What is contract testing, and why is it important in microservices?

Short answer: Contract testing is a type of testing used to ensure that the interaction between two microservices (provider and consumer) conforms to an agreed-upon contract. This contract defines the expected request and response formats, ensuring that both services can communicate correctly, even when developed independently. Importance in Microservices:

Real-world example (ShopNest)

ShopNest splits Catalog, Cart, Order, and Payment into services so teams can deploy catalog changes without redeploying payments.

Say this in the interview

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.