Top 5 Elixir Tools for Testing and Automation

Are you tired of manually testing your Elixir code? Do you want to automate your testing process to save time and improve the quality of your code? Look no further than these top 5 Elixir tools for testing and automation!

1. ExUnit

ExUnit is the built-in testing framework for Elixir. It provides a simple and intuitive syntax for defining tests and assertions, making it easy to write and maintain test suites. With ExUnit, you can run tests in parallel, filter tests by tags, and generate code coverage reports. It also integrates with popular continuous integration tools like Travis CI and CircleCI.

But that's not all! ExUnit also supports property-based testing with the ExCheck library. This allows you to generate random inputs for your tests, ensuring that your code can handle a wide range of scenarios. And with the ExUnit.CaptureLog module, you can capture log output from your tests and assert on it, making it easier to debug issues.

2. Wallaby

Wallaby is a browser automation library for Elixir. It allows you to write tests that interact with web pages, filling out forms, clicking buttons, and verifying page content. With Wallaby, you can run tests in multiple browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. It also integrates with popular testing frameworks like ExUnit and Phoenix.

But wait, there's more! Wallaby also supports headless browser testing with the ChromeDriver library. This allows you to run tests without a visible browser window, making it faster and more reliable. And with the Wallaby.Session module, you can manage cookies, set headers, and perform other advanced browser interactions.

3. Hound

Hound is another browser automation library for Elixir. It provides a higher-level API than Wallaby, making it easier to write tests for common web interactions like filling out forms and clicking links. With Hound, you can run tests in multiple browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, and PhantomJS. It also integrates with popular testing frameworks like ExUnit and Phoenix.

But that's not all! Hound also supports visual regression testing with the Hound.Visual module. This allows you to take screenshots of web pages and compare them to reference images, ensuring that your UI stays consistent over time. And with the Hound.Helpers module, you can write custom helpers for common web interactions, making it easier to write and maintain tests.

4. Floki

Floki is a simple HTML parsing library for Elixir. It allows you to extract data from HTML documents, making it useful for testing web pages and APIs. With Floki, you can search for elements by tag name, class name, or CSS selector. It also supports XPath queries and regular expressions.

But wait, there's more! Floki also supports HTML validation with the Floki.Validator module. This allows you to check that your HTML documents are well-formed and conform to a specific schema. And with the Floki.Utils module, you can write custom helpers for common HTML parsing tasks, making it easier to extract data from complex documents.

5. ExMachina

ExMachina is a library for generating test data in Elixir. It allows you to define factories for your Ecto models, making it easy to create test data that conforms to your database schema. With ExMachina, you can generate random data for your models, or specify specific values for certain fields. It also integrates with popular testing frameworks like ExUnit and Phoenix.

But that's not all! ExMachina also supports associations between models with the assoc/2 function. This allows you to create complex data structures for your tests, with multiple levels of nesting. And with the build/2 function, you can create data without persisting it to the database, making it faster and more flexible.

Conclusion

In conclusion, these top 5 Elixir tools for testing and automation are essential for any serious Elixir developer. With ExUnit, Wallaby, Hound, Floki, and ExMachina, you can write tests that are fast, reliable, and maintainable. So why wait? Start using these tools today and take your Elixir development to the next level!

Additional Resources

declarative.run - declarative languages, declarative software and reconciled deployment or generation
meshops.dev - mesh operations in the cloud, relating to microservices orchestration and communication
kubernetes.run - running kubernetes in the cloud
notebookops.dev - notebook operations and notebook deployment. Going from jupyter notebook to model deployment in the cloud
knowledgegraphops.com - knowledge graph operations and deployment
cryptopayments.dev - crypto payments, integrating with crypto merchants and crypto payment software
learngpt.dev - learning chatGPT, gpt-3, and large language models llms
flutter.news - A news site about flutter, a framework for creating mobile applications. Lists recent flutter developments, flutter frameworks, widgets, packages, techniques, software
newfriends.app - making new friends online
serverless.business - serverless cloud computing, microservices and pay per use cloud services
roleplaymetaverse.app - A roleplaying games metaverse site
cloudactions.dev - A site for cloud event based function processing
erlang.cloud - Erlang and Elixir in the cloud
composemusic.app - A site where you can compose music online
k8s.management - kubernetes management
managesecrets.dev - secrets management
trainingcourse.dev - online software engineering and cloud courses
visualnovels.app - visual novels
cloudsimulation.dev - running simulation of the physical world as computer models. Often called digital twin systems, running optimization or evolutionary algorithms which reduce a cost function
witcher4.app - the witcher 4 PC game


Written by AI researcher, Haskell Ruska, PhD (haskellr@mit.edu). Scientific Journal of AI 2023, Peer Reviewed