Skip to main content
S9Sv0.7

Mock Mode Guide

s9s includes environment variable gating for mock mode to prevent accidental use in production environments while maintaining flexibility for development and testing.

Note: Mock mode is an internal development/testing feature. The --mock, --no-mock flags and mock subcommand are hidden from s9s --help to avoid confusing end users, but remain fully functional for developers.

Security Features

Environment Variable Gating

Mock mode requires the S9S_ENABLE_MOCK environment variable to be set. Any non-empty value enables mock mode:

# Any non-empty value works
export S9S_ENABLE_MOCK=1
export S9S_ENABLE_MOCK=true
export S9S_ENABLE_MOCK=yes
export S9S_ENABLE_MOCK=development

Usage Examples

Development Setup

# Set environment variable (permanent)
echo 'export S9S_ENABLE_MOCK=1' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

# Use mock mode
s9s --mock

One-time Usage

# Set for current session only
export S9S_ENABLE_MOCK=1
s9s --mock

# Or inline
S9S_ENABLE_MOCK=1 s9s --mock

Check Mock Status

s9s mock status

CLI Commands

Primary Mock Usage

s9s --mock               # Use mock SLURM client (requires S9S_ENABLE_MOCK)
s9s --no-mock           # Force real SLURM client (override config)

Mock Utilities

s9s mock status         # Show mock mode status and configuration

Error Messages

Mock Disabled

When mock mode is requested without the environment variable set, the following error is displayed:

mock mode disabled

To enable mock mode, set the S9S_ENABLE_MOCK environment variable:
  export S9S_ENABLE_MOCK=1
  s9s --mock

Configuration File Behavior

If useMockClient: true is set in the config file but S9S_ENABLE_MOCK is not set:

  • The application exits with an error message
  • The error instructs the user to set the environment variable
  • Setup suggestions are displayed via SuggestMockSetup()

Implementation Details

Mock Validator (internal/mock/validator.go)

  • IsMockEnabled(): Returns true if S9S_ENABLE_MOCK environment variable is set to any non-empty value
  • ValidateMockUsage(useMockClient bool): Returns an error if mock is requested but not enabled via the environment variable
  • SuggestMockSetup(): Prints setup instructions for enabling mock mode

CLI Integration (internal/cli/root.go)

  • Environment validation before application startup
  • If validation fails, the error is displayed and SuggestMockSetup() is called
  • The application returns an error and does not start

Testing

Run the included test suite:

go test -v ./internal/mock/...

Tests cover:

  • Mock blocking without environment variable
  • Mock allowance with valid environment variables

Benefits

  1. Security: Prevents accidental mock usage in production
  2. Flexibility: Allows controlled testing/debugging when needed
  3. Simplicity: Single binary works across all environments
  4. Visibility: Clear status and configuration commands

Related Guides