In this article, we will specifically focus on the unit testing tools which are based on C language.
Unit Testing Tools in C
To test the unit of C codes there are a variety of tools/software available, which are listed below:
1: Cantata
Cantata is a unit testing tool based on C/C++ and is mostly used in “embedded systems”. It offers multiple types of testing such as structural testing, object-oriented testing and isolation testing. It aids users in dealing with a large amount of data. The testing reports generated by Cantata are written in both C and C++, which are high-level programming languages due to which the integration between desktop compilers and targeted embedded platforms is a lot easier. Also, Cantata provides a feature to automate continuous integration and regression testing to save time for the users.
You can check out the official Cantata website to get Cantata.
2: Parasoft
Parasoft is a unit testing tool which is best suitable for teams to perform automated unit testing in C and C++ languages. Parasoft provides support for multiple compiler testing such as IIR, ARM, and Green Health. Parasoft has its best application in safety-critical applications. There are different pricing available for Parasoft, which you can check through their website. The best thing is that it also provides a demo, so you can check the tool before actually buying it. To provide a simplified unit test creation and analysis report unit testing modules of Parasoft include coverage view, stubs view, test case explorer and test case editor.
3: CppUTest
CppUTest is also a unit testing tool based on C/C++ language. Although it is mostly used in embedded systems, it is suitable for any C/C++ project. The best feature of CppUTest is its portability and small size, CppUTest is highly portable to any old or new platform due to its small size. Also, it is very easy to use, to test drive your C/C++ codes. The CppUTest provides assertion, memory leak detection and a specific C interface to run C code under the .c extension without the involvement of C++. The test plugins in CppUTest can be used for resource handlings such as memory and network connection clean-up, also it these test plugins ensure the stability of the system.
For the installation guide follow the official CppUTest website.
4: Embunit
Embunit is an open-source unit testing tool framework based on C/C++ programming languages. The initial design of Embunit was inspired by CUnit and JUnit, and later it adopted the embedded C system. The best thing about Embunit is that a user does not need to write any C code, instead, the unit testing will be based on the list of actions which a user performs and the report will be generated automatically. The embedded units of Embunit do not require std C libraries because all the objects are assigned to the constant area. Also, there is no particular toolset for Embunit, instead, it provides great customizable features, to create unit tests for both hardware and virtual testing, even for tiny controllers.
5: Google Test
Google Test is another unit testing tool developed by Google and is being used by the company for internal projects. But it is also used by some other great projects too for unit testing. Also, Google Test documentation is easily available on GitHub to help users and allow them to interact. Google Test is well-supported on all operating systems including Windows, Linux and MacOS. The amazing features of Google Test include; type and value parameterized tests, XML test report generation, Test Discovery, Death test, Assertion and many others which one can easily explore while using Google Test.
Conclusion
There are multiple unit testing tools in C language, which include; Cantata, Parasoft, CppUTest, Embunit and Google Test. The details and features of each of these unit testing tools are discussed in the article. Depending upon user feasibility, users can opt for any of these. They all work well for C projects, and also a lot of user support is also available in all these tools.
