Signadot SmartTests

Product Introduction

1. Signadot SmartTests is an AI-powered contract testing solution designed to detect API contract violations in every pull request without requiring developers to write explicit contracts or mocks. It operates by running code changes against real services in parallel Kubernetes-based sandboxes while comparing responses between baseline and modified versions. The system uses machine learning to analyze live traffic patterns and automatically score differences for functional relevance.
2. The core value lies in enabling teams to merge code with confidence by identifying breaking changes early in the development cycle. It eliminates the maintenance burden of traditional contract testing through adaptive AI models that evolve with API changes, while maintaining production-like testing conditions through side-by-side execution with actual dependencies.

Main Features

1. AI-powered contract validation automatically detects meaningful differences between API responses without requiring manual assertion writing. The system compares baseline and modified service behavior using machine learning models trained on historical traffic patterns and API schemas.
2. Kubernetes-native execution runs tests within isolated sandboxes that share most infrastructure components with production clusters. This enables testing against real services while maintaining network isolation through request-level routing rather than full environment duplication.
3. CI/CD pipeline integration allows triggering SmartTests through CLI commands or API calls during pull request verification. Test results appear directly in GitHub/GitLab interfaces with detailed diff analysis and severity scoring for detected changes.

Problems Solved

1. Eliminates late-stage discovery of API contract violations that traditionally occur during integration testing or production deployment. The solution catches breaking changes before code merges into main branches, reducing hotfixes and rollbacks.
2. Targets engineering organizations managing complex microservices architectures with frequent interdependent changes. Particularly benefits platform teams maintaining shared APIs and development teams working on service integrations.
3. Addresses scenarios where multiple teams modify related services simultaneously, preventing version mismatch issues. Enables safe API evolution through automated compatibility checks during continuous deployment workflows.

Unique Advantages

1. Unlike Pact-style contract testing requiring explicit consumer-provider agreements, SmartTests automatically infers contracts from live API usage patterns. This reduces maintenance overhead and adapts to organic API evolution without manual specification updates.
2. Combines production traffic analysis with synthetic test execution through dual-mode operation. The system can replay recorded production requests while generating new test cases based on API schema analysis for comprehensive coverage.
3. Provides cost advantage over full environment replication by sharing Kubernetes cluster resources across multiple test sandboxes. Maintains 99% infrastructure reuse while guaranteeing test isolation through intelligent request routing at the network layer.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. How does SmartTests differ from traditional contract testing tools? SmartTests eliminates manual contract specification by automatically learning API behavior patterns from live traffic and historical data. Unlike static contract files, the AI model continuously adapts to API changes while maintaining backward compatibility checks through differential analysis.
2. What infrastructure is required to run SmartTests? The solution operates within existing Kubernetes clusters using a lightweight operator installation. All test execution occurs within your infrastructure, with the control plane managing sandbox orchestration and test analysis without accessing sensitive data.
3. Can SmartTests integrate with our existing CI/CD pipelines? Yes, SmartTests provides CLI tools and Kubernetes CRDs that integrate with all major CI systems including GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, and Jenkins. Tests can be triggered through API calls or pipeline steps, with results returned as standard test reports compatible with DevOps toolchains.