When developing a Cloud Function triggered by Cloud Storage events, what is a recommended practice for testing?

Using a local development environment with Functions Frameworks is a recommended practice for testing Cloud Functions triggered by Cloud Storage events. This approach allows developers to run and test their functions locally before deploying them to the cloud, ensuring that the code behaves as expected in a controlled environment. By using Functions Frameworks, developers can simulate the execution of their functions, pass in test data, and observe outputs and errors as they would occur in a live setting.

This method provides the ability to quickly iterate on code changes, debug issues, and experiment with different configurations without the risks associated with modifying a production environment. Additionally, it fosters a more efficient development workflow by enabling unit testing and integration testing in a local setup, thereby improving overall code quality.

In contrast, directly editing the existing Cloud Function in production can lead to unintended bugs and downtime, as changes are deployed immediately and could impact users. Creating a mock function triggered by Cloud Audit Logs may not accurately represent the event triggers from Cloud Storage, making it less effective for testing specific scenarios. Making a copy of the function to modify the original introduces risks of version control issues and could complicate the deployment process.