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For a function that accepts bytes, use an in-memory binary fixture. For code that opens a file path, create a temporary file in ExUnit setup and register its removal with on_exit. A “blob fixture” is not a special ExUnit feature; it is ordinary test setup using Elixir binaries and file APIs.

Choose a binary or a file fixture based on the interface

Test the same boundary your production code uses. If the function takes a binary, pass bytes directly; this keeps a byte-processing test focused on parsing or transformation. If the function opens, reads, or validates a path, use a real temporary file so the test exercises file I/O and path handling.

Fixture Best fit Setup and cleanup
In-memory binary Code accepts bytes directly No filesystem setup or file cleanup
Temporary file Code opens or reads a path Write during setup and remove after the test

Elixir files default to binary mode. For binary input and output, the File documentation points to IO.binread/2 and IO.binwrite/2; choose APIs that match the code under test.

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Create a temporary file in per-test setup

ExUnit setup runs before each test, making it a natural place to create isolated fixture state. A setup callback can return a map or keyword list, which ExUnit merges into that test’s context.

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defmodule BlobReaderTest do
  use ExUnit.Case, async: true

  setup do
    path = Path.join(System.tmp_dir!(), "blob-#{System.unique_integer([:positive])}.bin")
    bytes = <<0, 1, 2, 255>>
    :ok = File.write(path, bytes)
    on_exit(fn -> File.rm(path) end)
    %{blob_path: path, blob_bytes: bytes}
  end

  test "reads the fixture bytes", %{blob_path: path, blob_bytes: bytes} do
    assert {:ok, ^bytes} = File.read(path)
  end
end

This pattern creates a distinct path for each test, writes arbitrary bytes, adds cleanup, and passes both path and expected contents through the context. Adapt the temporary-path strategy and error handling to the project and target platforms. ExUnit’s callbacks documentation demonstrates writing a file in setup and removing it in an on_exit callback.

Use on_exit for cleanup, with its process behavior in mind

Register cleanup immediately after creating the resource. An on_exit callback registered from a test or its setup runs after that test and before the next test in that case. The callback executes in a separate process, so do not rely on mutable state belonging to the test process inside it. For a file fixture, capture the path in the callback closure and remove that path directly.

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setup_all runs once before tests in a module, rather than once per test. Use it only when sharing fixture state is intentional and safe; shared files can make concurrent tests interfere with one another. ExUnit also runs setup_all in a process separate from the tests, which affects resource ownership and sharing.

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For process-based fixtures, ExUnit’s callbacks documentation recommends start_supervised/2 where applicable. Supervised processes are guaranteed to terminate before on_exit callbacks run. Files still need their own explicit cleanup.

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Keep concurrent tests from colliding

A fixed filename reused by tests can cause races when tests run asynchronously. Use a unique per-test path and clean it up after use. This is especially relevant for parameterized tests: Elixir v1.18 introduced parameterized ExUnit tests and test groups, and the v1.18 release announcement explains that parameterized scenarios may run concurrently with async: true. Groups allow concurrency across groups, while tests within the same group do not run concurrently.

Choose fixture contents that exercise the behavior

For a binary-processing function, keep the fixture small and explicit, then add cases that matter to its contract. Depending on the behavior, useful inputs may include empty content, embedded zero bytes, non-UTF-8 bytes, or a representative larger payload. These are test-design options, not a requirement that every blob-handling function support every encoding or size.

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For file-reading code, assert the result of the actual file operation, as in the example, rather than assuming that a path alone proves the bytes were read correctly.

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Check the project’s Elixir version

The official documentation page accessed on October 10, 2026, marked Elixir v1.20.4 stable and listed Erlang/OTP 27, 28, and 29 as supported. See the official Elixir documentation page for version information, and use the versioned documentation matching the project when working on an older Elixir or OTP combination.

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