "before and after callbacks" do
  before(:context) do
    puts "before context"
  end

  before(:example) do
    puts "before example"
  end

  before do
    puts "also before example but by default"
  end

  after(:example) do
    puts "after example"
  end

  after do
    puts "also after example but by default"
  end

  after(:context) do
    puts "after context"
  end

  it "gets run in order" do

  end
end

When I run rspec --format progress ensure_block_order_spec.rb

Then the output should contain:

before context
before example
also before example but by default
also after example but by default
after example
.after context

before/after blocks defined in configuration are run in order​

Given a file named "configuration_spec.rb" with:

require "rspec/expectations"

RSpec.configure do |config|
  config.before(:suite) do
    puts "before suite"
  end

  config.before(:context) do
    puts "before context"
  end

  config.before(:example) do
    puts "before example"
  end

  config.after(:example) do
    puts "after example"
  end

  config.after(:context) do
    puts "after context"
  end

  config.after(:suite) do
    puts "after suite"
  end
end

RSpec.describe "ignore" do
  example "ignore" do
  end
end

When I run rspec --format progress configuration_spec.rb

Then the output should contain:

before suite
before context
before example
after example
.after context
after suite

before/after context blocks are run once​

Given a file named "before_and_after_context_spec.rb" with:

RSpec.describe "before and after callbacks" do
  before(:context) do
    puts "outer before context"
  end

  example "in outer group" do
  end

  after(:context) do
    puts "outer after context"
  end

  describe "nested group" do
    before(:context) do
      puts "inner before context"
    end

    example "in nested group" do
    end

    after(:context) do
      puts "inner after context"
    end
  end

end

When I run rspec --format progress before_and_after_context_spec.rb

Then the examples should all pass

And the output should contain:

outer before context
.inner before context
.inner after context
outer after context

When I run rspec --format progress before_and_after_context_spec.rb:14

Then the examples should all pass

And the output should contain:

outer before context
inner before context
.inner after context
outer after context

When I run rspec --format progress before_and_after_context_spec.rb:6

Then the examples should all pass

And the output should contain:

outer before context
.outer after context

Nested examples have access to state set in outer before(:context)​

Given a file named "before_context_spec.rb" with:

RSpec.describe "something" do
  before :context do
    @value = 123
  end

  describe "nested" do
    it "access state set in before(:context)" do
      expect(@value).to eq(123)
    end

    describe "nested more deeply" do
      it "access state set in before(:context)" do
        expect(@value).to eq(123)
      end
    end
  end

  describe "nested in parallel" do
    it "access state set in before(:context)" do
      expect(@value).to eq(123)
    end
  end
end

When I run rspec before_context_spec.rb

Then the examples should all pass.

before/after context blocks have access to state​

Given a file named "before_and_after_context_spec.rb" with:

RSpec.describe "before and after callbacks" do
  before(:context) do
    @outer_state = "set in outer before context"
  end

  example "in outer group" do
    expect(@outer_state).to eq("set in outer before context")
  end

  describe "nested group" do
    before(:context) do
      @inner_state = "set in inner before context"
    end

    example "in nested group" do
      expect(@outer_state).to eq("set in outer before context")
      expect(@inner_state).to eq("set in inner before context")
    end

    after(:context) do
      expect(@inner_state).to eq("set in inner before context")
    end
  end

  after(:context) do
    expect(@outer_state).to eq("set in outer before context")
  end
end

When I run rspec before_and_after_context_spec.rb

Then the examples should all pass.

Exception in before(:example) is captured and reported as failure​

Given a file named "error_in_before_example_spec.rb" with:

RSpec.describe "error in before(:example)" do
  before(:example) do
    raise "this error"
  end

  it "is reported as failure" do
  end
end

When I run rspec error_in_before_example_spec.rb

Then the output should contain "1 example, 1 failure"

And the output should contain "this error".