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PHPUnit VS Google Test

Compare PHPUnit VS Google Test and see what are their differences

PHPUnit logo PHPUnit

Application and Data, Build, Test, Deploy, and Testing Frameworks

Google Test logo Google Test

Google Test is a unit testing for C++ programming language that is based on xUnit architecture.
  • PHPUnit Landing page
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    2023-08-26
  • Google Test Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-03

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.

Google Test features and specs

  • Widely Used
    Google Test is one of the most widely used C++ testing frameworks, which means it has a large community and plenty of resources and third-party integrations available.
  • Comprehensive Documentation
    The documentation for Google Test is extensive and well-structured, making it easier for developers to learn and use the framework effectively.
  • Platform Independence
    Google Test supports multiple platforms, including Linux, Windows, and macOS, which enhances the adaptability and flexibility of using it across different environments.
  • Advanced Features
    Google Test provides a variety of advanced features such as parameterized tests, fatal and non-fatal assertions, and type-parameterized tests, allowing for more complex test scenarios.
  • Active Maintenance
    As an open-source project maintained by Google, Google Test receives regular updates and improvements, contributing to its stability and reliability.

Possible disadvantages of Google Test

  • C++ Specific
    Google Test is specifically designed for C++ code, which limits its use to C++ projects and prevents it from being directly applicable to other programming languages.
  • Complexity for Beginners
    The extensive feature set and flexibility can present a steep learning curve for beginners who may initially find it overwhelming to grasp all the available functionalities.
  • Binary Size
    The inclusion of Google Test can potentially increase the binary size of the test program, which might be a concern for projects with strict size limitations.
  • Build Integration
    Although Google Test can be integrated with various build systems, setting it up initially may require additional configuration and understanding of build tools, which can be cumbersome for some developers.
  • Limited GUI Support
    Google Test primarily outputs results in a textual format, and while there are third-party tools to integrate GUI support, it doesn't inherently provide a graphical user interface to visualize test results.

Analysis of PHPUnit

Overall verdict

  • PHPUnit is a good choice for testing PHP applications. Its strong reputation in the PHP community and its extensive capabilities make it a valuable tool for ensuring code quality and reliability.

Why this product is good

  • PHPUnit is widely regarded as a robust and reliable testing framework for PHP. It is well-documented, actively maintained, and integrates seamlessly with various development tools and environments. PHPUnit's comprehensive feature set, including support for test-driven development (TDD) and behavior-driven development (BDD), makes it a popular choice among PHP developers.

Recommended for

  • Developers looking to implement test-driven development practices in their PHP projects.
  • Projects requiring a mature, stable, and well-supported testing framework.
  • Teams that benefit from built-in support for continuous integration workflows.
  • Developers who need to perform unit testing, integration testing, or acceptance testing for their PHP code.

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

Google Test videos

No Google Test videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to PHPUnit and Google Test)
Automated Testing
70 70%
30% 30
HR
0 0%
100% 100
Development
100 100%
0% 0
Attendance Management Software

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, PHPUnit should be more popular than Google Test. 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.

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 / 3 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 / 8 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 / 11 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
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Google Test mentions (21)

  • Automatically run tests, formatters & linters with CI!
    Roy's project uses Google Test, a C++ testing framework. His testing setup is similar to mine as we both keep source files in one directory and tests in another. The key difference is that I can run the tests using the Visual Studios run button. It was fairly easy to write the new tests as there were existing ones that I could reference to check the syntax! - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • C++ Unit Testing Using Google Test - My Experience
    One popular C++ Testing Framework is Google Test, and is what I ended up using. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • CI/CD pipelines for embedded
    Not sure about CppUnit but I can speak to my previous experience using the googletest framework which compiles your tests to an executable, and since it's a very simple framework we were able to cross-compile and run directly on our device. We just had to hook up a device to the server that was running the CI so it could flash it when needed. That basically meant that our process was:. Source: about 2 years ago
  • How is programming done in large c++ projects?
    Some C++ unit testing frameworks include googletest, and microsoft's unit testing framework, which doesn't really have a name. Source: about 2 years ago
  • IDE for CPP(leetcode)
    However, you can use a unit test framework like GoogleTest or Catch2 whic creates a main() function for you which allows you to run single functions, as long as they have been created through some preprocessor macros. Then you can use a VS Code test adapter like this or this which may let you run a single test by right clicking it directly in VS Code. Source: over 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

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

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

CPPUnit - CppUnit is the C++ port of the JUnit framework for unit testing.

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

UnitTest++ - Download JF Unittest for free. A C++ unittest framework, written out of frustration with the existing unittest frameworks out there. No GUI with colorful progress bars, no dependencies on any other package in the world.

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

UquoniTest - UquoniTest: a unit testing library for C++