Software Testing - If an E2E test already covers some workflow, is it still worth having unit tests for that same workflow?

📰 Reddit r/learnprogramming

Learn when to use unit tests alongside E2E tests for the same workflow and why it's still beneficial for thorough testing

intermediate Published 1 Jun 2026

Action Steps

Identify the workflow covered by E2E tests
Determine if unit tests can provide additional coverage for edge cases or internal logic
Write unit tests to focus on specific components or functions within the workflow
Run unit tests in conjunction with E2E tests to ensure comprehensive testing
Use unit tests to catch bugs early in the development cycle

Who Needs to Know This

Software engineers and QA teams can benefit from understanding the importance of unit tests in addition to E2E tests for ensuring robust workflow coverage

Key Insight

💡 Unit tests and E2E tests serve different purposes and can be used together to achieve more thorough testing

Key Takeaways

Learn when to use unit tests alongside E2E tests for the same workflow and why it's still beneficial for thorough testing

Full Article

Im having trouble on deciding on when to implement unit tests if you already have e2e tests that cover the same "area". For example say we have a web app, and I have a set of playwright tests (e2e tests) for a particular functionality on the app. In this specific case lets say we are testing the filtering and sorting of some table. The e2e tests already covers all core logic and edge cases regarding filtering and sorting via interacting with the UI, acti

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