Pact vs act: What are the differences?

Introduction:

In the world of software development and testing, Pact and Act are two commonly used tools that serve different purposes. Pact is a contract testing tool that ensures compatibility between consumer and provider services, while Act is an application testing framework. In this Markdown code, we will highlight the key differences between Pact and Act.

1. Contract Testing vs Application Testing: Pact is primarily focused on contract testing, which involves testing the interactions and compatibility between consumer and provider services. It ensures that both parties adhere to the agreed-upon expectations and prevent any breaking changes. On the other hand, Act is an application testing framework that is used to test the functionality, behavior, and performance of an application as a whole. It enables developers to write comprehensive tests that cover the various aspects of the application.

2. Consumer-Driven Testing vs Unit Testing: Pact is consumer-driven, meaning that the consumers of a service define the expectations and behavior they require from the provider. Pact tests ensure that the provider meets these expectations. Act, on the other hand, is focused on unit testing, where individual components or units of code are tested in isolation to ensure their correctness and functionality.

3. Setup Independency vs Dependency on Application: Pact operates independently of the application under test. It does not require any modification or setup within the application code. Instead, it uses a contract definition to determine the expected behaviors and interactions. Act, however, requires the application to be set up and configured for testing purposes. It directly interacts with the application code and its dependencies to perform the tests.

4. Integration Testing vs End-to-End Testing: Pact is mainly used for integration testing, where the integration between the consumer and the provider services is tested. It focuses on the interactions and communication between the two entities. Act, on the other hand, is more suitable for end-to-end testing, where the entire application is tested as a whole. It simulates real user interactions and tests the overall functionality and flow of the application.

5. Multiple Service Support vs Single Application Testing: Pact allows testing interactions between multiple services. It is designed to handle complex scenarios where different services communicate with each other. Act, on the contrary, is typically used for testing a single application or component. It is not intended for testing interactions between multiple applications or services.

6. Contract Verification vs Test Result Analysis: Pact provides built-in tools and mechanisms for verifying the contracts between consumer and provider services. It ensures that the expectations defined by the consumers are met by the providers. Act, on the other hand, focuses more on analyzing test results and providing detailed feedback on the behavior and functionality of the application being tested.

In summary, Pact is a contract testing tool that ensures compatibility between consumer and provider services through consumer-driven testing and integration testing. Act, on the other hand, is an application testing framework that focuses on unit testing, end-to-end testing, and analyzing test results for a single application.