Overview of PHP Testing Frameworks and Tools:
In today’s world, PHP is one of the faster and most universally used open-source server-side scripting languages.
PHP is mainly used for large-scale websites like Facebook, WordPress etc. It has accurate & precise certification, large association, and supported frameworks. PHP programming language is much easier for the developer to create websites when compared to the other languages like RUBY, SCALA, JAVA etc.
For delivering Quality code, it is necessary to perform testing. As PHP is used for large-scale websites, for testing the PHP code there are certain testing tools available in the market, which in turn makes the tester’s job easier and precise.
Automation which is demanding across the globe today saves human time and energy to a great extent.
PHP tools are used to test unit as well as an end to end testing using BDD (Behavior- Driven Development) and TDD (Test- Driven Development).
In this article, we have listed the top 10 PHP testing & Optimization tools and PHP frameworks which makes the tester’s and developer’s work easier to test the code in PHP and report the bugs.
Before proceeding with the tools list, it is important to know the difference between Frameworks and Tools.
Basically, there is not a huge difference between Frameworks and Tools. They both are inter-related with each other. For developing a new software or language, you use tools and tools can be developed by their own Frameworks.
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What You Will Learn:
Top PHP Testing Tools And Frameworks
Let’s start!!!
#1) StoryPlayer
It is the tool that is used for automating both the functional and non-functional requirements of the code written in PHP. It is built by Data Sift. It is used to test both the Back-end and Front-end of your websites. It is modular and easy to use. The Latest version of StoryPlayer that is available in the market is version 1.5.
Tool Features:
- Used for testing web-app or API.
- Used for the component as well as end-to-end testing.
- Testing End-to-End platforms.
- Designed for both Developers and Testers.
- Can also use for testing code written in other languages other than PHP.
- Works with web browsers and platform combinations.
- Can be extended with own Plugins.
Pros:
- Open source.
- Simple and easy to test and debug the code.
- Used for cross-browser testing.
- Install via Composer.
Cons:
- Without the installation of a composer, it will not work.
- If no knowledge of PHP, then it takes time to understand the test cases developed in PHP.
Pricing:
As it is an open source tool, it is available at no cost in the market.
Click here for the Download link.
#2) SeleniumHQ
Selenium is a free and open source web application automation tool. It is also called as the Functional Testing web application automation tool. It supports more than one language like Java, C# (.net), Ruby, Python, and PHP etc.
Selenium has different flavors and they are:
#1) Selenium core
#2) Selenium RC(Selenium1)
#3) Selenium IDE
- Selendroid- only for android.
- Appium- both Android and Apple.
Tool Features:
- Supported by all Operating System like Windows, Mac, Linux etc.
- Regression Test cases can be automated by selenium.
- Most widely used automated tool used for automating code in PHP or Java or other programming languages.
- It has its own Web Driver API.
Pros:
- Cost is low.
- Cross Browser Testing with its Compatibility.
- Supports different Testing Frameworks.
- Easy to Integrate with a different programming language.
- Used with TDD (Test Driven Development).
- Useful for Comprehensive Testing.
Cons:
- Difficulty in searching Locators.
- Only limited Browsers are supported.
- You cannot write Manual Scripts.
- Performance is slow.
Pricing:
As it is an open source tool, it is available at no cost in the market.
Click here for the Download link.
=> We have published a hands on tutorial on Selenium, click here for more details.
#3) PHPUnit
It is an open source testing tool used for PHP code.
It is the most widely used framework for unit testing. The code is tested unit by unit to find out the errors and defects in the code. The Process is a little bit slower and it takes a long time but the chances of getting a bug at the end are less due to unit wise testing.
Tool Features:
- Used with cmd i.e. Command line.
- You can extend the Test cases as per the requirements.
- It uses code assertion to test the behavior of a unit.
- Simple and easy unit testing frameworks.
- It is the xUnit architecture for the Unit testing framework.
Pros:
- Confine to every part of the program for unit testing.
- Most widely used across the organization for unit testing.
- Test various types of Controllers without extending.
- Different and multiple types of test reports are created.
- Tests results are customized.
Cons:
- It cannot run directly with a web browser.
- It is less Functional.
- For API testing it is not good for use.
Pricing:
As it is an open source tool, it is available at no cost in the market.
Click here for the Download link.
#4) Codeception
Codeception is an Automated Testing Framework which can be used for acceptance testing of web applications but can also be used for unit testing as well as functional testing of web apps. Test execution speed in Codeception is high, hence it is one of the most widely preferable frameworks for testing in PHP.
Tool Features:
- It is simple to use and a compact one.
- It supports more than one testing suites i.e. Acceptance, Unit and Functional.
- It works better when integrated with Selenium.
- It makes code easy to read, write and debug.
- It is also called as BDD (Behavior Driven Development).
Pros:
- Lots of features are available for testing low levels like Unit testing or high levels like API or BDD testing.
- It can be used with other frameworks also for testing.
- It is totally based on PHP, so test cases are also written in that and programmer doesn’t need to learn different languages for that.
Cons:
- Configuration is not simple and easier.
- It doesn’t have much resources and documentation.
- It is totally based on PHP so if the developers don’t know PHP then they can’t write the test cases for the software.
Pricing:
As it is an open source tool, it is available at no cost in the market.
Click here for the Download Link.
#5) SimpleTest
It is used for the unit as well as Web testing framework. It supports proxies, SSI, forms, frames etc. If you are using JUnit then you will find more easy to use it. It is the part of Drupal core.
Tool features:
- Used for unit testing.
- Supports simplest HTML display.
- Test cases are autoloading.
- Handles cookies when fetching various pages.
- Test cases are displayed, without a web browser.
- Supports Proxy, SSI, forms, frames etc.
Pros:
- It tests every part.
- Easy to understand and find bugs if unit testing is done.
- Execution will be fast.
Cons:
- Mocking is complicated.
- Can’t say that every part of the system will work correctly.
Pricing:
As it is an open source tool, it is available at no cost in the market.
Click here for the Download link.
#6) Behat
It is a framework for testing the PHP code. It is used for testing Behavior-driven development.
It is an open-source testing framework. It is highly extensible, hence many extensions are present. It is very easy to understand as it starts by writing human-readable sentences.
Tool Features:
- Supports BDD for testing.
- It is introduced in the language called Gherkin which is business readable.
- Helps to remove logic details from the behavior test.
Pros:
- It is BDD and human readable so if a person who doesn’t know the programming language can also write the features easily.
- Maintenance of test cases is easier and understandable.
Cons:
- For API testing it needs few other tools to support or integrate with it.
- The Programmer needs to understand the language Gherkin.
Pricing:
As it is an open source tool, it is available at no cost in the market for testers and developers.
Click here for the Download Link.
#7) Cucumber
It is a Behavior Driven Development (BDD) framework that is used for testing a software.
As it is BDD, it is very easy and human readable and understandable too. Test cases are so easy to understand with cucumber. It is an efficient tool for testing. It is written in Ruby programming language.
Tool features:
- Plugin in cucumber helps to work it faster.
- It is a free and open source.
- It is a Behavior Driven Development framework which is human readable.
- It supports different programming languages.
- It supports web and client-server application.
Pros:
- Test cases are easier to understand as it supports BDD framework for testing.
- It focuses on end-user experience.
- Execution is fast and easy.
Cons:
- Cannot insert images, hyperlinks etc.
- Complex due to Ruby programming language.
- Domain-object mapping feature is not available.
Pricing:
As it is an open source tool, it is available at no cost in the market.
Click here for the Download Link
#8) Atoum
It is used for unit testing. It is a simple, easy and intuitive tool for PHP testing. Security level for execution of Test cases is high in Atoum. It supports mock native PHP functions. It produces various reports like TAP, xUnit, clover, etc.
Tool Features:
- It supports data providers and autorun.
- Test cases run parallel.
- Easy, simple and flexible structures.
- Supports meaningful assertions.
Pros:
- Security is high.
- Helps to write mocks.
- It is integrated with all PHP systems.
- It has a lot of extensions available to use with different languages.
Cons:
- Mocking is complicated.
- Tests every part of the software but not assuring to work each part correctly.
Pricing:
As it is an open source tool, it is available at no cost in the market for hands-on practice.
Click here for the Download link.
#9) Kahlan
It is used for end to end functional as well as unit testing for PHP. It uses describe-it syntax. It allows mocking dynamically. Workflow is customized and extensible. It has built-in reporters and exporters.
Tool features:
- Supports BDD testing framework.
- It supports monkey patch to your code.
- Checks called methods are present.
- Dynamic mocking is present i.e. stubs.
- It requires Xdebug and phpdbg.
Pros:
- End to end functional testing is done.
- Codes are customized and easy to understand.
- Human-readable English makes understanding easier.
- The speed of execution is high.
- It helps in Semantic versioning to maintain CHANGELOG.
Cons:
- If new then it takes time to understand the tool for testing.
- Xdebug and Phpdbg are required for code coverage.
- It supports PHP 5.5+ only.
Pricing:
As it is an open source tool, it is available at no cost in the market.
Click here for the Download Link.
#10) Xdebug
It is an open source testing framework for PHP that is used for development and debugging of codes. The protocol which is used for debugging is DBGp protocol. It supports code coverage analysis and profiler for integrating with the PHPUnit.
Tool Features:
- When an error condition occurs, it shows stack traces.
- Used for profiling usage of memory.
- Support Code coverage analysis.
- Used in debugging code remotely.
- Logs function in a different file format.
- It has inbuilt Garbage Collection Statistics.
Pros:
- Remote Debugging available to debug the code easily.
- Installation is simple and easy.
- Code optimization is better due to the profiler.
Cons:
- Used only for end-to-end testing.
- If using Zend extension, then you can’t use that with Xdebug.
Pricing:
As it is an open source tool, it is available at no cost in the market.
Click here for the Download Link.
Apart from the above-discussed tools, there are few other tools as well which are mentioned below.
Some more to the list:
#11) Peridot
It is used for BDD/TDD testing. Execution is fast in Peridot.
It has various plugins and reporters. It is used by syntax describe-it as it is using BDD testing framework which helps to understand human sentence easier. It is based on SpecBDD. It has very good plugins and due to which its speed is high. It is based on event-based architecture.
Top and best plugins are Concurrency plugin by which the slow test cases also run fastly to get the desired result.
Click here for the Download Link.
#12) PHP_CodeSniffer
PHP_CodeSniffer uses two PHP scripts.
The first one is phpcs script that defines PHP, JavaScript and CSS files to find out the violations of the code and the second one is phpcbf script that automatically corrects the violations of the code.
Click here for the Download Link.
#13) PHP Mess Detector
PHPMD is a spin-off project of PHP Depend. It is a PHP alternate to the java tool called PMD.
It can find out bugs, make codes optimized and also find out the resources or parameters which are not useful from the code. It verifies the code complexity and integrates with the PHPStorm.
Click here for the Download Link.
#14) PHPSpec
PHPSpec is used for Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) of the code. It is used for unit testing.
SpecBDD is used at the spec level of PHPSpec. It develops the code and helps to know about the SpecBDD process using the command line.
Click here for the Download Link.
#15) FirePHP
FirePHP is used to develop console texts in the browser by using PHP code.
FirePHP sends the same type of texts as HTTP headers. Extensions are present to act as a proxy server for JavaScript and to convert the HTTP headers into log texts.
Click here for the Download Link.
Conclusion
In this article, we discussed the top PHP testing frameworks and tools that are available in the market along with their pricing, pros, cons, and features in detail. These tools are mainly based on Behavior-driven development or Test-driven development i.e. for unit testing and end to end testing.
There are some more PHP testing framework and tools that are available in the market and are open source ones but the above discussed tools are most popular among all the tools.