Knapsack Pro

AVA vs Unit.js comparison of testing frameworks
What are the differences between AVA and Unit.js?

AVA

https://github.com/avajs/ava

Unit.js

https://unitjs.com/
Programming language

JavaScript

JavaScript

Category

Unit Testing, Intergration Testing

Unit 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

An assertion library for JavaScript (similar to chai.js)

It works with any test runner and unit testing framework like Mocha, Jasmine, Karma, protractor (E2E test framework for Angular apps) and QUnit.
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

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

Unit.js runs in the browser to test front-end components
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

Unit.js runs in nodejs to test server-side behaviour
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

Unit.js provides Test fixtures for running testsThis is one of its features
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

With Unit.js you can group your fixtures
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

Licence
Licence type governing the use and redistribution of the software

MIT License

GNU

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.

N/A

Grouping
Allows organizing tests in groups

No

There is no support for grouping tests

N/A

Other
Other useful information about the testing framework