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Mockito VS PHPUnit

Compare Mockito VS PHPUnit and see what are their differences

Mockito logo Mockito

Mocking framework for unit tests in Java.

PHPUnit logo PHPUnit

Application and Data, Build, Test, Deploy, and Testing Frameworks
  • Mockito Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-17
  • PHPUnit Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-26

Mockito features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Mockito provides a clean and simple API that makes it easy to create mock objects and set expectations on them, which reduces the learning curve for new users.
  • Flexible Stubbing
    Allows defining behavior for mock objects, including different outcomes for different inputs, which provides detailed control over the mocked behavior.
  • Enhanced Readability
    The use of clear, human-readable language in test cases helps improve the clarity and maintainability of tests.
  • Integration with JUnit
    Mockito integrates seamlessly with JUnit, a popular testing framework, leveraging annotations and runners for cleaner and more structured test code.
  • Active Community and Support
    Backed by a large and active user community, ensuring constant updates, improvements, and plentiful resources for troubleshooting.

Possible disadvantages of Mockito

  • Limited Deep Mocking
    Mockito can struggle with deep mocking scenarios where you need to mock chained or deeply nested calls, which can add complexity to test setup.
  • Static Method Limitations
    Mockito does not natively support mocking of static methods, requiring additional tools or alternative approaches to handle such cases.
  • Potential Overuse
    Extensive use of mocking might indicate poor design choices, such as tight coupling, and can lead to fragile tests that require significant maintenance.
  • Requires Understanding of Best Practices
    Without understanding or adhering to best practices, developers might misuse Mockito, leading to over-mocking or inappropriate test setups.
  • Advanced Features Require Careful Use
    Advanced features such as answers, spies, or argument captors can increase test complexity and require a deeper understanding to avoid introducing flaky tests.

PHPUnit features and specs

  • Comprehensive Testing
    PHPUnit provides a wide range of tools and functionalities for unit testing, allowing developers to thoroughly test their PHP code.
  • Command-Line Interface
    PHPUnit includes a robust CLI that facilitates the running of tests, which can be easily integrated into automated build and deployment processes.
  • Integration with CI/CD
    PHPUnit integrates seamlessly with continuous integration and continuous deployment pipelines, enhancing the DevOps workflow.
  • Mock Objects
    The framework provides built-in support for creating mock objects, which can simulate the behavior of complex dependencies, making unit tests more isolated and reliable.
  • Rich Documentation
    PHPUnit has extensive documentation and a strong community, offering a wealth of resources and support for developers.
  • Code Coverage Analysis
    PHPUnit can be used with Xdebug or PHPDBG to generate detailed code coverage reports, helping identify untested parts of the codebase.

Possible disadvantages of PHPUnit

  • Steep Learning Curve
    For beginners, PHPUnit can be daunting due to its comprehensive set of features and conventions, requiring a significant time investment to master.
  • Performance Overhead
    Running a large number of tests with PHPUnit can introduce performance overhead, making test execution slower especially in larger projects.
  • Complex Configuration
    Setting up PHPUnit in a complex development environment can sometimes be tricky, requiring careful configuration and maintenance.
  • Limited Functional Testing
    PHPUnit is primarily designed for unit testing and may not be as suitable for functional or end-to-end testing, necessitating additional tools for comprehensive test coverage.

Mockito videos

Mockito JUnit Example

More videos:

  • Tutorial - Mockito Tutorial - Mocking With Junit and Maven
  • Review - Mockito Annotations - @Mock, @Runwith, @InjectMocks and @Captor

PHPUnit videos

PHP Unit Testing with PHPUnit | Automated PHP Testing Tutorial [2021]

More videos:

  • Review - DrupalCon Dublin 2016: Automated Testing: PHPUnit all the way
  • Review - Our first PHPunit test in Drupal 8

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Mockito and PHPUnit)
Automated Testing
48 48%
52% 52
Testing
100 100%
0% 0
Development
0 0%
100% 100
Browser Testing
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, PHPUnit should be more popular than Mockito. It has been mentiond 33 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Mockito mentions (17)

  • Effective Strategies for Writing Unit Tests with External Dependencies like Databases and APIs
    For database interactions, tools like Mockito for Java or unittest.mock for Python allow you to create mock objects that return predefined responses or simulate specific behaviors like database query results or error conditions. This is especially useful for testing edge cases without needing to rely on a live database. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
  • Top 10 Java Testing Tools Every Developer Should Know
    Mockito simplifies creating mock objects in unit tests, making it popular for behavior-driven development (BDD) in combination with frameworks like JUnit and TestNG. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
  • Tutorial: Build a Java SDK based on OpenAPI Spec
    Testing is critical to maintaining the reliability of your SDK. For Java, tools Like JUnit and Mockito are Standard for unit testing and mocking. JUnit provides a simple, structured way to write tests, while Mockito allows you To mock objects in tests, which is particularly useful for API-driven SDKs where you need to simulate API responses. - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
  • I build CRUDS as an intern. My boss told me my tests were ok, but too slow, so he modified them to run in a specific order to reuse the app context on all tests. Is that a good practice though?
    I would say no. Mocking is generally creating a mock object. Like with Mockito. https://site.mockito.org. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Instancio 2.2.0 released
    Could you explain how this relates to Mockito? Could it be used together perhaps for more advanced mocking? Source: over 2 years ago
View more

PHPUnit mentions (33)

  • 19+ Laravel Best Practices for Developers in 2024
    Laravel also has out-of-the-box testing tools like Pest and PHPUnit and functionalities to enable expressive testing. It also supports executing automated testing sessions that are more precise than manual ones. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Focusing your tests on the domain. A PHPUnit example
    The example is built over a Symfony environment and using the PHPUnit library, but the idea is valid for any language or framework. - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
  • Run PHPUnit locally in your WordPress Plugin with DDEV
    Okay, I am digressing; the focus here is PHPUnit for plugins. As with many of my other articles, my goal is to create a reference for myself to use when I need it in the future. - Source: dev.to / 10 months ago
  • Wordpress tests with Pest and WP Setup
    Today, I finished the first implementation of this environment, adding Pest and PHPUnit in v10.5, which is currently not supported by default with WP Env. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • Laravel Fundamentals: A Cheat Sheet for Rapid Development
    Laravel integrates with PHPUnit for unit testing out-of-the-box. Tests are stored in the tests directory of your Laravel application. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Mockito and PHPUnit, you can also consider the following products

JUnit - JUnit is a simple framework to write repeatable tests.

Cucumber - Cucumber is a BDD tool for specification of application features and user scenarios in plain text.

PHPTester.net - PHPTester.net gives developers and learners the ability to write their PHP code and get the output online.

Robot framework - Robot Framework is a generic test automation framework for acceptance testing and acceptance...

RSpec - RSpec is a testing tool for the Ruby programming language born under the banner of Behavior-Driven Development featuring a rich command line program, textual descriptions of examples, and more.

WritePHPOnline.Com - WritePHPOnline.Com is an online site that enables you to write code in PHP and view its output.