List and comparison of the top Unit Testing Tools:
Unit Testing is a basic and considerable practice step in the software testing process. It is concerned with testing individual units of source code. Many facts of Unit Testing are well-known by software professionals but sometimes we need to brush up our knowledge for being updated.
In this article, we will discuss the top Unit Testing Frameworks used by developers.
What You Will Learn:
What is Unit Testing?
1) The entire system or application is divided into several testable units to check its source code.
2) Unit Testing can be performed for functions, procedures or methods for both Procedural Programming and Object-Oriented Programming.
3) Benefits of Unit Testing:
- Possible to identify problems earlier
- Changes are possible without reflecting on other modules
- Integration of modules becomes easier
- Makes Design and Documentation simple
- Reduces bug ratio and time consumption
4) With the changing time Unit Testing also changed its faces like Unit Testing C#, Java, PHP, MVC etc.
Challenges with Unit Testing:
Though Unit Testing is useful, there are some challenges to perform it. Some of them are listed below
- The trouble with Test Names
- Writing wrong test types
- Understanding the entire code is tedious
- Need to test doubles
- Lack of proper initial conditions
- Finding dependencies
Best Unit Testing Tools
Here is the list of top Unit Testing Framework/Tools used to create accurate unit tests:
#1) NUnit
#2) JMockit
#3) Emma
#4) Quilt HTTP
#5) HtmlUnit
#6) Embunit
#7) SimpleTest
#8) ABAP Unit
#9) Typemock
#10) LDRA
#11) Microsoft unit testing Framework
#12) Unity Test Tools
#13) Cantata
#14) Karma
#15) Jasmine
#16) Mocha
#17) Parasoft
#18) JUnit
#19) TestNG
#20) JTest
Let us have a look towards these popular unit testing tools
#1) NUnit
- NUnit is a unit testing framework based on.NET platform
- It is a free tool allows to write test scripts manually but not automatically
- NUnit works in the same way as JUnit works for Java
- Supports data-driven tests that can run in parallel
- Uses Console Runner to load and execute tests
Official Link: NUnit
#2) JMockit
- JMockit is an open-source tool for Unit Testing with the collection of tools and API
- Developers can use these tools and API to write test using TestNG or JUnit
- JMockit is considered as an alternative to the conventional use of the mock object
- This tool provides 3 types of code coverage such as Line Coverage, Path Coverage, and Data Coverage
Official Link: JMockit
#3) Emma
- Emma is an open-source toolkit that measures Java Code Coverage
- It enables the code coverage for each and every developer in the team rapidly
- Emma supports class, line, method and basic block coverage and report types like text, HTML, XML etc.
- It is fully Java-based without external library dependencies and access to the source code
Official Link: Emma
#4) Quilt HTTP
- The quilt is a free cross-platform based software utility and Java software development tool
- It helps to measure coverage of Java programs in unit testing itself using Statement Coverage
- Without working on source code it just manipulates classes and machine code of JVM ( Java Virtual machine)
- Quilt provides JUnit interoperability and provides methods to control flow graphs and also facilitates report generations
Official Link: Quilt
#5) HtmlUnit
- HtmlUnit is an open-source Java library which contains GUI-less browser for Java programs
- This tool supports JavaScript and provides GUI features like forms, links, tables, etc.
- It is a Java unit testing framework for testing web applications that are used within frameworks like JUnit, TestNG
- HtmlUnit uses the JavaScript engine named as Mozilla Rhino
- Supports protocols like HTTP, HTTPS along with a cookie, submit methods like GET, POST, and proxy server
Official Link: HtmlUnit
#6) Embunit
- Embunit is an acronym for embedded Unit which is a free unit testing framework
- Embunit is designed as a unit testing tool for both developers and testers for software application written in C or C++
- Its design is somewhat similar to JUnit, it defines the test cases in structured format to generate source code
- It reduces unit testing rework such as related test cases are stored in the same test suite and final result is generated in XML format
- The desktop version of this tool is free but the enterprise version is priced for cloud-based deployment
Official Link: Embunit
#7) SimpleTest
- SimpleTest is an open-source unit testing framework dedicated to PHP Programming Language
- This framework supports SSL, forms, proxies and basic authentication
- The test case classes in SimpleTest are being extended from base test classes along with methods and codes
- SimpleTest includes autorun.php.file to transform test cases into executable test scripts
Official Link: SimpleTest
#8) ABAP Unit
- ABAP is commercial as well as a free tool for performing unit testing both automatically and manually
- Tests are programmed and developed in ABAP, It is used to check code function
- Allows grouping of test cases from several ABAP programs into single ABAP group
- The end result helps to easily identify errors in unit testing
Official Link: ABAP Unit
#9) Typemock
- Typemock Isolator is a free open-source framework for testing system code
- This tool effectively reduces time consumption for bug fixing and value delivery
- It contains simple API and entry methods without changing legacy code
- Typemock Isolator is based on C and C++ mainly for Windows
- Easily understandable and provides major code coverage
Official Link: Typemock
#10) LDRA
- LDRA is a proprietary tool suite for both static and dynamic analysis and testing of a software system.
- Provides statement, decision and branch coverage, and linear code sequence.
- It is an integrated tool that provides start to end (requirement analysis to deployment) quality check.
- It is the ultimate tool to certify the software by tracing requirements, complying coding standards and report coverage analysis.
Official Link: LDRA
#11) Microsoft Unit Testing Framework
- Microsoft Unit Testing Framework is a proprietary one which helps to perform testing in Visual Studio
- VisualStudio TestTools – UnitTesting is the namespace to invoke the unit test
- It supports data-driven testing using a group of elements, methods, and attributes
It is quite difficult to summarize everything about this framework in a single place. For better understanding please visit the official link given below.
Official Link: Microsoft Unit Testing Framework
#12) Unity Test Tools
- The unity Test tool is a free framework for creating and executing automated tests
- This tool mainly comprises 3 components such as Unit Tests, Integration Tests, and Assertion Components
- Unit Tests is the lowest and efficient level with automatic execution option available
- Integration framework is to test integration between components and objects
- The last one that is Assertion Components is to perform hard debugging
Official Link: Unity Test Tools
#13) Cantata
- Cantata is a commercial framework which provides advance productivity and test development environment
- This is used to perform unit and integration testing for C and C++
- A high automated tool with a reusable harness and helpful to perform robustness testing for large data sets
- Test scripts are written in C/C++, generates tests by parsing source code to call interface control
- Also, contains test Script Manager, supports static analysis and requirement bases testing
Official Link: Cantata
#14) Karma
- Karma is an open-source testing framework that provides a productive testing framework
- It is a test runner for JavaScript that runs tests on real devices
- Facilitates easy debugging and efficiently integrated with Jenkins, Travis or Semaphore
- Karma is known as ‘Testacular’ that is Spectacular Test Runner for JavaScript
Official Link: Karma
#15) Jasmine
- Jasmine used as a unit testing framework for JavaScript that uses behavior-driven testing
- Jasmine is free tool that supports asynchronous specifications and runs on JavaScript enabled platform
- This framework is much more influenced by other unit testing framework
- Jasmine does not require DOM and contains basic syntax for writing test cases
- Current version of this tool is 2.4.1
Official Link: Jasmine
#16) Mocha
- Mocha is a open-source JavaScript Testing Framework that runs on Node.js
- This tool is hosted on GitHub and allows flexible reporting
- Mocha provides features like test coverage report, browser support, report test duration etc.
- It also contains JavaScript API for running tests and extensive test interface
Official Link: Mocha
#17) Parasoft
- Parasoft is a proprietary automated unit testing tool for C and C++ that provides static analysis for both
- This tool effectively delivers high-coverage test suit and customized tests
- Used to recognize functional and crash-causing problems
- Helps to run realistic functional tests that contain object repository and stub framework
- Runtime error detection, requirement traceability, debugger integration and detailed reporting are the best features of Parasoft
Official Link: Parasoft
#18) JUnit
- JUnit is an open-source unit testing framework designed for Java Programming Language
- Supportive for the test-driven environment and the core idea on which it is based is ‘first testing than coding’
- Test data is first tested and then inserted in the piece of code
- Provides annotation for test method identification, an assertion for testing expected results and test runners
- Simplest and helps to write code easily and faster
Official Link: JUnit
#19) TestNG
- Like JUnit, TestNG is also an open-source automation testing framework for Java Programming language
- This tool is heavily influenced by JUnit and NUnit with concurrent testing, annotation support
- TestNG supports parameterized and data-driven testing along with unit, functional and integration testing
- Proven effective with powerful execution model and flexible test configuration
Official Link: TestNG
#20) JTest
- JTest is Unit Testing solution developed and designed by Parasoft
- It is highly used for testing Java application and supports static code analysis
- It also includes data flow static analysis, metrics analysis, run-time error detection etc.
- JTest also performs regression testing, end-to-end functional and load testing for complex application
- It helps to capture actual code behavior and generates JUnit tests for coverage analysis
Official Link: JTest
These are some most popular Unit Testing Frameworks. The list doesn’t get over here as there are still many more unit testing tools (some are retired even like Cactus) but for our convenience, we have reviewed top 20.
Apart from this, there are some other unit testing tools used by professionals are given below
#21) Google Test
Google Test is an open-source unit testing library dedicated to C++ Programming Language. It supports test types like Small Tests(Unit Tests), Medium Tests(Integration Tests) and Large Tests(Acceptance Tests). Official Link: Google Test
#22) TestComplete
TestComplete is a proprietary platform to create a unit test, serves as language-independent. Test Complete delivers integrated unit tests for applications for desktop, mobile and web applications. Official Link: TestComplete
#23) Cucumber
Cucumber is used to perform end-to-end Java unit testing. This open-source framework is known as Cucumber-JVM used for Business-Driven Development. Official Link: Cucumber
#24) Check
A check is an open-source unit testing framework for C. It supports UNIX, Linux, OS X, and Windows. Official Link: Check
Conclusion
Unit Testing is the foundation task in the software testing process. Formerly it was a manual task performed by developers or testers but with the changing need, each and every task in the Software Development Process has become automated. Likewise, Unit Testing also became an automated task with the use of tools.
Also read=>> Devmate Software – Automated Unit Test generation tool
Use of tool divides the term Unit Testing into several parts such as Java Unit Testing, Python, PHP, C/C++, etc. but the sole purpose is only to make Unit Testing automated, rapid and more accurate.