Cucumber vs Karate DSL: What are the differences?

Cucumber and Karate DSL are testing frameworks that facilitate behavior-driven development (BDD) and test automation. Let's explore the key differences between them.

1. Syntax and Structure: Cucumber uses a Gherkin syntax, where test scenarios are written in plain English following a predefined structure using keywords such as Given, When, and Then. On the other hand, Karate DSL uses a more simplified and expressive syntax, allowing users to write tests as readable scripts without the need for additional keyword overhead.

2. Support for API Testing: Cucumber primarily focuses on Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) for testing user scenarios, while Karate DSL extends this to include native support for API testing. Karate DSL provides comprehensive HTTP request and response handling capabilities, making it easier to perform API testing without the need for external libraries or tools.

3. Data-Driven Testing: Cucumber provides support for data-driven testing, allowing users to execute the same test scenario with different inputs. However, Karate DSL takes this a step further by providing native support for data-driven testing along with data transformation and validation capabilities. Karate DSL allows users to define test data tables, making it easier to execute tests with multiple sets of data.

4. Handling External Dependencies: Cucumber requires additional configuration and setup to handle external dependencies, such as starting and stopping servers or databases before and after test scenarios. Karate DSL simplifies this process by providing in-built capabilities for managing external dependencies, allowing users to define pre and post hooks to handle any required setup or teardown operations.

5. Reporting and Debugging: Cucumber provides basic reporting capabilities, allowing users to generate HTML reports. However, Karate DSL offers more comprehensive reporting features, including detailed logs, request and response data, and test result summaries. Karate DSL also includes built-in debugging capabilities, allowing users to pause and inspect the state of the test execution.

6. Parallel Execution: Cucumber does not provide built-in support for parallel execution of test scenarios. On the other hand, Karate DSL enables parallel execution out-of-the-box, enhancing test scalability and reducing the overall execution time.

In summary, Cucumber excels in broader BDD scenarios, fostering collaboration across teams and supporting various testing types beyond APIs. Karate DSL, with its focus on simplicity and effectiveness in API testing, is particularly well-suited for teams emphasizing API-centric development and testing.