table of Contents
If you're a developer, running unit tests is or will soon be second nature to you. Every line of code that goes from your drawing board to your Git project must go through a unit test filter, which you write yourself. But as your software expands and you have to push more code with each new feature, unit tests will have to scale to keep up.
At this point, you need unit test frameworks to build elegant, complete, and reusable unit tests. Given the number of options out there, we thought we'd discuss some of the top contenders in the field – the best unit testing frameworks you should consider to refine your development efforts.
Use:This article assumes you are already up to date on “What is a unit testing framework?” so you will jump straight to the tools.
How to choose the right unit testing framework
Start by asking yourself the following questions:
- What do you need to prove?
What kind of software do you need to test? What are the recommended testing requirements for your team, especially the QA team? What is the scope of the tests? What kind of test coverage are you looking for? - What areas of software should be tested?
What software features should be tested first? Your chosen framework should be one that allows you to get started with high-priority modules in the shortest possible time. The longer the delay, the longer the time to market. - Who is the owner of the framework?
Who is the contact person ultimately responsible for managing and maintaining the framework? The tool should be aligned with this person's skills and competencies, as they will be responsible for resolving any glitches or glitches developers may face while using the tool. - Do all developers have the necessary skills to operate the chosen framework?
It doesn't matter if a framework is literally perfect for running unit tests in Java if your team doesn't use Java. Be clear about your team's capabilities before making a decision.
Read more: Best practices for unit tests
Best unit testing frameworks for Java
1. Joint unit
JUnitis an open source unit testing framework that supports Java (5 and higher) and is known for its effectiveness in facilitatingTest Driven Development (TDD). It belongs to a family of unit testing frameworks popularly known as xUnit.
Basically you set up your test data first and then build software code around it. JUnit users like to call this approach "test a little, code a little, test a little, code a little." This technique has been shown to increase software productivity and stability because all code is inherently designed to pass the necessary tests. As a result, developers have to spend less time debugging the app after release, because too many big ones don't show up in already-tested code.
Read more: How to write JUnit test cases
Advantages
- It can be used for both integration and unit tests.
- Exceptionally effective for enabling TDD or Test Driven Development.
- It allows the development of anomaly-free and easy-to-read code.
- Compatible with most major IDEs: Eclipse, NetBeans, Maven, Ant, and IntelliJIDEA.
- Compatible with Java 8, but also allows execution of test cases written in earlier versions of JUnit.
limitations
You cannot use JUnit to run dependency tests.
2. JBehave
JBehave is a fairly popular unit testing framework, known for its ability to supportBehavior Driven Development (BDD). This testing approach is intended to design software from the primary point of view of behavior rather than testing, making it a software development AND design perspective.
Advantages
- Since it is BDD-compliant, JBehave's tests prioritize intuition and product reasoning. This leads to the assembly of products with superior features and user interface aspects.
- It allows integration between multiple development teams working with similar requirements on different projects.
- You can run JBehave in the same format as your product specifications, created by stakeholders and project managers. That means all stakeholders can now get more transparent access to the activities of the development and QA teams.
limitations
Any BDD testing framework requires fluid and frequent communication between team members using the tool. Getting all members involved poses a management challenge, especially when a team is completely new to the BDD approach.
Also read: Unit testing frameworks in Selenium
Best Unit Testing Frameworks for C#
1. Unit
Like JUnit, NUnit also belongs to the xUnit family. However, this framework is written in C#. It supports all .Net languages and is similar to JUnit in functionality. This open source framework was originally carried over from JUnit, but has been restructured to offer many new and unique features that today's testers require to verify modern software.
NUnit 3.0 has been released under the MIT license. It is known for being easy to use; testers can start using it after going through a short and smooth learning curve.
Advantages
- NUnit works seamlessly with multiple build platforms and custom test runners.
- It is known for its fast test execution, as well as its sophisticated annotations for easily specifying multiple inputs for a test.
limitations
There are reports that NUnit is poorly integrated with Visual Studio. Users have had to go the extra mile and install some tools to make it work.
2. Unit X
xUnit is a generic name that refers to several unit testing frameworks that draw their hierarchy and capabilities from SUnit, a framework created in 1998. Currently, xUnit acts as an open source unit testing framework for .Net. It works best with .Net-aligned languages like C#, VB.Net, and F#.
xUnit does not require any installation and is often used with ReSharper, Xamarin, TestDriven.Net, and a console runner that allows you to run unit tests.
xUnit is particularly favored for the fact that it allows wide extensibility of test classes and test methods.
Advantages
- It is more flexible and extensible than the other .Net unit testing frameworks. It allows you to create new attributes to control the tests.
- Unlike other .Net Unit testing frameworks, xUnit's test methods are isolated.
- xUnit requires a small number of custom attributes.
- Lightweight, easy to use, and backed by an active community of developers.
limitations
- Some developers and industry leaders have claimed that xUnit's test reports provide insufficient information, such as what type of test failed and at what point in execution.
Read more: NUnit Vs XUnit Vs MSTest: main differences
Best Unit Testing Frameworks for Python
1. robot
This open source unit testing framework is developed and powered by Python. This cross-platform unit testing framework is capable of running tests at different levels in real or simulated user environments. Designed to facilitate test-driven development, Robot is known for offering tabular data syntax, keyword-based testing, rich libraries and toolsets, and parallel testing.
Robot is also capable of running Java and .Net scripts, and supports testing on multiple platforms: Windows, MacOS, and Linux.
You can develop and run unit tests, regardless of language and middleware. Create test cases as plugins (scripts in Python, Ruby, Lua, or built as DLLs with C++). Robot does not depend on any external library as it comes with a test runner to run tests built as plugins.
Also read:Robot Framework and Selenium Test Automation
Advantages
- Pretty easy to install and use, even for non-technical people.
- It supports a wide range of test libraries and is easily extensible with custom libraries. Easy to integrate with other tools and systems.
- It integrates seamlessly with essential development and test systems: Selenium, Appium, Jenkins, etc.
- It provides detailed test reports that make it easy to identify the location and cause of the failure.
- Supports parallel and data-driven testing.
- It is supported by a large community of developers and testers.
limitations
- If you want to extend the Robot framework with custom libraries or test libraries, you will have to go through a steep learning curve.
- You get limited support for database testing.
- Robot's keyword-based testing approach may not work well for tests that require a high level of customization. Debugging such tests is especially complex.
- You get limited community support for certain robot libraries.
2. PyUnit (unit test)
PyUnit/Unittest is essentially the unit testing framework for Python. It is a Python language version of JUnit, which is also part of the Python standard library as of Python version 2.1. It's the default testing framework you get with the Python package, which is why most Python developers start running tests with it before using other frameworks.
This Python unit testing framework enables test automation, sharing configuration and shutdown code for tests, collecting tests into collections, and keeping tests separate from the reporting hierarchy. In addition, the Unittest module also allows you to create "classes", which are converted in an easy and efficient way. way to enhance the tests with the aforementioned characteristics.
Advantages
- It comes out of the box with the Python package.
- No additional modules are required to run PyUnit, as it is part of the Python standard library.
- It provides flexible and hassle-free test execution.
- It generates fast but detailed reports in XML, as well asunittest-sml-informes.
limitations
- It requires a rather intimidating amount of boilerplate code to work.
- Since PyUnit is based on JUnit, it uses the latter's camelCase naming method instead of Python's snake_case naming convention.
Read more: The 8 Best Python Testing Frameworks in 2023
Unit testing is essential, as is choosing the right framework for the job.
Like any tool in your development kit, choosing the right unit testing framework is about more than browsing catalogs and viewing product demos. Developers truly responsible for unit testing should conduct free trials of each tool under consideration and engage in detailed, question-laden conversation with product reps to gain a transparent view of each tool's offerings.
Of course, if you go for open source options, you'll know what you're getting, thanks to active communities of developers that support and innovate on most of the major non-paid frameworks. Either way, this article aims to help you get started by listing the big players in the arena and presenting the highlights of each.
From here on out, go ahead, immerse yourself in the research, ask endless questions, and you'll find the framework that ensures yourSDLCit is flawless and stable from its first step: the unit test.
FAQs
Top Unit Testing Frameworks in 2023 | BrowserStack? ›
Jest is arguably the most popular JavaScript testing framework used and maintained by Facebook. The JEST testing framework provides a “zero-configuration” testing experience. Jest is a highly preferred framework for applications based on React. It provides a straightforward and very convenient user interface.
Is jest the best testing framework? ›Jest is arguably the most popular JavaScript testing framework used and maintained by Facebook. The JEST testing framework provides a “zero-configuration” testing experience. Jest is a highly preferred framework for applications based on React. It provides a straightforward and very convenient user interface.
Why xUnit is better than NUnit? ›As far as NUnit vs. XUnit vs. MSTest is concerned, the biggest difference between xUnit and the other two test frameworks (NUnit and MSTest) is that xUnit is much more extensible when compared to NUnit and MSTest. The [Fact] attribute is used instead of the [Test] attribute.
What frameworks have you used for unit testing? ›- JUnit. JUnit is an open-source unit testing framework designed to help Java developers write and run repeatable tests. ...
- JMockit. ...
- Jtest. ...
- TestNG. ...
- Quilt. ...
- NUnit. ...
- EMMA. ...
- Embunit.
Behave Framework
Behave is one of the most widely used Python test frameworks, known for being especially useful when it comes to behavior-driven development (BDD). This framework is quite similar to Cucumber.
Jest belongs to "Javascript Testing Framework" category of the tech stack, while Selenium can be primarily classified under "Browser Testing". "Open source" is the primary reason why developers consider Jest over the competitors, whereas "Automates browsers" was stated as the key factor in picking Selenium.
Is Jasmine better than Jest? ›While both Jest and Jasmine are capable testing frameworks, Jest may be a better choice for more complex testing scenarios due to its richer feature set and faster execution speed.
Which unit testing is better jest or mocha? ›First, Jest was designed to function as a standalone testing framework that does not require further dependencies. Mocha, on the other hand, involves merging some libraries to work effectively. As a result, a developer must define which assertion, mocking, or libraries will be used in the project.
Should I use NUnit or MsTest? ›The main difference is the ability of MsTest to execute in parallel at the method level. Also, the tight integration of MsTest with Visual Studio provides advantages in both speed and robustness when compared to NUnit.
Why is xUnit better than MsTest? ›xUnit is more extensible than NUnit and MSTest, and it uses [Fact] for non-parameterized tests and [Theory] for parameterized tests. xUnit does not use the [TestClass] attribute and instead uses built-in intelligence to locate test methods.
What are the 3 A's of unit testing? ›
A unit test typically features three different phases: Arrange, Act, and Assert (sometimes referred to as AAA). For a unit test to be successful, the resulting behavior in all three phases must be in line with expectations.
Is TestNG a unit testing framework? ›The Java platform supports a wide variety of testing frameworks that can be used for unit testing. JUnit and TestNG are the Java frameworks for unit testing that are currently considered to be the most popular and widely used.
What can replace Python? ›- Here we have the top programming languages and also Python replacements to learn in 2023:
- JavaScript. JavaScript is one of the most popular programming languages for building interactive websites. ...
- Java. ...
- C# ...
- HTML. ...
- CSS. ...
- Scala. ...
- R.
Test Scripts are written based on requirements in Selenium but with Cucumber, you start with scenarios first. Selenium scripts are hard to develop whereas Cucumber was easier to develop. Identifying syntax errors is pretty easy while you are developing the script, whereas you cannot find errors in Cucumber.
Is Cucumber deprecated? ›cucumber-java8 does not work on OpenJDK 12+. The Cucumber team does not have the time and people available to make cucumber-java8 work on OpenJDK 12+ so we are deprecating the module for removal.
Why is Jest so popular? ›Advantages of using Jest
It is compatible: - The framework is compatible with Angular, React, NodeJS, VueJS and other babel-based projects. Faster than other traditional tools: - It is a very fast testing tool. When our test is CPU bound, it can save significant time from our test runs.
Cypress is built on a new architecture and runs in the same run-loop as the application being tested. As a result Cypress provides better, faster, and more reliable testing for anything that runs in a browser. Cypress works on any front-end framework or website.
Why not to use Jest? ›Jest is familiar for a lot of developers and just works for most use-cases. Jest is very much a batteries included framework. It's designed to work well in certain projects, but in other projects, can produce nightmares that are hard to debug and can cause unexpected behavior.
What are the drawbacks of Jest? ›The primary drawbacks of Jest are due to its youth and lack of popularity among JavaScript developers. This kind of technology can be really helpful at times, such as when you can run and debug your tests in an IDE like WebStorm. WebStorm didn't even support running Jest tests till recently.
What are the cons of Jest? ›Limitations of Jest Framework
Jest is not supported by all IDE. If you are using the unsupported IDE, you might not get powerful features like IntelliSense, auto import, etc. Compared to other similar libraries, Jest lacks the library and tooling support. The auto mocking feature makes Jest slower.
Why use Jest instead of karma? ›
Jest is 2 to 3 times faster than karma testing
The tests that took 4–5 minutes on KARMA only takes about 1–2 minutes on jest. This is particularly important when using CI-CD ( Continous Integration/Continous Delivery). Since the tests are faster the execution time of CI-CD will also reduce.
We observed that Agile and DevOps, test automation, artificial intelligence for testing, and API test automation are the most noticeable trends in 2022 and over the next few years too.
What is the best unit test coverage? ›Optimal Test Coverage Rate: Keeping it between 70 - 80%. Overkill Test Coverage Rate: Keeping it between 80 - 100%.
Why use Jest for unit testing? ›Jest is a JavaScript testing framework designed to ensure correctness of any JavaScript codebase. It allows you to write tests with an approachable, familiar and feature-rich API that gives you results quickly. Jest is well-documented, requires little configuration and can be extended to match your requirements.
Which tool is best for unit testing C#? ›- xUnit – unit testing framework.
- Moq – mocking framework.
- FluentAssertions – assertions framework.
- Autofixture – library for generating test data.
- OpenCover – code coverage tool.
What are the best Node. js unit testing frameworks? According to “The State of JavaScript 2021,” the most popular JavaScript testing frameworks and libraries in 2021 were Testing Library, Vitest, Jest, Cypress, Playwright, and Storybook. Rounding out the top ten are Puppeteer, Mocha, Jasmine, AVA, and WebdriverIO.
Should I use JUnit or TestNG? ›TestNG is a Java-based test automation framework that was inspired by JUnit. It overcomes all the limitations of JUnit along with additional functionalities. This makes it more powerful and easier to use.
Does Visual Studio use MSTest or VSTest? ›The Visual Studio Tests build runner integrates functionality of the MSTest framework and VSTest console runner. Support for both frameworks enables TeamCity to execute tests and automatically import their test results.
Which React testing library is best? ›- Jest. Jest is the most popular testing framework created and maintained by Facebook. ...
- Mocha. Mocha is another popular testing framework for Javascript developers. ...
- Chai. ...
- Jasmine. ...
- Karma. ...
- Enzyme. ...
- Cypress IO. ...
- Puppeteer.
| Criteria | NUnit Test | xUnit Test |
|---|---|---|
| Execution in Isolation | Configurable | Default support |
| Skipping a Test | [Fact (Skip=” reason”)] | [Ignore(“reason”)] |
| Documentation | Comprehensive and well-maintained documentation. Available here . | Does not have well-maintained documentation. Available here . |
What are the two types of unit testing? ›
There are two main types of unit tests: manual and automation. Both types are used to verify specific components of the system being tested. Unit testing improves program efficiency by ensuring that the individual components all work as intended.
What is the most common approach to unit testing required? ›Test-driven development (TDD) is a common approach to unit testing. It requires the developer to create the unit test first, before the application code actually exists. Naturally, that initial test will fail. Then the developer adds the relevant functionality to the application until the tests pass.
Who should perform UAT testing? ›Who performs UAT? End users normally perform user acceptance testing. They are the most effective group to test software in this form because they know exactly how the software will be used on a daily basis and what changes need to be made to be suitable for this day-to-day use.
What is the best framework to use? ›- Angular or Angular JS. ...
- ASP.NET. ...
- Laravel. ...
- Meteor. ...
- Express. ...
- Spring. ...
- PLAY. ...
- Vue. Vue is an open-source frontend JavaScript framework for developing user interfaces and single-page applications very fast.
Cypress is preferred over Selenium when one need:
Video recording capability of test execution. Out of the box retry capability of actions performed over elements, which reduces flaky test for Cypress. Single Programming language across development (Front end) and Automation.
Ans: TestNG is one of the most widely used frameworks for the Selenium WebDriver, and it includes data-driven functionality.
Does Maven do unit testing? ›We can run our unit tests with Maven by using the command: mvn clean test. When we run this command at command prompt, we should see that the Maven Surefire Plugin runs our unit tests.
Is PyTest a unit testing framework? ›Pytest is a unit testing framework. There are many different unit testing libraries available for Python, for example, unittest is a built-in library. However, PyTest is one of the most popular unit-testing libraries due to its many features.
What is the difference between JUnit and mockito? ›JUnit is a unit testing framework that focuses on writing and executing test cases for individual units of code. Mockito, on the other hand, is a mocking framework specifically designed to create mock objects for testing purposes.
What will overtake Python? ›Performance. Performance is a major reason why Rust is overtaken Python. There is no virtual machine or interpreter between your code and the computer since Rust is compiled directly into machine code. Another significant advantage of Rust over Python is its thread and memory management.
What will replace Python in future? ›
AI infrastructure company, Modular AI, recently unveiled Mojo, a new programming language that combines the syntax of Python along with the portability and speed of C, making it ideal for both research and production.
Is Python replacing Java? ›Why Has Python Replaced Java? The simplest answer is also the most likely: Python has dominated as data has exploded in the enterprise. Making sense of “Big Data” is a key use case for Python with its best-in-class data analysis and Machine Learning (ML) tools that other languages struggle to compete with.
Which language is better for Selenium? ›Selenium is developed using Java. 80% of Selenium testers use the Selenium Java binding for faster execution.
Is Cypress TDD or BDD? ›Cypress framework is a JavaScript-based end-to-end testing framework built on Mocha – a feature-rich JavaScript test framework running on and in the browser, making asynchronous testing simple and convenient. It also uses a BDD/TDD assertion library and a browser to pair with any JavaScript testing framework.
What is Jenkins in Selenium? ›Jenkins is a continuous integration tool that enables continuous testing, build, and deployment of iterative code changes. CI/CD tools help catch failures ahead of the production stage and mitigate them as they occur.
What is the disadvantage of cucumber framework? ›Slower execution: Cucumber tests can be slower to execute than other test frameworks, which can be a problem for teams with large test suites or tight deadlines. Requires additional resources: Cucumber requires additional resources, such as time and effort, to set up and maintain.
Can you test API with Cucumber? ›Cucumber is not an API automation tool, but it works well with other API automation tools. Using API's for your automation, can make your tests faster and less flaky than going through the UI.
Did Cucumber go bad? ›If the cucumber has a milky, white sheen on the outside, it's a no-go. You should also inspect them for mold. Even if it looks like the mold is isolated to one spot, it is better to play it safe and just toss it in the trash. Dark spots can also be an indicator that your cucumber is no longer a viable snack option.
What is the disadvantage of Jest? ›The primary drawbacks of Jest are due to its youth and lack of popularity among JavaScript developers. This kind of technology can be really helpful at times, such as when you can run and debug your tests in an IDE like WebStorm. WebStorm didn't even support running Jest tests till recently.
Which is better Jest or react testing library? ›The React community recommends Jest as the React testing framework of choice. Jest is used by many high-profile companies, such as Facebook, Uber, and Airbnb. Jest also happens to be the default for many JavaScript frameworks out of the box including create-react-app .
Which is best Jest or enzyme? ›
Both Jest and Enzyme are meant to test the react applications. Jest can be used with any other Javascript framework, but Enzyme is meant to run on react only. Jest can be used without Enzyme, and snapshots can be created and tested perfectly fine. But the Enzyme adds additional functionality to it.
Is Jest good for unit testing? ›Along with unit testing, Jest can also be used for component testing (i.e., testing different components of the application). It is used to test every component and app built around JavaScript, for example - web apps rendering from browsers.
Who uses Jest? ›Many large companies—including Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Airbnb—use Jest for React testing. Jest itself is actually not a library but a framework. There's even a CLI tool that you can use from the command line. To give an example, the CLI tool allows you to run only specific tests that match a pattern.
Which framework is highly recommended for React testing? ›Jest is highly recommended by the React Community as the React Testing Framework of choice. It comes with its own test runner and assertion functions.
Can Cypress replace React testing library? ›You need a more robust testing solution: Cypress provides more advanced features than React Testing Library, such as visual testing, time-travel debugging, and network stubbing. If you need a more robust testing solution, Cypress may be a better choice.
Is Jest for frontend or backend? ›Jest is a JavaScript-based testing framework that lets you test both front-end and back-end applications. Jest is great for validation because it comes bundled with tools that make writing tests more manageable.
What are the advantages of Jest over Jasmine? ›- Automatically finds tests to execute in your source code.
- Automatically mocks dependencies when running your tests.
- Allows you to test asynchronous code synchronously.
Jest is a JavaScript testing framework designed to ensure correctness of any JavaScript codebase. It allows you to write tests with an approachable, familiar and feature-rich API that gives you results quickly. Jest is well-documented, requires little configuration and can be extended to match your requirements.
Is Jest based on Jasmine? ›Jest is an open source JavaScript unit testing framework, used by Facebook to test all JavaScript code including React applications. Jest is built on top of Jasmine.
Is React enzyme dead? ›If your project is using React+Enzyme and you dream about upgrading React version to 18 (and enjoying cool features like server-side and concurrent rendering) then I have bad news for you — Enzyme is dead and there would be no official adapters released compatible with future versions of React (you can still find some ...
Which unit testing is better Jest or mocha? ›
First, Jest was designed to function as a standalone testing framework that does not require further dependencies. Mocha, on the other hand, involves merging some libraries to work effectively. As a result, a developer must define which assertion, mocking, or libraries will be used in the project.
Why is RTL better than enzyme? ›RTL is replacing the already existing Enzyme and makes testing easier. RTL code is short, simple and it is easier to read, while Enzyme tests require more lines of code.