Spring Boot Integration Tests with H2 Database

October 31, 2025

This guide shows how to use H2 database for running integration tests in Spring Boot, ensuring fast and isolated test runs.

1. Add Dependencies

In pom.xml:

<dependency>
  <groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
  <artifactId>spring-boot-starter-data-jpa</artifactId>
</dependency>
<dependency>
  <groupId>com.h2database</groupId>
  <artifactId>h2</artifactId>
  <scope>test</scope>
</dependency>

Using <scope>test</scope> ensures H2 is only used for tests.

2. Configure H2

In src/test/resources/application-test.properties:

spring.datasource.url=jdbc:h2:mem:testdb;DB_CLOSE_DELAY=-1
spring.datasource.driver-class-name=org.h2.Driver
spring.datasource.username=sa
spring.datasource.password=
spring.jpa.hibernate.ddl-auto=create-drop

3. Example Entity

@Entity
public class User {
  @Id @GeneratedValue
  private Long id;
  private String name;
}

4. Repository

public interface UserRepository extends JpaRepository<User, Long> {}

5. Write Integration Test

@SpringBootTest
@TestPropertySource(locations = "classpath:application-test.properties")
class UserRepositoryIT {

  @Autowired private UserRepository repo;

  @Test
  void testSaveAndFind() {
    User u = new User();
    u.setName("Alice");
    repo.save(u);

    assertEquals(1, repo.findAll().size());
  }
}

6. Run Tests

Execute:

mvn test

The app starts with H2 in-memory DB, runs integration tests, and cleans up after.