Unit testing React hooks that interact with a NextJS back-end server presents challenges for developers, especially with no support from Copilot as of Spring 2025.
Developers need to rely on their own expertise and insights to streamline the testing process and avoid excessive resource searching.
To set up a testing environment, developers must customize the server.ts file to handle back-end logic and global data structures for Next.js server pages and route handlers.
During unit testing, a separate server instance is launched before testing the React hook and then shut down upon completion of the test.
Functions like startServer() and stopServer() are used to manage the server instance as a child process for testing purposes.
A test environment is prepared by making health check requests to ensure the server is ready before conducting the unit test for a specific React hook.
Simulated DOM initialization is essential for testing and is achieved by passing the '--import' switch to the tsx utility in the testing command.
By following these steps, developers can effectively test React hooks that interact with a NextJS back-end server while maintaining a controlled and reliable testing environment.