Integration testing focuses on verifying how different modules or services within an application work together. After individual units are tested in isolation, integration testing ensures that interactions between components—such as APIs, databases, message queues, and external services—function correctly when combined.
This type of testing is especially valuable for identifying issues like broken data flows, incorrect API contracts, and communication failures between services. Many of these problems cannot be detected through unit tests alone, as they only appear when components interact in real scenarios. Integration testing helps teams catch such issues early, reducing debugging time and preventing costly production failures.
While integration testing may require more setup than unit tests, automation tools make it easier to maintain and scale. By continuously validating component interactions as part of the development workflow, teams can improve system reliability, speed up releases, and build more resilient applications.