PHPUnit/PEST

PHPUnit and PEST are two popular testing frameworks for PHP, each offering different approaches and features for writing and executing tests.

PHPUnit

PHPUnit is a programmer-oriented testing framework for PHP. It is an essential tool for Test-Driven Development (TDD) and unit testing in PHP.

Installing PHPUnit

To install PHPUnit in a Laravel project, you can use Composer:

composer require --dev phpunit/phpunit

Laravel comes with PHPUnit installed by default, so you might already have it set up. You can verify this by checking for the phpunit configuration file in the root of your Laravel project, typically named phpunit.xml.

Writing Tests with PHPUnit

Tests are usually stored in the tests directory. There are two main types of tests:

• Unit tests: Located in tests/Unit
• Feature tests: Located in tests/Feature

Here's an example of a simple unit test:

// tests/Unit/ExampleTest.php

namespace Tests\Unit;

use PHPUnit\Framework\TestCase;

class ExampleTest extends TestCase
{
    public function testBasicTest()
    {
        $this->assertTrue(true);
    }
}

You can run your tests using the following command:

php artisan test

Or directly using PHPUnit:

vendor/bin/phpunit

Writing Feature Tests

Feature tests in Laravel provide higher-level testing, often interacting with the database, HTTP requests, and views.

// tests/Feature/ExampleTest.php

namespace Tests\Feature;

use Illuminate\Foundation\Testing\RefreshDatabase;
use Tests\TestCase;

class ExampleTest extends TestCase
{
    use RefreshDatabase;

    public function testExample()
    {
        $response = $this->get('/');

        $response->assertStatus(200);
    }
}

PEST

PEST is a modern PHP testing framework with a focus on simplicity and an elegant syntax. It builds on top of PHPUnit while offering a more readable and expressive syntax.

Installing PEST

To install PEST in a Laravel project, you can use Composer:

composer require pestphp/pest --dev
composer require pestphp/pest-plugin-laravel --dev

Initialize PEST with:

php artisan pest:install

This will convert your existing PHPUnit test files to PEST-compatible files and create a Pest.php file in the tests directory.

Writing Tests with PEST

PEST allows you to write tests in a simpler, more readable format.

Here's an example of a simple test with PEST:

// tests/ExampleTest.php

it('asserts true is true', function () {
    expect(true)->toBeTrue();
});

Writing Feature Tests

Feature tests in PEST can be written similarly, with PEST providing a more fluid syntax.

// tests/Feature/ExampleTest.php

use Illuminate\Foundation\Testing\RefreshDatabase;

uses(RefreshDatabase::class);

it('has home page', function () {
    $response = $this->get('/');

    $response->assertStatus(200);
});

Running Tests with PEST

You can run your PEST tests using:

php artisan test

Or directly using PEST:

vendor/bin/pest

Choosing Between PHPUnit and PEST

• PHPUnit: Preferred for developers who need a more traditional and widely adopted testing framework with comprehensive documentation and community support.
• PEST: Ideal for developers looking for a modern, simpler syntax and more readable tests, while still leveraging PHPUnit under the hood.

Both frameworks are powerful and can be used together in a Laravel project, allowing you to choose the best tool for your specific testing needs.