Testing your digital products helps you improve code quality and makes software much less likely to have bugs.
Likewise, testing is key in making refactoring possible to improve code maintainability. It’s no surprise that it’s a top-tier skill among Software Developers!
Yet, there may be different testing categories depending on the programming language, framework, or library used.
As a general category, testing falls into two main types: manual and automated. Yet, there’s also unit, continuous integration, and snapshot testing, among others.
That’s why this article will focus on the popular Typescript test frameworks devs use to perform automated testing. Let’s put it to the test!
What is Unit Testing?
Unit Testing libraries work with small units to ensure everything does what’s intended to do, with no communication between each unit and other pieces of code.
These tests must not connect to, for instance, a database or receive compatible API calls or external dependency injections to address configuration files’ bugs quickly and improve code quality and maintainability.
What is TypeScript Unit Testing?
As you may know, when discussing TS vs JS, Typescript (TS) is often referred to as a JavaScript superset, boosting JS features while adding extra functionality.
Among what makes Typescript a JavaScript superset is its IDE support, static typing, better code readability, and developer tooling.
As a result, TS allows devs and teams to make fewer mistakes, meaning there may not be the need for as many tests.
The Best Typescript Unit Testing Frameworks
1. Jest
A main reason why Jest is a favorite when discussing Typescript testing frameworks is that it’s perfect for testing React web apps. It also does wonders with Node.js and Vue.js!
Jest is also quite easy to integrate with powerful JavaScript tools like Babel, Webpack, and ESLint.
Likewise, Jest requires zero configuration and can execute multiple tests in parallel, making it a great choice for larger projects as it streamlines the testing process to a large extent.
2. Vitest
Launched in 2022, Vitest is often seen as an improved version of Jest as it comes with all of Jest’s key built-in features while also including out-of-the-box TS support.
As Vitest has Jest-compatible Snapshot along with Expect and coverage, it’s often better suited for modern projects. Vitest also makes migrating from Jest a direct process.
3. Storybook
This one goes for all our UX/UI-savvies! With a stunning interface, Storybook focuses on UI components to inspect and debug components without logic or app context interference.
In fact, Storybook’s name comes from the fact that it can save every subtle UI variation as a "story," allowing teams to access those stories and use them in both dev and testing.
Storybooks help simplify dev processes’ increasing complexity with a zero-configuration TS setup. That's key in a landscape with so many user interfaces!
4. Mocha
Mocha is often used for more complex projects than the Typescript testing frameworks, as it allows teams to work with external assertion libraries like Chai.
Mocha tests run sequentially (offering more flexibility), support asynchronous testing, and further Test-Driven Development.
A key advantage we can’t overlook is its report accuracy, which comes in handy when tracking test coverage and failing tests.
Conclusion
With Unit Testing, you can work your code in small units to ensure all elements are analyzed individually while also ensuring a smooth functioning as a whole.
In this context, while Jest is highly effective for running parallel testing units of code, Vitest strongly focuses on cutting-edge products.
Likewise, both Mocha and Storyboard have core features that help ensure top-notch code quality for full-stack projects.
Make sure to consider all edges to make a smart Typescript testing framework choice that is aligned with your development requirements!
