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  1. Stackups
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  3. Testing Frameworks
  4. Testing Frameworks
  5. pytest vs unittest

pytest vs unittest

OverviewComparisonAlternatives

Overview

pytest
pytest
Stacks4.0K
Followers306
Votes0
GitHub Stars13.2K
Forks2.9K
unittest
unittest
Stacks213
Followers58
Votes0

pytest vs unittest : What are the differences?

Introduction:

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In Summary, <Write summary here>

Key differences between pytest and unittest:

  1. Test Discovery: In pytest, test functions are automatically discovered using standard Python conventions, without the need for explicit TestCases or test methods. However, in unittest, tests need to be organized into classes that inherit from the TestCase class, and individual test methods need to start with the word "test".
  2. Setup and Teardown: pytest allows flexible setup and teardown implementation by using fixtures, which are reusable resources or preconditions for test functions. On the other hand, unittest provides setUp and tearDown methods, which are executed before and after each test method in a class, respectively.
  3. Assert Statements: In pytest, assert statements are written using plain Python assertion syntax. It provides rich assertion introspection, which means detailed information is displayed when an assert expression fails. In unittest, assert statements are written using specific methods provided by the TestCase class, such as assertEqual, assertTrue, etc.
  4. Parameterized Tests: pytest allows easy parameterization of test functions using the @pytest.mark.parametrize decorator, allowing the same test code to be executed with multiple input arguments. unittest does not have built-in parameterized tests support, but external libraries like parameterized can be used to achieve similar functionality.
  5. Test Discovery Scope: pytest allows test discovery at various levels, such as a single directory, multiple directories, or even entire projects. It provides flexibility in selecting which tests to run based on specific directory or file patterns, tags, or markers. unittest has a fixed structure where test discovery is done at the class level, requiring a specific directory structure to organize test files.
  6. Test Execution: pytest provides a powerful test execution framework that can run tests in parallel, across multiple processes, or even on a distributed environment. It offers built-in features like test dependency resolution, live output capture, and distributed testing. Unittest, on the other hand, runs tests sequentially in the order they are discovered, without any built-in parallel execution or distributed testing capabilities.

In Summary, pytest and unittest differ in terms of test discovery, setup and teardown methods, assert statements, parameterized tests, test discovery scope, and test execution capabilities.

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Detailed Comparison

pytest
pytest
unittest
unittest

A framework makes it easy to write small tests, yet scales to support complex functional testing for applications and libraries. It is a mature full-featured Python testing tool.

It is python’s xUnit style framework. It works much the same as the other styles of xUnit, and if you’re familiar with unit testing in other languages, this framework (or derived versions), may be the most comfortable for you.

Auto-discovery; Modular fixtures
Python’s xUnit style framework; Supports test automation; Aggregation of tests into collections;Independence of the tests from the reporting framework
Statistics
GitHub Stars
13.2K
GitHub Stars
-
GitHub Forks
2.9K
GitHub Forks
-
Stacks
4.0K
Stacks
213
Followers
306
Followers
58
Votes
0
Votes
0
Integrations
PyCharm
PyCharm
Django
Django
Python
Python
Flask
Flask

What are some alternatives to pytest, unittest ?

Robot Framework

Robot Framework

It is a generic test automation framework for acceptance testing and acceptance test-driven development. It has easy-to-use tabular test data syntax and it utilizes the keyword-driven testing approach. Its testing capabilities can be extended by test libraries implemented either with Python or Java, and users can create new higher-level keywords from existing ones using the same syntax that is used for creating test cases.

Karate DSL

Karate DSL

Combines API test-automation, mocks and performance-testing into a single, unified framework. The BDD syntax popularized by Cucumber is language-neutral, and easy for even non-programmers. Besides powerful JSON & XML assertions, you can run tests in parallel for speed - which is critical for HTTP API testing.

Cucumber

Cucumber

Cucumber is a tool that supports Behaviour-Driven Development (BDD) - a software development process that aims to enhance software quality and reduce maintenance costs.

TestCafe

TestCafe

It is a pure node.js end-to-end solution for testing web apps. It takes care of all the stages: starting browsers, running tests, gathering test results and generating reports.

Spock Framework

Spock Framework

It is a testing and specification framework for Java and Groovy applications. What makes it stand out from the crowd is its beautiful and highly expressive specification language. It is compatible with most IDEs, build tools, and continuous integration servers.

Selenide

Selenide

It is a library for writing concise, readable, boilerplate-free tests in Java using Selenium WebDriver.

Capybara

Capybara

Capybara helps you test web applications by simulating how a real user would interact with your app. It is agnostic about the driver running your tests and comes with Rack::Test and Selenium support built in. WebKit is supported through an external gem.

PHPUnit

PHPUnit

PHPUnit is a programmer-oriented testing framework for PHP. It is an instance of the xUnit architecture for unit testing frameworks.

Detox

Detox

High velocity native mobile development requires us to adopt continuous integration workflows, which means our reliance on manual QA has to drop significantly. It tests your mobile app while it's running in a real device/simulator, interacting with it just like a real user.

Imagium

Imagium

Imagium provides AI based visual testing solution for various forms of testing. It makes the job easier for QA Automation, Mobile Testers, DevOps and Compliance teams. Imagium is easy to integrate with any programing language

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