Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

RSpec VS JBehave

Compare RSpec VS JBehave and see what are their differences

RSpec logo 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.

JBehave logo JBehave

JBehave is a framework for Behaviour-Driven Development (BDD).
  • RSpec Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-09
  • JBehave Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-09-15

RSpec features and specs

  • Readable Syntax
    RSpec's syntax is designed to be readable and expressive, making it easier for developers to write and understand tests without extensive background knowledge.
  • Behavior-Driven Development
    RSpec is tailored for Behavior-Driven Development (BDD), allowing developers to focus on the expected behavior of their applications and creating tests that reflect these behaviors.
  • Rich Set of Features
    RSpec provides a comprehensive set of features including test doubles, mocks, stubs, and the ability to test asynchronous code, which makes it versatile for a variety of testing needs.
  • Active Community
    With an active community and extensive documentation, RSpec offers plenty of resources for support and community-driven improvement.
  • Integration with Rails
    RSpec integrates seamlessly with Ruby on Rails applications, providing built-in configurations and generators that enhance productivity.

Possible disadvantages of RSpec

  • Steep Learning Curve
    Developers new to RSpec or BDD might face a learning curve as they become familiar with its unique concepts and syntax compared to more traditional testing frameworks.
  • Overhead for Small Projects
    For small or simple projects, RSpec might add unnecessary complexity or overhead compared to lighter testing frameworks, making it less efficient.
  • Performance
    RSpec can sometimes be slower in execution compared to other Ruby testing frameworks, particularly in large test suites or when running integration tests.
  • Customization Complexity
    While RSpec is highly customizable, the extensive configuration options can sometimes lead to complexity and make it harder to manage if not handled properly.
  • Dependency on Gems
    RSpec often requires additional gems for full functionality or integration with other tools, which can lead to dependency bloat and potential version conflicts.

JBehave features and specs

  • Behavior-Driven Development Support
    JBehave is designed specifically for BDD, helping teams write understandable and executable specifications through structured narratives.
  • Separation of Stories and Code
    It allows for clear separation of stories (requirements) from the actual test code, which helps in maintaining clarity and separation of concerns.
  • Integration with Java Ecosystem
    Being a Java-based tool, JBehave integrates seamlessly with existing Java projects and works well with build tools like Maven and Gradle.
  • Customizable
    JBehave offers customization opportunities, allowing users to adjust the framework to better fit their specific project needs.
  • Community and Documentation
    JBehave is supported by a dedicated community and comprehensive documentation, providing considerable resources for troubleshooting and learning.

Possible disadvantages of JBehave

  • Steep Learning Curve
    For beginners, understanding JBehave's syntax, concepts, and integration can require significant time and effort.
  • Verbose Tests
    The framework can lead to verbose test specifications, which might be cumbersome to manage for large projects with numerous stories.
  • Limited IDE Support
    Compared to other BDD tools like Cucumber, JBehave has limited direct support in IDEs, making it less intuitive for developers used to strong IDE integrations.
  • Compatibility Issues
    Some users might experience compatibility issues when integrating JBehave with certain Java projects or during updates to newer versions of the framework.
  • Resource Intensive
    Executing JBehave tests can be resource-intensive, potentially affecting performance when running large suites of tests.

RSpec videos

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

Add video

JBehave videos

BDD automation framework - Jbehave

More videos:

  • Tutorial - JBehave Tutorial 5: View Jbehave Reports
  • Review - Install Natural Eclipse Plugin for Cucumber or JBehave Files

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to RSpec and JBehave)
Automated Testing
73 73%
27% 27
Browser Testing
63 63%
37% 37
Testing
60 60%
40% 40
Online Services
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using RSpec and JBehave. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, RSpec seems to be a lot more popular than JBehave. While we know about 31 links to RSpec, we've tracked only 2 mentions of JBehave. 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.

RSpec mentions (31)

  • 30,656 Pages of Books About the .NET Ecosystem: C#, Blazor, ASP.NET, & T-SQL
    I am very comfortable with Minitest in Ruby. When I started to learn Rails, though, I was surprised by how different RSpec was. In case .NET testing is equally unlike the xUnit style, I should learn the idioms. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • 3 useful VS Code extensions for testing Ruby code
    It supports both RSpec and Minitest as well as any other testing gem. There are flexible configurations options which allow to configure editor with needed testing tool. - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
  • Adding Jest To Explainer.js
    I'm a huge supporter for TDD(Test Driven Development). Almost every piece code should be tested. During my co-op more than half of the time I spent writing test for my PR. I believe that experience really helped me understand the necessity of testing. I was surprised to see how similar the testing framework in JS and Ruby are. I used Jest which is very similar to RSpec I have used during my co-op. To mock http... - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
  • Exploring the Node.js Native Test Runner
    The describe and it keywords are popularly used in other JavaScript testing frameworks to write and organize unit tests. This style originated in Ruby's Rspec testing library and is commonly known as spec-style testing. - Source: dev.to / 10 months ago
  • Is the VCR plugged in? Common Sense Troubleshooting For Web Devs
    5. Automated Tests: Unit tests are automated tests that verify the behavior of a small unit of code in isolation. I like to write unit tests for every bug reported by a user. This way, I can reproduce the bug in a controlled environment and verify that the fix works as expected and that we wont see a regression. There are many different JavaScript test frameworks like Jest, cypress, mocha, and jasmine. We use... - Source: dev.to / 11 months ago
View more

JBehave mentions (2)

  • Week of Java: Part 5: Testing Your Code
    Some BDD frameworks such as JBehave, RSpec, Mocha, Jasmine, Cucumber, among others, embrace the use of this template. Spek is not an exception to this rule. The main difference is that it doesn’t force you to use a concrete assertion framework or additional behavioral files (e.g Cucumber or JBehave). - Source: dev.to / about 3 years ago
  • 9 Of The Best Java Testing Frameworks For 2021
    JBehave is also one of the best Java Testing Frameworks, primarily used with Selenium WebDriver for Java testing. JBehave framework is a BDD (Behaviour-Driven Development) framework, which was created in 2003. The ultimate objective behind JBehave is facilitating newcomers to understand and learn about Behaviour-Driven Development at a faster pace. - Source: dev.to / about 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing RSpec and JBehave, you can also consider the following products

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

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

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

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

Selenium - Selenium automates browsers. That's it! What you do with that power is entirely up to you. Primarily, it is for automating web applications for testing purposes, but is certainly not limited to just that.

Arquillian - Arquillian is an open-source testing platform that offers no more container lifecycle, deployment hassles, and mocks.