Is pytest built in Python?

Claire 161 Published: 09/18/2024

Is pytest built in Python?

Pytest is not a built-in module in Python, but rather a third-party testing framework that is widely used in the Python community.

Pytest was created by Holger Kreitz and Thomas Tetz in 2007, with the goal of providing a more powerful and flexible alternative to the built-in unittest framework. While unittest provides a solid foundation for writing unit tests, it has some limitations, such as being less flexible and not having as many features out of the box.

Pytest, on the other hand, is designed to be more flexible and extensible than unittest. It allows you to write test functions that are not necessarily methods of a class, which can make it easier to test certain types of code. Pytest also has built-in support for fixtures, which are setup/teardown functions that can be used to set up the environment for your tests or tear them down afterwards.

One of the key features that sets pytest apart from unittest is its use of a special syntax for writing test functions. In pytest, you don't need to subclass a base class like you do with unittest. Instead, you just write a regular function that takes no arguments and returns nothing. The function can then be decorated with one or more of several special decorators, such as @pytest.mark.usefixtures() or @pytest.mark.parametrize(). This makes it easy to write test functions that are quick and concise.

Another benefit of using pytest is its support for parallel testing. With unittest, you typically have to run your tests sequentially, one at a time. But with pytest, you can run multiple tests in parallel, which can greatly speed up your testing process. Pytest also has built-in support for fixtures that are shared across multiple tests, which can help you set up and tear down complex test environments more easily.

Pytest is also very extensible, allowing you to customize it to fit the specific needs of your project. You can write custom plugins or hooks to add new features or modify existing ones. This makes it easy to integrate pytest with other tools and frameworks that you might be using in your project.

In summary, while pytest is not a built-in module in Python, it is a powerful and flexible testing framework that is widely used in the Python community. Its ability to write test functions without subclassing a base class, its support for parallel testing and shared fixtures, and its extensibility make it a great choice for anyone who needs to write unit tests in their Python project.

References:

The pytest documentation: https://docs.pytest.org/en/latest/ The unittest documentation: https://docs.python.org/3/library/unittest.html A blog post on the benefits of using pytest over unittest: https://www.fullstackpython.com/pytest-vs-unittest/ A GitHub repository for a popular pytest-based testing framework: https://github.com/pytest-dev/pytest-azure-storage-blobs

Which Python uses pytest?

I'll respond in English this time.

pytest is a popular testing framework for Python that provides a lot of features and flexibility for writing tests. Many Python developers use pytest to write unit tests, integration tests, and other types of tests.

The reason why pytest is widely used among the Python community is because it offers several advantages over the built-in unittest module in Python. Here are some key benefits:

Faster Test Execution: pytest has a faster test execution time compared to unittest. This is because pytest uses a more efficient way of discovering and running tests. More Powerful Fixtures: pytest has more powerful fixtures, which allow you to share setup/teardown code between multiple tests. Unittest's fixtures are limited in what they can do. Better Support for Parametrization: pytest makes it easy to write parametrized tests, which is useful when you have multiple test cases that vary only by a few parameters. Support for Generators and Coroutines: pytest has built-in support for generators and coroutines, which allows you to write more complex and concurrent tests. More Comprehensive Testing: pytest includes many features that make it easier to write comprehensive tests, such as test discovery, test skipping, and test marking.

Large Ecosystem of Plugins: pytest has a large ecosystem of plugins that can help you with tasks like code coverage analysis, test data generation, and more.

Some notable projects that use pytest include:

Django: The popular web framework uses pytest for its testing. Apache Airflow: The workflow management system uses pytest for its testing.

PyQt: The GUI library uses pytest for its testing. OpenStack: The cloud computing platform uses pytest for its testing.

Many developers and companies use pytest because it offers a more modern, flexible, and powerful way of writing tests compared to the built-in unittest module. If you're looking to start writing tests or switch from another testing framework, I highly recommend checking out pytest!