Software development has become an essential part of businesses all over the world. It includes creating a website or a platform to showcase products or services and also providing the best customer experience possible. In today’s world of Software development, the need for bug-free and improved quality of code is continuously increasing. The complexity of systems makes it more challenging to write and test every aspect of the logic and its requirements. Unit testing is a way to make sure that your system always stays reliable and healthy. Unit testing is a very underused phenomenon in the case of software development. This blog post will explain the various aspects of writing unit tests and their benefits.
What are Unit Tests?
Unit tests are functions created specifically to execute pieces of code in isolation. Every function you write Unit Test cases for
can be tested in various logic aspects and can be executed frequently, thus the developer executing them can receive feedback to improve the logic.
Following are some aspects that describe the value of implementing Unit Tests.
- Bug Detection in the early stages of Development
Unit tests can help reduce the time to map out testing of a feature after it is developed. You can create and execute tests for functions before they become complex and solve any bugs you find. Unit tests can also help review and fix bugs before proceeding to other parts of development. - Clarifying and Documenting the Logic
Unit tests help developers analyze expected outcomes and requirements, leading to improved code quality. They can benefit from it by documenting it and writing more optimal and simpler logic to reduce the chances of bugs. This can also prove beneficial for other developers who could be maintaining the code. - Regression Testing
Regression tests ensure that existing functionality works correctly after new changes have been done, whereas unit tests verify that individual units of code work properly in isolation. Unit tests also work as a safety net. After making any changes to the feature, running unit tests will ensure that no new bugs are introduced as you proceed with further modifications. Regression testing allows the developer to be confident in their existing codebase and improve upon it however they want. - Enhancing Code Quality
Code quality is the most beneficial aspect of Unit Tests. Writing Unit Tests and improving upon them, makes the code to have better quality in terms of understanding by other developers, reducing the risks of bugs, and also maintaining reliable software. Developers are more prompted to write modular and simpler logics that are easier to test. While writing Unit Tests, ensure that the code is well commented, and optimized and shows what is the expected outcome of each test. - Cost Savings
Starting with Unit tests for the first time can be time-consuming, but it’s very positive for the long-term health of the system. Bugs that are detected early when executing the Unit tests can be handled at that very stage, it can also reduce costs of fixing the bugs later in the production environment and it would also reduce the time taken to find the source and to fix the bug when the whole feature is completed and is complex to navigate.
To summarise the benefits, Unit Tests are an essential part of creating and providing a system that introduces fewer bugs, is cost-effective, and stays reliable during long runs. It should also be included as a “Checklist” in every developer’s workflow. Unit Tests’s contribution marks a significant change in the quality of the implemented code.
Follow the below links to understand more about how to write PHP and JS(Jasmine) unit tests:
https://docs.phpunit.de/en/9.6/writing-tests-for-phpunit.html
https://jasmine.github.io/
https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/jasmine-unit-testing-tutorial-4e757c2cbf42/
Please let me know what are your thoughts on Unit test implementation after reading this article and if you have any questions, please ask them below in the comment.
P.S. — Always leave the code in a better state than you found it.
