Arythmatic Flow Docs
Docs / Testing

Running a collection

Run every request in order with its assertions and scripts — in the app, on a schedule, or in CI.

A collection with assertions is a test suite. Running it executes every request in order and reports which ones held up.

Running it in the app#

  1. Open the collection and press Run.Choose the environment to run against.
  2. Pick sequential or parallel.Sequential when later requests depend on earlier ones — which is usually.
  3. Watch the results.Each request shows its status, timing and every assertion, passed or failed with actual against expected.

What counts as a failure#

Anything that makes a request untrustworthy: a 4xx or 5xx, a failed assertion, a script that threw, or a connection that could not be made.

200 is not automatically a pass

A request that returns 200 and fails an assertion is a failure. A runner that reported transport success as success would tell you everything passed while every assertion failed — green that means nothing is worse than red, because you stop looking.

Running it in CI#

The CLI runs the same collection and exits non-zero when anything fails, so it works as a pipeline step with one secret.

- name: API smoke tests
  run: flow run "Smoke tests" --env Staging
  env:
    FLOW_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.FLOW_API_KEY }}

The assertions and scripts are executed by the same modules the server uses, so a collection that passes in the app passes identically in CI.

Running it on a schedule#

A monitor runs a collection on a schedule and alerts when it fails — which is how you find out about a broken journey before a customer does.

Driving a run from a dataset#

  1. Create a data table under Automate → Data Tables.Import a CSV or add rows by hand.
  2. Select it when starting the run.The collection runs once per row, with the columns available as variables.

Frequently asked questions#

How do I run API tests in CI?

Install the flow CLI, then run flow run with your collection name and environment. It exits non-zero if any request fails an assertion, returns 4xx/5xx, or cannot connect, and needs only a workspace API key as a secret.

Can I run a collection against a service on my own machine?

Yes, from the desktop app or the CLI — both send requests from your machine. The browser cannot, because it sends requests from the server.