2026-03-10 00:00:00 -07:00
# Getting Started with APOPHIS
Get from install to your first behavioral bug in 10 minutes.
2026-04-30 11:34:00 -07:00
APOPHIS is inspired by [Invariant-Driven Automated Testing ](https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.23922 ) (Malhado Ribeiro, 2021): instead of only validating request and response shape, encode intended behavior as executable contracts and let the tool find violations automatically.
2026-03-10 00:00:00 -07:00
## Prerequisites
- Node.js 20.x or 22.x
- A Fastify app with `@fastify/swagger` registered
## Step 1: Install
``` bash
npm install apophis-fastify fastify @fastify/swagger
```
## Step 2: Scaffold
``` bash
apophis init --preset safe-ci
```
This creates:
- `apophis.config.js` — config with a `quick` profile
- `APOPHIS.md` — preset-specific guidance
- Package script: `npm run apophis:verify`
## Step 3: Add One Behavioral Contract
Pick one important route. Add an `x-ensures` clause that checks behavior across operations:
``` javascript
2026-04-30 11:25:30 -07:00
import crypto from 'crypto' ;
2026-03-10 00:00:00 -07:00
app . post ( '/users' , {
schema : {
'x-category' : 'constructor' ,
'x-ensures' : [
// BEHAVIORAL: Creating a user must make it retrievable
'response_code(GET /users/{response_body(this).id}) == 200'
]
}
} , async ( request , reply ) => {
const { name } = request . body ;
2026-04-30 11:25:30 -07:00
const id = ` usr- ${ crypto . createHash ( 'sha256' ) . update ( name ) . digest ( 'hex' ) . slice ( 0 , 8 ) } ` ;
2026-03-10 00:00:00 -07:00
reply . status ( 201 ) ;
return { id , name } ;
} ) ;
```
2026-04-30 11:25:30 -07:00
> **Warning:** Using `Date.now()` or `Math.random()` in handlers breaks determinism and replay. Use a stable function of the input instead.
2026-03-10 00:00:00 -07:00
## Step 4: Run Verify
``` bash
apophis verify --profile quick --routes "POST /users"
```
## Example Failure
If your `GET /users/:id` handler has a bug (always returns 404), APOPHIS catches it:
``` text
Contract violation
POST /users
Profile: quick
Seed: 42
Expected
response_code(GET /users/{response_body(this).id}) == 200
Observed
2026-04-30 11:34:00 -07:00
GET /users/usr-7d865e returned 404
2026-03-10 00:00:00 -07:00
Why this matters
The resource created by POST /users is not retrievable.
Replay
apophis replay --artifact reports/apophis/failure-2026-04-28T12-30-22Z.json
Next
Check the create/read consistency for POST /users and GET /users/{id}.
```
## Step 5: Replay and Fix
Copy the replay command and run it:
``` bash
apophis replay --artifact reports/apophis/failure-2026-04-28T12-30-22Z.json
```
Fix the bug in your handler. Re-run verify. The failure should now pass.
## Next Steps
- Add more routes to your profile: `apophis verify --profile quick --routes "POST /users,PUT /users/:id"`
2026-04-30 11:25:30 -07:00
- Use wildcards to match route patterns: `apophis verify --routes 'POST /api/*'`
2026-03-10 00:00:00 -07:00
- Run all routes: `apophis verify --profile quick`
- Run only changed routes in CI: `apophis verify --profile ci --changed`
2026-04-30 11:25:30 -07:00
- Requires a git repository.
- Use machine-readable output in CI: `apophis verify --profile ci --format json-summary`
- Add observe mode for runtime drift detection: see [observe.md ](observe.md )
- Add qualify mode for scenario, stateful, and chaos checks: see [qualify.md ](qualify.md )
2026-03-10 00:00:00 -07:00
## Config Reference
2026-04-30 11:25:30 -07:00
For the full configuration reference, see [CLI Reference ](cli.md ).
2026-03-10 00:00:00 -07:00
## Monorepo Workspaces
2026-04-30 11:25:30 -07:00
Use `--workspace` to run verify or doctor across all packages:
2026-03-10 00:00:00 -07:00
``` bash
apophis verify --workspace --profile quick --format json
```
2026-04-30 11:25:30 -07:00
See [CLI Reference ](cli.md ) for workspace output format and exit codes.