Django email backend not working in tests

Backend
1

I’m having trouble with my Django email backend when running tests. Here’s what I’m experiencing:

# In settings, I've set a different backend for email:
EMAIL_BACKEND = 'custom_mailer.db_backend.DatabaseEmailBackend'

# In my project, I'm using:
from django.core.mail import send_mail

# On production, emails queue in the database as expected.

# However, during testing:
def test_email_sending():
    # Trigger the email sending
    self.assertEqual(len(mail.outbox), 0)  # This fails with 2 emails instead

    queued_email_count = QueuedEmail.objects.count()
    self.assertEqual(queued_email_count, 2)  # This fails with 0 emails queued

Why does the test environment bypass the custom backend so that emails send immediately rather than queuing them? I can’t modify how third-party apps import their mailing functions. Any advice on resolving this issue?

2

I encountered a similar issue in my Django project. The root cause is likely that Django’s test runner overrides your custom email backend with its own testing backend. To resolve this, you need to explicitly set the email backend in your test configuration.

Try adding this to your test settings file or within your test setup method:

EMAIL_BACKEND = ‘custom_mailer.db_backend.DatabaseEmailBackend’

If that doesn’t work, you might need to mock the send_mail function or create a custom test runner that preserves your email backend settings. This approach ensures your tests accurately reflect the behavior of your production environment.

Remember to clear any queued emails between tests to maintain isolation and prevent interference between different test cases.

3

yo jumpingbear, sounds like a tricky one! have u tried setting EMAIL_BACKEND in ur test settings file? sometimes django switches to a default backend for tests. maybe try overriding it with ur custom backend explicitly for the test environment. that might solve ur issue

4

hey there! have u considered that django might be using a different email backend for tests? try checking ur test settings or overriding the EMAIL_BACKEND explicitly in ur test setup. also, wat happens if u try to send emails directly in the test? curious if that gives any clues?