Why Use JUnit?
Before we begin, it's worth asking why we should use JUnit at all. The subject of unit testing always conjures up visions of long nights slaving over a hot keyboard trying to meet the project's test case quota. However, unlike the draconian style of conventional unit testing, using JUnit actually helps you write code faster while increasing code quality. Once you start using JUnit you'll begin to notice a powerful synergy emerging between coding and testing, ultimately leading to a development style of only writing new code when a test is failing.
Here are just a few reasons to use JUnit:
JUnit tests allow you to write code faster while increasing quality.
Yeah, I know, it sounds counter-intuitive, but it's true! When you write tests using JUnit, you'll spend less time debugging, and you'll have confidence that changes to your code actually work. This confidence allows you to get more aggressive about refactoring code and adding new features. Without tests, it's easy to become paranoid about refactoring or adding new features because you don't know what might break as a result. With a comprehensive test suite, you can quickly run the tests after changing the code and gain confidence that your changes didn't break anything. If a bug is detected while running tests, the source code is fresh in your mind, so the bug is easily found. Tests written in JUnit help you write code at an extreme pace and spot defects quickly.
JUnit is elegantly simple.
Writing tests should be simple - that's the point! If writing tests is too complex or takes too much time, there's no incentive to start writing tests in the first place. With JUnit, you can quickly write tests that exercise your code and incrementally add tests as the software grows. Once you've written some tests, you want to run them quickly and frequently without disrupting the creative design and development process. With JUnit, running tests is as easy and fast as running a compiler on your code. In fact, you should run your tests every time you run the compiler. The compiler tests the syntax of the code and the tests validate the integrity of the code.
JUnit tests check their own results and provide immediate feedback.
Testing is no fun if you have to manually compare the expected and actual result of tests, and it slows you down. JUnit tests can be run automatically and they check their own results. When you run tests, you get simple and immediate visual feedback as to whether the tests passed or failed. There's no need to manually comb through a report of test results.
JUnit tests can be composed into a hierarchy of test suites.
JUnit tests can be organized into test suites containing test cases and even other test suites. The composite behavior of JUnit tests allows you to assemble collections of tests and automatically regression test the entire test suite in one fell swoop. You can also run the tests for any layer within the test suite hierarchy.
Writing JUnit tests is inexpensive.
Using the JUnit testing framework, you can write tests cheaply and enjoy the convenience offered by the testing framework. Writing a test is as simple as writing a method that exercises the code to be tested and defining the expected result. The framework provides the context for running the test automatically and as part of a collection of other tests. This small investment in testing will continue to pay you back in time and quality.
JUnit tests increase the stability of software.
The fewer tests you write, the less stable your code becomes. Tests validate the stability of the software and instill confidence that changes haven't caused a ripple-effect through the software. The tests form the glue of the structural integrity of the software.
JUnit tests are developer tests.
JUnit tests are highly localized tests written to improve a developer's productivity and code quality. Unlike functional tests, which treat the system as a black box and ensure that the software works as a whole, unit tests are written to test the fundamental building blocks of the system from the inside out. Developer's write and own the JUnit tests. When a development iteration is complete, the tests are promoted as part and parcel of the delivered product as a way of communicating, "Here's my deliverable and the tests which validate it."
JUnit tests are written in Java.
Testing Java software using Java tests forms a seamless bond between the test and the code under test. The tests become an extension to the overall software and code can be refactored from the tests into the software under test. The Java compiler helps the testing process by performing static syntax checking of the unit tests and ensuring that the software interface contracts are being obeyed.
JUnit is free.