Mode	Command	Description
api (default)	`pytest tests/contracts/`	Fast, Django test client, test DB
live	`CONTRACT_TEST_MODE=live pytest tests/contracts/`	Real HTTP, LiveServerTestCase, test DB

Mode Comparison

	`api` (default)	`live`
Base class	`APITestCase`	`LiveServerTestCase`
HTTP	In-process (Django test client)	Real HTTP via `requests`
Auth	`force_authenticate()`	JWT tokens via API
Database	Django test DB (isolated)	Django test DB (isolated)
Speed	~3-5 sec	~15-30 sec
Server	None (in-process)	Auto-started by Django

Key Point: Both Modes Use Test Database

Neither mode touches your real database. Django automatically:

Creates a test database (prefixed with test_)
Runs migrations
Destroys it after tests complete

File Structure

tests/contracts/
├── base.py              # Mode switcher (imports from base_api or base_live)
├── base_api.py          # APITestCase implementation
├── base_live.py         # LiveServerTestCase implementation
├── conftest.py          # pytest-django configuration
├── endpoints.py         # API paths (single source of truth)
├── helpers.py           # Shared test data helpers
│
├── mascotas/            # Django app: mascotas
│   ├── test_pet_owners.py
│   ├── test_pets.py
│   └── test_coverage.py
│
├── productos/           # Django app: productos
│   ├── test_services.py
│   └── test_cart.py
│
├── solicitudes/         # Django app: solicitudes
│   └── test_service_requests.py
│
└── workflows/           # Multi-step API sequences (e.g., turnero booking flow)
    └── test_turnero_general.py

Running Tests

# All contract tests
pytest tests/contracts/

# Single app
pytest tests/contracts/mascotas/

# Single file
pytest tests/contracts/mascotas/test_pet_owners.py

# Live mode (real HTTP)
CONTRACT_TEST_MODE=live pytest tests/contracts/