Node.js v23.11.1 documentation
- Node.js v23.11.1
-
Table of contents
- Test runner
- Subtests
- Skipping tests
- TODO tests
describe()
andit()
aliasesonly
tests- Filtering tests by name
- Extraneous asynchronous activity
- Watch mode
- Running tests from the command line
- Collecting code coverage
- Mocking
- Snapshot testing
- Test reporters
run([options])
suite([name][, options][, fn])
suite.skip([name][, options][, fn])
suite.todo([name][, options][, fn])
suite.only([name][, options][, fn])
test([name][, options][, fn])
test.skip([name][, options][, fn])
test.todo([name][, options][, fn])
test.only([name][, options][, fn])
describe([name][, options][, fn])
describe.skip([name][, options][, fn])
describe.todo([name][, options][, fn])
describe.only([name][, options][, fn])
it([name][, options][, fn])
it.skip([name][, options][, fn])
it.todo([name][, options][, fn])
it.only([name][, options][, fn])
before([fn][, options])
after([fn][, options])
beforeEach([fn][, options])
afterEach([fn][, options])
assert
snapshot
- Class:
MockFunctionContext
- Class:
MockModuleContext
- Class:
MockTracker
- Class:
MockTimers
- Class:
TestsStream
- Class:
TestContext
context.before([fn][, options])
context.beforeEach([fn][, options])
context.after([fn][, options])
context.afterEach([fn][, options])
context.assert
context.diagnostic(message)
context.filePath
context.fullName
context.name
context.plan(count[,options])
context.runOnly(shouldRunOnlyTests)
context.signal
context.skip([message])
context.todo([message])
context.test([name][, options][, fn])
context.waitFor(condition[, options])
- Class:
SuiteContext
- Test runner
-
Index
- Assertion testing
- Asynchronous context tracking
- Async hooks
- Buffer
- C++ addons
- C/C++ addons with Node-API
- C++ embedder API
- Child processes
- Cluster
- Command-line options
- Console
- Crypto
- Debugger
- Deprecated APIs
- Diagnostics Channel
- DNS
- Domain
- Errors
- Events
- File system
- Globals
- HTTP
- HTTP/2
- HTTPS
- Inspector
- Internationalization
- Modules: CommonJS modules
- Modules: ECMAScript modules
- Modules:
node:module
API - Modules: Packages
- Modules: TypeScript
- Net
- OS
- Path
- Performance hooks
- Permissions
- Process
- Punycode
- Query strings
- QUIC
- Readline
- REPL
- Report
- Single executable applications
- SQLite
- Stream
- String decoder
- Test runner
- Timers
- TLS/SSL
- Trace events
- TTY
- UDP/datagram
- URL
- Utilities
- V8
- VM
- WASI
- Web Crypto API
- Web Streams API
- Worker threads
- Zlib
- Other versions
- Options
Test runner#
Source Code: lib/test.js
The node:test
module facilitates the creation of JavaScript tests.
To access it:
import test from 'node:test';
const test = require('node:test');
This module is only available under the node:
scheme.
Tests created via the test
module consist of a single function that is
processed in one of three ways:
- A synchronous function that is considered failing if it throws an exception, and is considered passing otherwise.
- A function that returns a
Promise
that is considered failing if thePromise
rejects, and is considered passing if thePromise
fulfills. - A function that receives a callback function. If the callback receives any
truthy value as its first argument, the test is considered failing. If a
falsy value is passed as the first argument to the callback, the test is
considered passing. If the test function receives a callback function and
also returns a
Promise
, the test will fail.
The following example illustrates how tests are written using the
test
module.
test('synchronous passing test', (t) => {
// This test passes because it does not throw an exception.
assert.strictEqual(1, 1);
});
test('synchronous failing test', (t) => {
// This test fails because it throws an exception.
assert.strictEqual(1, 2);
});
test('asynchronous passing test', async (t) => {
// This test passes because the Promise returned by the async
// function is settled and not rejected.
assert.strictEqual(1, 1);
});
test('asynchronous failing test', async (t) => {
// This test fails because the Promise returned by the async
// function is rejected.
assert.strictEqual(1, 2);
});
test('failing test using Promises', (t) => {
// Promises can be used directly as well.
return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
setImmediate(() => {
reject(new Error('this will cause the test to fail'));
});
});
});
test('callback passing test', (t, done) => {
// done() is the callback function. When the setImmediate() runs, it invokes
// done() with no arguments.
setImmediate(done);
});
test('callback failing test', (t, done) => {
// When the setImmediate() runs, done() is invoked with an Error object and
// the test fails.
setImmediate(() => {
done(new Error('callback failure'));
});
});
If any tests fail, the process exit code is set to 1
.
Subtests#
The test context's test()
method allows subtests to be created.
It allows you to structure your tests in a hierarchical manner,
where you can create nested tests within a larger test.
This method behaves identically to the top level test()
function.
The following example demonstrates the creation of a
top level test with two subtests.
test('top level test', async (t) => {
await t.test('subtest 1', (t) => {
assert.strictEqual(1, 1);
});
await t.test('subtest 2', (t) => {
assert.strictEqual(2, 2);
});
});
Note:
beforeEach
andafterEach
hooks are triggered between each subtest execution.
In this example, await
is used to ensure that both subtests have completed.
This is necessary because tests do not wait for their subtests to
complete, unlike tests created within suites.
Any subtests that are still outstanding when their parent finishes
are cancelled and treated as failures. Any subtest failures cause the parent
test to fail.
Skipping tests#
Individual tests can be skipped by passing the skip
option to the test, or by
calling the test context's skip()
method as shown in the
following example.
// The skip option is used, but no message is provided.
test('skip option', { skip: true }, (t) => {
// This code is never executed.
});
// The skip option is used, and a message is provided.
test('skip option with message', { skip: 'this is skipped' }, (t) => {
// This code is never executed.
});
test('skip() method', (t) => {
// Make sure to return here as well if the test contains additional logic.
t.skip();
});
test('skip() method with message', (t) => {
// Make sure to return here as well if the test contains additional logic.
t.skip('this is skipped');
});
TODO tests#
Individual tests can be marked as flaky or incomplete by passing the todo
option to the test, or by calling the test context's todo()
method, as shown
in the following example. These tests represent a pending implementation or bug
that needs to be fixed. TODO tests are executed, but are not treated as test
failures, and therefore do not affect the process exit code. If a test is marked
as both TODO and skipped, the TODO option is ignored.
// The todo option is used, but no message is provided.
test('todo option', { todo: true }, (t) => {
// This code is executed, but not treated as a failure.
throw new Error('this does not fail the test');
});
// The todo option is used, and a message is provided.
test('todo option with message', { todo: 'this is a todo test' }, (t) => {
// This code is executed.
});
test('todo() method', (t) => {
t.todo();
});
test('todo() method with message', (t) => {
t.todo('this is a todo test and is not treated as a failure');
throw new Error('this does not fail the test');
});
describe()
and it()
aliases#
Suites and tests can also be written using the describe()
and it()
functions. describe()
is an alias for suite()
, and it()
is an
alias for test()
.
describe('A thing', () => {
it('should work', () => {
assert.strictEqual(1, 1);
});
it('should be ok', () => {
assert.strictEqual(2, 2);
});
describe('a nested thing', () => {
it('should work', () => {
assert.strictEqual(3, 3);
});
});
});
describe()
and it()
are imported from the node:test
module.
import { describe, it } from 'node:test';
const { describe, it } = require('node:test');
only
tests#
If Node.js is started with the --test-only
command-line option, or test
isolation is disabled, it is possible to skip all tests except for a selected
subset by passing the only
option to the tests that should run. When a test
with the only
option is set, all subtests are also run.
If a suite has the only
option set, all tests within the suite are run,
unless it has descendants with the only
option set, in which case only those
tests are run.
When using subtests within a test()
/it()
, it is required to mark
all ancestor tests with the only
option to run only a
selected subset of tests.
The test context's runOnly()
method can be used to implement the same behavior at the subtest level. Tests
that are not executed are omitted from the test runner output.
// Assume Node.js is run with the --test-only command-line option.
// The suite's 'only' option is set, so these tests are run.
test('this test is run', { only: true }, async (t) => {
// Within this test, all subtests are run by default.
await t.test('running subtest');
// The test context can be updated to run subtests with the 'only' option.
t.runOnly(true);
await t.test('this subtest is now skipped');
await t.test('this subtest is run', { only: true });
// Switch the context back to execute all tests.
t.runOnly(false);
await t.test('this subtest is now run');
// Explicitly do not run these tests.
await t.test('skipped subtest 3', { only: false });
await t.test('skipped subtest 4', { skip: true });
});
// The 'only' option is not set, so this test is skipped.
test('this test is not run', () => {
// This code is not run.
throw new Error('fail');
});
describe('a suite', () => {
// The 'only' option is set, so this test is run.
it('this test is run', { only: true }, () => {
// This code is run.
});
it('this test is not run', () => {
// This code is not run.
throw new Error('fail');
});
});
describe.only('a suite', () => {
// The 'only' option is set, so this test is run.
it('this test is run', () => {
// This code is run.
});
it('this test is run', () => {
// This code is run.
});
});
Filtering tests by name#
The --test-name-pattern
command-line option can be used to only run
tests whose name matches the provided pattern, and the
--test-skip-pattern
option can be used to skip tests whose name
matches the provided pattern. Test name patterns are interpreted as
JavaScript regular expressions. The --test-name-pattern
and
--test-skip-pattern
options can be specified multiple times in order to run
nested tests. For each test that is executed, any corresponding test hooks,
such as beforeEach()
, are also run. Tests that are not executed are omitted
from the test runner output.
Given the following test file, starting Node.js with the
--test-name-pattern="test [1-3]"
option would cause the test runner to execute
test 1
, test 2
, and test 3
. If test 1
did not match the test name
pattern, then its subtests would not execute, despite matching the pattern. The
same set of tests could also be executed by passing --test-name-pattern
multiple times (e.g. --test-name-pattern="test 1"
,
--test-name-pattern="test 2"
, etc.).
test('test 1', async (t) => {
await t.test('test 2');
await t.test('test 3');
});
test('Test 4', async (t) => {
await t.test('Test 5');
await t.test('test 6');
});
Test name patterns can also be specified using regular expression literals. This
allows regular expression flags to be used. In the previous example, starting
Node.js with --test-name-pattern="/test [4-5]/i"
(or --test-skip-pattern="/test [4-5]/i"
)
would match Test 4
and Test 5
because the pattern is case-insensitive.
To match a single test with a pattern, you can prefix it with all its ancestor test names separated by space, to ensure it is unique. For example, given the following test file:
describe('test 1', (t) => {
it('some test');
});
describe('test 2', (t) => {
it('some test');
});
Starting Node.js with --test-name-pattern="test 1 some test"
would match
only some test
in test 1
.
Test name patterns do not change the set of files that the test runner executes.
If both --test-name-pattern
and --test-skip-pattern
are supplied,
tests must satisfy both requirements in order to be executed.
Extraneous asynchronous activity#
Once a test function finishes executing, the results are reported as quickly as possible while maintaining the order of the tests. However, it is possible for the test function to generate asynchronous activity that outlives the test itself. The test runner handles this type of activity, but does not delay the reporting of test results in order to accommodate it.
In the following example, a test completes with two setImmediate()
operations still outstanding. The first setImmediate()
attempts to create a
new subtest. Because the parent test has already finished and output its
results, the new subtest is immediately marked as failed, and reported later
to the <TestsStream>.
The second setImmediate()
creates an uncaughtException
event.
uncaughtException
and unhandledRejection
events originating from a completed
test are marked as failed by the test
module and reported as diagnostic
warnings at the top level by the <TestsStream>.
test('a test that creates asynchronous activity', (t) => {
setImmediate(() => {
t.test('subtest that is created too late', (t) => {
throw new Error('error1');
});
});
setImmediate(() => {
throw new Error('error2');
});
// The test finishes after this line.
});
Watch mode#
The Node.js test runner supports running in watch mode by passing the --watch
flag:
node --test --watch
In watch mode, the test runner will watch for changes to test files and their dependencies. When a change is detected, the test runner will rerun the tests affected by the change. The test runner will continue to run until the process is terminated.
Running tests from the command line#
The Node.js test runner can be invoked from the command line by passing the
--test
flag:
node --test
By default, Node.js will run all files matching these patterns:
**/*.test.{cjs,mjs,js}
**/*-test.{cjs,mjs,js}
**/*_test.{cjs,mjs,js}
**/test-*.{cjs,mjs,js}
**/test.{cjs,mjs,js}
**/test/**/*.{cjs,mjs,js}
Unless --no-experimental-strip-types
is supplied, the following
additional patterns are also matched:
**/test/**/*-test.{cts,mts,ts}
**/test/**/*.test.{cts,mts,ts}
**/test/**/*_test.{cts,mts,ts}
Alternatively, one or more glob patterns can be provided as the
final argument(s) to the Node.js command, as shown below.
Glob patterns follow the behavior of glob(7)
.
The glob patterns should be enclosed in double quotes on the command line to
prevent shell expansion, which can reduce portability across systems.
node --test "**/*.test.js" "**/*.spec.js"
Matching files are executed as test files. More information on the test file execution can be found in the test runner execution model section.
Test runner execution model#
When process-level test isolation is enabled, each matching test file is
executed in a separate child process. The maximum number of child processes
running at any time is controlled by the --test-concurrency
flag. If the
child process finishes with an exit code of 0, the test is considered passing.
Otherwise, the test is considered to be a failure. Test files must be executable
by Node.js, but are not required to use the node:test
module internally.
Each test file is executed as if it was a regular script. That is, if the test
file itself uses node:test
to define tests, all of those tests will be
executed within a single application thread, regardless of the value of the
concurrency
option of test()
.
When process-level test isolation is disabled, each matching test file is imported into the test runner process. Once all test files have been loaded, the top level tests are executed with a concurrency of one. Because the test files are all run within the same context, it is possible for tests to interact with each other in ways that are not possible when isolation is enabled. For example, if a test relies on global state, it is possible for that state to be modified by a test originating from another file.
Collecting code coverage#
When Node.js is started with the --experimental-test-coverage
command-line flag, code coverage is collected and statistics are reported once
all tests have completed. If the NODE_V8_COVERAGE
environment variable is
used to specify a code coverage directory, the generated V8 coverage files are
written to that directory. Node.js core modules and files within
node_modules/
directories are, by default, not included in the coverage report.
However, they can be explicitly included via the --test-coverage-include
flag.
By default all the matching test files are excluded from the coverage report.
Exclusions can be overridden by using the --test-coverage-exclude
flag.
If coverage is enabled, the coverage report is sent to any test reporters via
the 'test:coverage'
event.
Coverage can be disabled on a series of lines using the following comment syntax:
/* node:coverage disable */
if (anAlwaysFalseCondition) {
// Code in this branch will never be executed, but the lines are ignored for
// coverage purposes. All lines following the 'disable' comment are ignored
// until a corresponding 'enable' comment is encountered.
console.log('this is never executed');
}
/* node:coverage enable */
Coverage can also be disabled for a specified number of lines. After the specified number of lines, coverage will be automatically reenabled. If the number of lines is not explicitly provided, a single line is ignored.
/* node:coverage ignore next */
if (anAlwaysFalseCondition) { console.log('this is never executed'); }
/* node:coverage ignore next 3 */
if (anAlwaysFalseCondition) {
console.log('this is never executed');
}
Coverage reporters#
The tap and spec reporters will print a summary of the coverage statistics. There is also an lcov reporter that will generate an lcov file which can be used as an in depth coverage report.
node --test --experimental-test-coverage --test-reporter=lcov --test-reporter-destination=lcov.info
- No test results are reported by this reporter.
- This reporter should ideally be used alongside another reporter.
Mocking#
The node:test
module supports mocking during testing via a top-level mock
object. The following example creates a spy on a function that adds two numbers
together. The spy is then used to assert that the function was called as
expected.
import assert from 'node:assert';
import { mock, test } from 'node:test';
test('spies on a function', () => {
const sum = mock.fn((a, b) => {
return a + b;
});
assert.strictEqual(sum.mock.callCount(), 0);
assert.strictEqual(sum(3, 4), 7);
assert.strictEqual(sum.mock.callCount(), 1);
const call = sum.mock.calls[0];
assert.deepStrictEqual(call.arguments, [3, 4]);
assert.strictEqual(call.result, 7);
assert.strictEqual(call.error, undefined);
// Reset the globally tracked mocks.
mock.reset();
});
'use strict';
const assert = require('node:assert');
const { mock, test } = require('node:test');
test('spies on a function', () => {
const sum = mock.fn((a, b) => {
return a + b;
});
assert.strictEqual(sum.mock.callCount(), 0);
assert.strictEqual(sum(3, 4), 7);
assert.strictEqual(sum.mock.callCount(), 1);
const call = sum.mock.calls[0];
assert.deepStrictEqual(call.arguments, [3, 4]);
assert.strictEqual(call.result, 7);
assert.strictEqual(call.error, undefined);
// Reset the globally tracked mocks.
mock.reset();
});
The same mocking functionality is also exposed on the TestContext
object
of each test. The following example creates a spy on an object method using the
API exposed on the TestContext
. The benefit of mocking via the test context is
that the test runner will automatically restore all mocked functionality once
the test finishes.
test('spies on an object method', (t) => {
const number = {
value: 5,
add(a) {
return this.value + a;
},
};
t.mock.method(number, 'add');
assert.strictEqual(number.add.mock.callCount(), 0);
assert.strictEqual(number.add(3), 8);
assert.strictEqual(number.add.mock.callCount(), 1);
const call = number.add.mock.calls[0];
assert.deepStrictEqual(call.arguments, [3]);
assert.strictEqual(call.result, 8);
assert.strictEqual(call.target, undefined);
assert.strictEqual(call.this, number);
});
Timers#
Mocking timers is a technique commonly used in software testing to simulate and
control the behavior of timers, such as setInterval
and setTimeout
,
without actually waiting for the specified time intervals.
Refer to the MockTimers
class for a full list of methods and features.
This allows developers to write more reliable and predictable tests for time-dependent functionality.
The example below shows how to mock setTimeout
.
Using .enable({ apis: ['setTimeout'] });
it will mock the setTimeout
functions in the node:timers and
node:timers/promises modules,
as well as from the Node.js global context.
Note: Destructuring functions such as
import { setTimeout } from 'node:timers'
is currently not supported by this API.
import assert from 'node:assert';
import { mock, test } from 'node:test';
test('mocks setTimeout to be executed synchronously without having to actually wait for it', () => {
const fn = mock.fn();
// Optionally choose what to mock
mock.timers.enable({ apis: ['setTimeout'] });
setTimeout(fn, 9999);
assert.strictEqual(fn.mock.callCount(), 0);
// Advance in time
mock.timers.tick(9999);
assert.strictEqual(fn.mock.callCount(), 1);
// Reset the globally tracked mocks.
mock.timers.reset();
// If you call reset mock instance, it will also reset timers instance
mock.reset();
});
const assert = require('node:assert');
const { mock, test } = require('node:test');
test('mocks setTimeout to be executed synchronously without having to actually wait for it', () => {
const fn = mock.fn();
// Optionally choose what to mock
mock.timers.enable({ apis: ['setTimeout'] });
setTimeout(fn, 9999);
assert.strictEqual(fn.mock.callCount(), 0);
// Advance in time
mock.timers.tick(9999);
assert.strictEqual(fn.mock.callCount(), 1);
// Reset the globally tracked mocks.
mock.timers.reset();
// If you call reset mock instance, it will also reset timers instance
mock.reset();
});
The same mocking functionality is also exposed in the mock property on the TestContext
object
of each test. The benefit of mocking via the test context is
that the test runner will automatically restore all mocked timers
functionality once the test finishes.
import assert from 'node:assert';
import { test } from 'node:test';
test('mocks setTimeout to be executed synchronously without having to actually wait for it', (context) => {
const fn = context.mock.fn();
// Optionally choose what to mock
context.mock.timers.enable({ apis: ['setTimeout'] });
setTimeout(fn, 9999);
assert.strictEqual(fn.mock.callCount(), 0);
// Advance in time
context.mock.timers.tick(9999);
assert.strictEqual(fn.mock.callCount(), 1);
});
const assert = require('node:assert');
const { test } = require('node:test');
test('mocks setTimeout to be executed synchronously without having to actually wait for it', (context) => {
const fn = context.mock.fn();
// Optionally choose what to mock
context.mock.timers.enable({ apis: ['setTimeout'] });
setTimeout(fn, 9999);
assert.strictEqual(fn.mock.callCount(), 0);
// Advance in time
context.mock.timers.tick(9999);
assert.strictEqual(fn.mock.callCount(), 1);
});
Dates#
The mock timers API also allows the mocking of the Date
object. This is a
useful feature for testing time-dependent functionality, or to simulate
internal calendar functions such as Date.now()
.
The dates implementation is also part of the MockTimers
class. Refer to it
for a full list of methods and features.
Note: Dates and timers are dependent when mocked together. This means that
if you have both the Date
and setTimeout
mocked, advancing the time will
also advance the mocked date as they simulate a single internal clock.
The example below show how to mock the Date
object and obtain the current
Date.now()
value.
import assert from 'node:assert';
import { test } from 'node:test';
test('mocks the Date object', (context) => {
// Optionally choose what to mock
context.mock.timers.enable({ apis: ['Date'] });
// If not specified, the initial date will be based on 0 in the UNIX epoch
assert.strictEqual(Date.now(), 0);
// Advance in time will also advance the date
context.mock.timers.tick(9999);
assert.strictEqual(Date.now(), 9999);
});
const assert = require('node:assert');
const { test } = require('node:test');
test('mocks the Date object', (context) => {
// Optionally choose what to mock
context.mock.timers.enable({ apis: ['Date'] });
// If not specified, the initial date will be based on 0 in the UNIX epoch
assert.strictEqual(Date.now(), 0);
// Advance in time will also advance the date
context.mock.timers.tick(9999);
assert.strictEqual(Date.now(), 9999);
});
If there is no initial epoch set, the initial date will be based on 0 in the
Unix epoch. This is January 1st, 1970, 00:00:00 UTC. You can set an initial date
by passing a now
property to the .enable()
method. This value will be used
as the initial date for the mocked Date
object. It can either be a positive
integer, or another Date object.
import assert from 'node:assert';
import { test } from 'node:test';
test('mocks the Date object with initial time', (context) => {
// Optionally choose what to mock
context.mock.timers.enable({ apis: ['Date'], now: 100 });
assert.strictEqual(Date.now(), 100);
// Advance in time will also advance the date
context.mock.timers.tick(200);
assert.strictEqual(Date.now(), 300);
});
const assert = require('node:assert');
const { test } = require('node:test');
test('mocks the Date object with initial time', (context) => {
// Optionally choose what to mock
context.mock.timers.enable({ apis: ['Date'], now: 100 });
assert.strictEqual(Date.now(), 100);
// Advance in time will also advance the date
context.mock.timers.tick(200);
assert.strictEqual(Date.now(), 300);
});
You can use the .setTime()
method to manually move the mocked date to another
time. This method only accepts a positive integer.
Note: This method will execute any mocked timers that are in the past from the new time.
In the below example we are setting a new time for the mocked date.
import assert from 'node:assert';
import { test } from 'node:test';
test('sets the time of a date object', (context) => {
// Optionally choose what to mock
context.mock.timers.enable({ apis: ['Date'], now: 100 });
assert.strictEqual(Date.now(), 100);
// Advance in time will also advance the date
context.mock.timers.setTime(1000);
context.mock.timers.tick(200);
assert.strictEqual(Date.now(), 1200);
});
const assert = require('node:assert');
const { test } = require('node:test');
test('sets the time of a date object', (context) => {
// Optionally choose what to mock
context.mock.timers.enable({ apis: ['Date'], now: 100 });
assert.strictEqual(Date.now(), 100);
// Advance in time will also advance the date
context.mock.timers.setTime(1000);
context.mock.timers.tick(200);
assert.strictEqual(Date.now(), 1200);
});
If you have any timer that's set to run in the past, it will be executed as if
the .tick()
method has been called. This is useful if you want to test
time-dependent functionality that's already in the past.
import assert from 'node:assert';
import { test } from 'node:test';
test('runs timers as setTime passes ticks', (context) => {
// Optionally choose what to mock
context.mock.timers.enable({ apis: ['setTimeout', 'Date'] });
const fn = context.mock.fn();
setTimeout(fn, 1000);
context.mock.timers.setTime(800);
// Timer is not executed as the time is not yet reached
assert.strictEqual(fn.mock.callCount(), 0);
assert.strictEqual(Date.now(), 800);
context.mock.timers.setTime(1200);
// Timer is executed as the time is now reached
assert.strictEqual(fn.mock.callCount(), 1);
assert.strictEqual(Date.now(), 1200);
});
const assert = require('node:assert');
const { test } = require('node:test');
test('runs timers as setTime passes ticks', (context) => {
// Optionally choose what to mock
context.mock.timers.enable({ apis: ['setTimeout', 'Date'] });
const fn = context.mock.fn();
setTimeout(fn, 1000);
context.mock.timers.setTime(800);
// Timer is not executed as the time is not yet reached
assert.strictEqual(fn.mock.callCount(), 0);
assert.strictEqual(Date.now(), 800);
context.mock.timers.setTime(1200);
// Timer is executed as the time is now reached
assert.strictEqual(fn.mock.callCount(), 1);
assert.strictEqual(Date.now(), 1200);
});
Using .runAll()
will execute all timers that are currently in the queue. This
will also advance the mocked date to the time of the last timer that was
executed as if the time has passed.
import assert from 'node:assert';
import { test } from 'node:test';
test('runs timers as setTime passes ticks', (context) => {
// Optionally choose what to mock
context.mock.timers.enable({ apis: ['setTimeout', 'Date'] });
const fn = context.mock.fn();
setTimeout(fn, 1000);
setTimeout(fn, 2000);
setTimeout(fn, 3000);
context.mock.timers.runAll();
// All timers are executed as the time is now reached
assert.strictEqual(fn.mock.callCount(), 3);
assert.strictEqual(Date.now(), 3000);
});
const assert = require('node:assert');
const { test } = require('node:test');
test('runs timers as setTime passes ticks', (context) => {
// Optionally choose what to mock
context.mock.timers.enable({ apis: ['setTimeout', 'Date'] });
const fn = context.mock.fn();
setTimeout(fn, 1000);
setTimeout(fn, 2000);
setTimeout(fn, 3000);
context.mock.timers.runAll();
// All timers are executed as the time is now reached
assert.strictEqual(fn.mock.callCount(), 3);
assert.strictEqual(Date.now(), 3000);
});
Snapshot testing#
Snapshot tests allow arbitrary values to be serialized into string values and compared against a set of known good values. The known good values are known as snapshots, and are stored in a snapshot file. Snapshot files are managed by the test runner, but are designed to be human readable to aid in debugging. Best practice is for snapshot files to be checked into source control along with your test files.
Snapshot files are generated by starting Node.js with the
--test-update-snapshots
command-line flag. A separate snapshot file is
generated for each test file. By default, the snapshot file has the same name
as the test file with a .snapshot
file extension. This behavior can be
configured using the snapshot.setResolveSnapshotPath()
function. Each
snapshot assertion corresponds to an export in the snapshot file.
An example snapshot test is shown below. The first time this test is executed, it will fail because the corresponding snapshot file does not exist.
// test.js
suite('suite of snapshot tests', () => {
test('snapshot test', (t) => {
t.assert.snapshot({ value1: 1, value2: 2 });
t.assert.snapshot(5);
});
});
Generate the snapshot file by running the test file with
--test-update-snapshots
. The test should pass, and a file named
test.js.snapshot
is created in the same directory as the test file. The
contents of the snapshot file are shown below. Each snapshot is identified by
the full name of test and a counter to differentiate between snapshots in the
same test.
exports[`suite of snapshot tests > snapshot test 1`] = `
{
"value1": 1,
"value2": 2
}
`;
exports[`suite of snapshot tests > snapshot test 2`] = `
5
`;
Once the snapshot file is created, run the tests again without the
--test-update-snapshots
flag. The tests should pass now.
Test reporters#
The node:test
module supports passing --test-reporter
flags for the test runner to use a specific reporter.
The following built-reporters are supported:
-
spec
Thespec
reporter outputs the test results in a human-readable format. This is the default reporter. -
tap
Thetap
reporter outputs the test results in the TAP format. -
dot
Thedot
reporter outputs the test results in a compact format, where each passing test is represented by a.
, and each failing test is represented by aX
. -
junit
The junit reporter outputs test results in a jUnit XML format -
lcov
Thelcov
reporter outputs test coverage when used with the--experimental-test-coverage
flag.
The exact output of these reporters is subject to change between versions of Node.js, and should not be relied on programmatically. If programmatic access to the test runner's output is required, use the events emitted by the <TestsStream>.
The reporters are available via the node:test/reporters
module:
import { tap, spec, dot, junit, lcov } from 'node:test/reporters';
const { tap, spec, dot, junit, lcov } = require('node:test/reporters');
Custom reporters#
--test-reporter
can be used to specify a path to custom reporter.
A custom reporter is a module that exports a value
accepted by stream.compose.
Reporters should transform events emitted by a <TestsStream>
Example of a custom reporter using <stream.Transform>:
import { Transform } from 'node:stream';
const customReporter = new Transform({
writableObjectMode: true,
transform(event, encoding, callback) {
switch (event.type) {
case 'test:dequeue':
callback(null, `test ${event.data.name} dequeued`);
break;
case 'test:enqueue':
callback(null, `test ${event.data.name} enqueued`);
break;
case 'test:watch:drained':
callback(null, 'test watch queue drained');
break;
case 'test:start':
callback(null, `test ${event.data.name} started`);
break;
case 'test:pass':
callback(null, `test ${event.data.name} passed`);
break;
case 'test:fail':
callback(null, `test ${event.data.name} failed`);
break;
case 'test:plan':
callback(null, 'test plan');
break;
case 'test:diagnostic':
case 'test:stderr':
case 'test:stdout':
callback(null, event.data.message);
break;
case 'test:coverage': {
const { totalLineCount } = event.data.summary.totals;
callback(null, `total line count: ${totalLineCount}\n`);
break;
}
}
},
});
export default customReporter;
const { Transform } = require('node:stream');
const customReporter = new Transform({
writableObjectMode: true,
transform(event, encoding, callback) {
switch (event.type) {
case 'test:dequeue':
callback(null, `test ${event.data.name} dequeued`);
break;
case 'test:enqueue':
callback(null, `test ${event.data.name} enqueued`);
break;
case 'test:watch:drained':
callback(null, 'test watch queue drained');
break;
case 'test:start':
callback(null, `test ${event.data.name} started`);
break;
case 'test:pass':
callback(null, `test ${event.data.name} passed`);
break;
case 'test:fail':
callback(null, `test ${event.data.name} failed`);
break;
case 'test:plan':
callback(null, 'test plan');
break;
case 'test:diagnostic':
case 'test:stderr':
case 'test:stdout':
callback(null, event.data.message);
break;
case 'test:coverage': {
const { totalLineCount } = event.data.summary.totals;
callback(null, `total line count: ${totalLineCount}\n`);
break;
}
}
},
});
module.exports = customReporter;
Example of a custom reporter using a generator function:
export default async function * customReporter(source) {
for await (const event of source) {
switch (event.type) {
case 'test:dequeue':
yield `test ${event.data.name} dequeued\n`;
break;
case 'test:enqueue':
yield `test ${event.data.name} enqueued\n`;
break;
case 'test:watch:drained':
yield 'test watch queue drained\n';
break;
case 'test:start':
yield `test ${event.data.name} started\n`;
break;
case 'test:pass':
yield `test ${event.data.name} passed\n`;
break;
case 'test:fail':
yield `test ${event.data.name} failed\n`;
break;
case 'test:plan':
yield 'test plan\n';
break;
case 'test:diagnostic':
case 'test:stderr':
case 'test:stdout':
yield `${event.data.message}\n`;
break;
case 'test:coverage': {
const { totalLineCount } = event.data.summary.totals;
yield `total line count: ${totalLineCount}\n`;
break;
}
}
}
}
module.exports = async function * customReporter(source) {
for await (const event of source) {
switch (event.type) {
case 'test:dequeue':
yield `test ${event.data.name} dequeued\n`;
break;
case 'test:enqueue':
yield `test ${event.data.name} enqueued\n`;
break;
case 'test:watch:drained':
yield 'test watch queue drained\n';
break;
case 'test:start':
yield `test ${event.data.name} started\n`;
break;
case 'test:pass':
yield `test ${event.data.name} passed\n`;
break;
case 'test:fail':
yield `test ${event.data.name} failed\n`;
break;
case 'test:plan':
yield 'test plan\n';
break;
case 'test:diagnostic':
case 'test:stderr':
case 'test:stdout':
yield `${event.data.message}\n`;
break;
case 'test:coverage': {
const { totalLineCount } = event.data.summary.totals;
yield `total line count: ${totalLineCount}\n`;
break;
}
}
}
};
The value provided to --test-reporter
should be a string like one used in an
import()
in JavaScript code, or a value provided for --import
.
Multiple reporters#
The --test-reporter
flag can be specified multiple times to report test
results in several formats. In this situation
it is required to specify a destination for each reporter
using --test-reporter-destination
.
Destination can be stdout
, stderr
, or a file path.
Reporters and destinations are paired according
to the order they were specified.
In the following example, the spec
reporter will output to stdout
,
and the dot
reporter will output to file.txt
:
node --test-reporter=spec --test-reporter=dot --test-reporter-destination=stdout --test-reporter-destination=file.txt
When a single reporter is specified, the destination will default to stdout
,
unless a destination is explicitly provided.
run([options])
#
options
<Object> Configuration options for running tests. The following properties are supported:concurrency
<number> | <boolean> If a number is provided, then that many test processes would run in parallel, where each process corresponds to one test file. Iftrue
, it would runos.availableParallelism() - 1
test files in parallel. Iffalse
, it would only run one test file at a time. Default:false
.cwd
: <string> Specifies the current working directory to be used by the test runner. Serves as the base path for resolving files according to the test runner execution model. Default:process.cwd()
.files
: <Array> An array containing the list of files to run. Default: matching files from test runner execution model.forceExit
: <boolean> Configures the test runner to exit the process once all known tests have finished executing even if the event loop would otherwise remain active. Default:false
.globPatterns
: <Array> An array containing the list of glob patterns to match test files. This option cannot be used together withfiles
. Default: matching files from test runner execution model.inspectPort
<number> | <Function> Sets inspector port of test child process. This can be a number, or a function that takes no arguments and returns a number. If a nullish value is provided, each process gets its own port, incremented from the primary'sprocess.debugPort
. This option is ignored if theisolation
option is set to'none'
as no child processes are spawned. Default:undefined
.isolation
<string> Configures the type of test isolation. If set to'process'
, each test file is run in a separate child process. If set to'none'
, all test files run in the current process. Default:'process'
.only
: <boolean> If truthy, the test context will only run tests that have theonly
option setsetup
<Function> A function that accepts theTestsStream
instance and can be used to setup listeners before any tests are run. Default:undefined
.execArgv
<Array> An array of CLI flags to pass to thenode
executable when spawning the subprocesses. This option has no effect whenisolation
is'none
'. Default:[]
argv
<Array> An array of CLI flags to pass to each test file when spawning the subprocesses. This option has no effect whenisolation
is'none'
. Default:[]
.signal
<AbortSignal> Allows aborting an in-progress test execution.testNamePatterns
<string> | <RegExp> | <Array> A String, RegExp or a RegExp Array, that can be used to only run tests whose name matches the provided pattern. Test name patterns are interpreted as JavaScript regular expressions. For each test that is executed, any corresponding test hooks, such asbeforeEach()
, are also run. Default:undefined
.testSkipPatterns
<string> | <RegExp> | <Array> A String, RegExp or a RegExp Array, that can be used to exclude running tests whose name matches the provided pattern. Test name patterns are interpreted as JavaScript regular expressions. For each test that is executed, any corresponding test hooks, such asbeforeEach()
, are also run. Default:undefined
.timeout
<number> A number of milliseconds the test execution will fail after. If unspecified, subtests inherit this value from their parent. Default:Infinity
.watch
<boolean> Whether to run in watch mode or not. Default:false
.shard
<Object> Running tests in a specific shard. Default:undefined
.coverage
<boolean> enable code coverage collection. Default:false
.coverageExcludeGlobs
<string> | <Array> Excludes specific files from code coverage using a glob pattern, which can match both absolute and relative file paths. This property is only applicable whencoverage
was set totrue
. If bothcoverageExcludeGlobs
andcoverageIncludeGlobs
are provided, files must meet both criteria to be included in the coverage report. Default:undefined
.coverageIncludeGlobs