This article presents a comparison between several C++ unit test frameworks.
Unit Testing Framework in C++
We have numerous frameworks for software testing in C++, some of them are as follows:
1: Google Test
Google Test is a very efficient and useful C++ framework that is based on (xUnit architecture). This framework is designed to provide users with a fast and well-grounded user-friendly testing framework. The Google Test is an open-source testing framework that provides several useful tools to ensure the C++ code quality. Let’s look at some important features of Google Test.
Features of Google Test
- Versatile and Easy to User
- Based on xUnit test framework.
- Scalable and Comprehensive
- Used to create a test suite.
- Support for mocking, allowing developers to write independent tests.
2: Doctest
Doctest is another lightweight C++ unit test framework that is robust and easy to use. It’s written in modern C++11 style programming language and has features like compile-time reflection, lambdas, ranges and much more. A good thing about Doctest is that it’s integrated with the Boost Test library that makes it possible for the users to run complex tests.
Features of Doctest
- Lightweight
- Easy to Use
- Powerful Assertions
- Integration with Boost Test Library
- Fast and Flexible
- Compile-time Reflection
3: Catch2
Catch2 is another useful addition into the C++ unit test framework that provides an easy-to-use environment for performing code testing. There are a lot of features and functionalities in Catch2 such as test cases, many test reports and test suites. It also has good support for mocking, allowing users to easily write independent code tests. You can use this framework in different ways, such as you can use it as a standalone test framework or integrate it with existing build systems.
Features of Catch2
Some notable features of Catch2 are discussed below:
- Robust and Flexible
- Easy to Use
- Rich Assertions
- Can Run on Multiple Platforms
- Provides a detailed output for code test
4: Embunit
Embunit is an open-source powerful C++ unit test framework that helps developers perform code testing with ease. Its framework is designed based on xUnit architecture and has several features ideal for performing C++ unit testing. It performs automatic code testing, making it easier for the developers to just sit and analyze the code testing.
Features of Google Test
- Test Driven Designs
- Automation
- Easily finds errors and improves performance and quality.
- Several Customization Options
- Real-Time Results
5: CppUtest
CppUtest is another lightweight C++ unit test framework developed by the Microsoft C++ team. Like other competitors, this framework is also user-friendly and provides a robust unit testing process. Besides that, it also includes test fixtures, runners, custom assertions and much more. Its focus is to provide the unit testing of C++ but you can also use it for C language.
Features of CppUtest
- Easy to Use
- Fast and Reliable
- Open Source
- Fixtures and Mocking Support
- Cross Platform Framework
Conclusion
The Unit test is a useful way to check the functionality of an individual code. There are several C++ unit test frameworks, which help users in testing the code. These unit test frameworks include Google Test, Doctest, Catch2, Embunit and CppUtest. You can use any unit test you want and start performing code testing on a regular basis.
