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AVA vs TestNG comparison of testing frameworks
What are the differences between AVA and TestNG?

AVA

https://github.com/avajs/ava

TestNG

https://testng.org/doc/documentation-main.html
Programming language

JavaScript

Java

Category

Unit Testing, Intergration Testing

Unit Testing, Intergration Testing, End-to-End Testing

General info

Futuristic, new, fast and concurrent JavaScript test runner with simple test syntax

AVA is a test runner for Node.js with a concise API, detailed error output. JS is a single-threaded but Node.JS is a parallel due to it's async behaviour. Ava leverages that and it can run tests concurrently

TestNG is a testing framework for the Java programming language inspired by JUnit and NUnit

TestNG is similar to JUnit and NUnit but with newer functionalities such as: annotations, test that your code is multithread safe, flexible test configuration, support for data-driven testing (with @DataProvider), support for parameters, powerful execution model (no more TestSuite) and more... It's also designed to cover all categories of tests unit, functional, end-to-end, intergration... etc
xUnit
Set of frameworks originating from SUnit (Smalltalk's testing framework). They share similar structure and functionality.

No

However Ava supports the TAP format which allows us to use the tap-xunit reporter to produce xUnit (JUnit) XML

No

Client-side
Allows testing code execution on the client, such as a web browser

Yes

You can write tests for the DOM with Ava, testing front-end components is easy with Ava

Yes

The scope of testing with testNg is wide and you can test various front-end functionalities and behaviours with it
Server-side
Allows testing the bahovior of a server-side code

Yes

Ava utilizes the async I/O nature of Node and runs concurrent tests on NodeJs applications' back-endsA node server can have its endpoints tested with Ava

Yes

You can test server-side functionalities and behaviours with TestNg
Fixtures
Allows defining a fixed, specific states of data (fixtures) that are test-local. This ensures specific environment for a single test

Yes

Using Ava's ava-fixture library it supports fixtures

Yes

Fixtures are inbuilt into testNG, these are the annotations which are: @BeforeSuite, @AfterSuite, @BeforeTest, @AfterTest, @BeforeGroups, @AfterGroups, @BeforeClass, @AfterClass, @BeforeMethod, @AfterMethod
Group fixtures
Allows defining a fixed, specific states of data for a group of tests (group-fixtures). This ensures specific environment for a given group of tests.

Yes

Ava has support for group fixtures

Yes

You can use various fixtures to setup environments for group tests
Generators
Supports data generators for tests. Data generators generate input data for test. The test is then run for each input data produced in this way.

N/A

N/A

Licence
Licence type governing the use and redistribution of the software

MIT License

Apache License 2.0

Mocks
Mocks are objects that simulate the behavior of real objects. Using mocks allows testing some part of the code in isolation (with other parts mocked when needed)

AVA has no mocking built in, to mock functions you can use third party libraries like Sinon.js.

Yes

By Use of an external library like mockit which intergrates well with testNG
Grouping
Allows organizing tests in groups

No

There is no support for grouping tests

Yes

Multiple test cases can be grouped more easily by converting them into testng.xml file, in which you can make priorities which test case should be executed first
Other
Other useful information about the testing framework