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The RemoteService interface allows tests to connect to services that are hosted externally rather than deployed by the test framework. Configuration is provided through system properties.

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Interface signature

public interface RemoteService extends Deployable

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How it works

Remote services are enabled by setting a host property in the test configuration. When detected, the framework skips deployment and uses the provided connection details instead.

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Default methods

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enabled()

Determines if this remote service is configured and should be used. 
@Override
default boolean enabled() {
    return propertyValue("host") != null;
}
A remote service is only enabled if the tnb.<service>.host property is set.

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priority()

Returns the deployment priority for this service type. 
@Override
default int priority() {
    return 2;
}
Priority determines the order in which services are deployed. Remote services have priority 2, which is higher than container deployments (0) and OpenShift deployments (1).

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deploy()

No-op method since remote services don’t require deployment. 
@Override
default void deploy() {
    // Remote services are already running externally
}

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undeploy()

No-op method since remote services aren’t managed by the framework. 
@Override
default void undeploy() {
    // Remote services are managed externally
}

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propertyValue()

Retrieves configuration property values for this service. 
default String propertyValue(String prop) {
    return propertyValue(prop, null);
}

default String propertyValue(String prop, String def) {
    return TestConfiguration.getProperty(
        String.format("tnb.%s.%s", 
            ReflectionUtil.getSuperClassName(this.getClass()).toLowerCase(), 
            prop), 
        def
    );
}
Parameters:
  • prop - The property name (e.g., “host”, “port”, “username”)
  • def - Default value if property is not set
Example properties: 
tnb.postgresql.host=db.example.com
tnb.postgresql.port=5432
tnb.postgresql.username=admin
tnb.postgresql.password=secret

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host()

Convenience method to retrieve the host property. 
default String host() {
    return propertyValue("host");
}

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getLogs()

Logs are not available for remote services. 
default String getLogs() {
    LOG.warn("getLogs method not supported in RemoteService, returning an empty string");
    return "";
}
Since remote services are managed externally, the framework cannot access their logs.

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Example implementation

Here’s a remote PostgreSQL service implementation: 
public class RemotePostgreSQL implements RemoteService {
    private Connection connection;
    
    @Override
    public void openResources() {
        String host = host();
        String port = propertyValue("port", "5432");
        String database = propertyValue("database", "postgres");
        String username = propertyValue("username", "postgres");
        String password = propertyValue("password");
        
        String jdbcUrl = String.format(
            "jdbc:postgresql://%s:%s/%s", 
            host, port, database
        );
        
        connection = DriverManager.getConnection(jdbcUrl, username, password);
    }
    
    @Override
    public void closeResources() {
        if (connection != null) {
            connection.close();
        }
    }
    
    public Connection getConnection() {
        return connection;
    }
}

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Configuration example

Enable the remote service by setting system properties: 
# Run tests with remote PostgreSQL
mvn test \
  -Dtnb.postgresql.host=db.example.com \
  -Dtnb.postgresql.port=5432 \
  -Dtnb.postgresql.username=testuser \
  -Dtnb.postgresql.password=testpass
Or in a properties file: 
# test.properties
tnb.postgresql.host=db.example.com
tnb.postgresql.port=5432
tnb.postgresql.username=testuser
tnb.postgresql.password=testpass

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Use cases

Shared test environment

Connect to a centralized test database used across teams

CI/CD pipelines

Use managed services in cloud environments

Performance testing

Test against production-like infrastructure

External dependencies

Connect to third-party services that can’t be containerized

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