20/02/2025, 09:07 act – React
v19
API REFERENCE APIS
act
act is a test helper to apply pending React updates before making
assertions.
await act(async actFn)
To prepare a component for assertions, wrap the code rendering it and
performing updates inside an await act() call. This makes your test run
closer to how React works in the browser.
Note
You might find using act() directly a bit too verbose. To avoid some
of the boilerplate, you could use a library like React Testing Library,
whose helpers are wrapped with act() .
Reference
await act(async actFn)
Usage
Rendering components in tests
Dispatching events in tests
Troubleshooting
I’m getting an error: “The current testing environment is not configured
to support act”(…)”
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Reference
await act(async actFn)
When writing UI tests, tasks like rendering, user events, or data fetching can
be considered as “units” of interaction with a user interface. React provides a
helper called act() that makes sure all updates related to these “units” have
been processed and applied to the DOM before you make any assertions.
The name act comes from the Arrange-Act-Assert pattern.
it ('renders with button disabled', async () => {
await act(async () => {
root.render(<TestComponent />)
});
expect(container.querySelector('button')).toBeDisabled();
});
Note
We recommend using act with await and an async function.
Although the sync version works in many cases, it doesn’t work in all
cases and due to the way React schedules updates internally, it’s
difficult to predict when you can use the sync version.
We will deprecate and remove the sync version in the future.
Parameters
async actFn : An async function wrapping renders or interactions for
components being tested. Any updates triggered within the actFn , are
added to an internal act queue, which are then flushed together to
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process and apply any changes to the DOM. Since it is async, React will
also run any code that crosses an async boundary, and flush any updates
scheduled.
Returns
act does not return anything.
Usage
When testing a component, you can use act to make assertions about its
output.
For example, let’s say we have this Counter component, the usage examples
below show how to test it:
function Counter() {
const [count, setCount] = useState(0);
const handleClick = () => {
setCount(prev => prev + 1);
}
useEffect(() => {
document.title = `You clicked ${count} times`;
}, [count]);
return (
<div>
<p>You clicked {count} times</p>
<button onClick={handleClick}>
Click me
</button>
</div>
)
}
Rendering components in tests
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To test the render output of a component, wrap the render inside act() :
import {act} from 'react';
import ReactDOMClient from 'react-dom/client';
import Counter from './Counter';
it('can render and update a counter', async () => {
container = document.createElement('div');
document.body.appendChild(container);
// ✅ Render the component inside act().
await act(() => {
ReactDOMClient.createRoot(container).render(<Counter />);
});
const button = container.querySelector('button');
const label = container.querySelector('p');
expect(label.textContent).toBe('You clicked 0 times');
expect(document.title).toBe('You clicked 0 times');
});
Here, we create a container, append it to the document, and render the
Counter component inside act() . This ensures that the component is
rendered and its effects are applied before making assertions.
Using act ensures that all updates have been applied before we make
assertions.
Dispatching events in tests
To test events, wrap the event dispatch inside act() :
import {act} from 'react';
import ReactDOMClient from 'react-dom/client';
import Counter from './Counter';
it.only('can render and update a counter', async () => {
const container = document.createElement('div');
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document.body.appendChild(container);
await act( async () => {
ReactDOMClient.createRoot(container).render(<Counter />);
});
// ✅ Dispatch the event inside act().
await act(async () => {
button.dispatchEvent(new MouseEvent('click', { bubbles: true }));
});
const button = container.querySelector('button');
const label = container.querySelector('p');
expect(label.textContent).toBe('You clicked 1 times');
expect(document.title).toBe('You clicked 1 times');
});
Here, we render the component with act , and then dispatch the event inside
another act() . This ensures that all updates from the event are applied
before making assertions.
Pitfall
Don’t forget that dispatching DOM events only works when the DOM
container is added to the document. You can use a library like React
Testing Library to reduce the boilerplate code.
Troubleshooting
I’m getting an error: “The current testing
environment is not configured to support act”(…)”
Using act requires setting global.IS_REACT_ACT_ENVIRONMENT=true in your
test environment. This is to ensure that act is only used in the correct
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environment.
If you don’t set the global, you will see an error like this:
Console
Warning: The current testing environment is not configured
to support act(…)
To fix, add this to your global setup file for React tests:
global.IS_REACT_ACT_ENVIRONMENT=true
Note
In testing frameworks like React Testing Library,
IS_REACT_ACT_ENVIRONMENT is already set for you.
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