Java Test Tools

EMMA - Open-source toolkit, written in pure Java, for measuring and reporting Java code coverage. Targets support for large-scale enterprise software development while keeping individual developer's work fast and iterative. Can instrument classes for coverage either offline or on the fly (using an instrumenting application classloader); supported coverage types: class, method, line, basic block; can detect when a single source code line is covered only partially; coverage stats are aggregated at method, class, package, and "all classes" levels. Reports support drill-down, to user-controlled detail depth; HTML reports support source code linking. Does not require access to the source code; can instrument individial .class files or entire .jars (in place, if desired). Runtime overhead of added instrumentation is small (5-20%); memory overhead is a few hundred bytes per Java class.

PMD - Open source static analyzer scans java source for problems static analyzer. Capabilities include scanning for: Empty try/catch/finally/switch statements; Dead code - unused local variables, parameters and private methods; Suboptimal code - wasteful String/StringBuffer usage; Overcomplicated expressions - unnecessary if statements, for loops that could be while loops; Duplicate code - copied/pasted code - could indicate copied/pasted bugs.

Hammurapi - Code review tool for Java (and other languages with latest version) released under the GNU Lesser General Public License. Utilizes a rules engine to infer violations in source code. Doesn't fail on source files with errors, or if some inspectors throw exceptions. Parts of tool can be independently extended or replaced. Can review sources in multiple programming languages, perform cross-language inspections, and generate a consolidated report.

TestNG - A testing framework inspired from JUnit and NUnit; supports JDK 5 Annotations, data-driven testing (with @DataProvider), parameters, distribution of tests on slave machines, plug-ins (Eclipse, IDEA, Maven, etc); embeds BeanShell for further flexibility; default JDK functions for runtime and logging (no dependencies).

Concordian - An open source testing framework for Java developed by David Peterson. Utilizes requirements in plain English using paragraphs, tables and proper punctuation in HTML. Developers instrument the concrete examples in each specification with commands (e.g. "set", "execute", "assertEquals") that allow test scenarios to be checked against the system to be tested. The instrumentation is invisible to a browser, but is processed by a Java fixture class that accompanies the specification. The fixture is also a JUnit test case. Results are exported with the usual green and red indicating successes and failures. Site includes info re similarities and diffs from Fitnesse.

DBUnit - Open source JUnit extension (also usable with Ant) targeted for database-driven projects that, among other things, puts a database into a known state between test runs. Enables avoidance of problems that can occur when one test case corrupts the database and causes subsequent tests to fail or exacerbate the damage. Has the ability to export and import database data to and from XML datasets. Can work with very large datasets when used in streaming mode, and can help verify that database data matches expected sets of values.

StrutsTestCase - Open source Unit extension of the standard JUnit TestCase class that provides facilities for testing code based on the Struts framework, including validation methods. Provides both a Mock Object approach and a Cactus approach to actually run the Struts ActionServlet, allowing testing of Struts code with or without a running servlet engine. Uses the ActionServlet controller to test code, enabling testing of the implementation of Action objects, as well as mappings, form beans, and forwards declarations.

DDSteps - A JUnit extension for building data driven test cases. Enables user to parameterize test cases, and run them more than once using different data. Uses external test data in Excel which is injected into test cases using standard JavaBeans properties. Test cases run once for each row of data, so adding new tests is just a matter of adding a row of data in Excel.

JKool - A light weight performance measurement and monitoring tool from Nastel Inc. for live J2EE, Web and Web service-based applications. It provides timing information for web sessions, including JSP/servlets, JDBC, JMS and Java method calls, to measure performance, detect bottlenecks and failures. Probes include a Web probe (JSP, Servlets), a Java probe (Byte Code Instrumentation), a JMS probe, and a JDBC probe.

StrutsTestCase for JUnit - Open source extension of the standard JUnit TestCase class that provides facilities for testing code based on the Struts framework. Provides both a Mock Object approach and a Cactus approach to actually run the Struts ActionServlet, allowing testing Struts code with or without a running servlet engine. Because it uses the ActionServlet controller to test code, can test not only the implementation of Action objects, but also mappings, form beans, and forwards declarations. Since it already provides validation methods, it's quick and easy to write unit test cases.

JavaNCSS - A free Source Measurement Suite for Java by Clemens Lee. A simple command line utility which collects various source code metrics for Java. The metrics are collected globally, for each class and/or for each function.

Open Source Profilers for Java - Listing of about 25 open source code profilers for Java from 2006 from the Manageability.org web site.

SofCheck Inspector - Tool from SofCheck Inc. for analysis of Java for logic flaws and vulnerabilities. Exlpores all possible paths in byte code and detects flaws and vulnerabilities in areas such as: array index out of bounds, buffer overflows, race conditions, null pointer dereference, dead code, etc. Provides 100% path coverage and can report on values required for 100% unit test coverage. Patented precondition, postcondition and presumption reporting can help detect Malware code insertion.

WindowTester - Test automation tool from Instantiations Inc. for Swing or SWT UI's. Quickly and easily record GUI tests by interacting with the application as you normally would; WindowTester watches your actions and generates a test case automatically. Generated tests are pure Java and easily customized using the power available in the Java language. Provides a rich GUI Test Library, hiding the complexities and threading issues of GUI test execution; test cases are based on the JUnit standard

Squish for Java - Automated Java GUI testing tool for Java Swing, AWT, SWT and RCP/Eclipse applications. Record or create/modify scripts using Tcl, Python, JavaScript. Automatic identification of GUI objects of the AUT; inspect AUT's objects, properties and methods on run-time using the Squish Spy. Can be run via a GUI front-end or via command line tools. Can execute tests in a debugger allowing setting breakpoints and stepping through test scripts.

Klocwork K7 - Static analysis technology for Java, C, C++, analyzes defects & security vulnerabilities, architecture & header file anomalies, metrics. Developers can run Klocwork in Eclipse or various other IDE's. Users can select scope of reporting as needed by selecting software component, defect type, and defect state/status.

Coverity Prevent - Tool from Coverity Inc. for analysis of Java source code for security issues. Explores all possible paths in source code and detects security vulnerabilities and defects in multiple areas: memory leaks, memory corruption, and illegal pointer accesses, buffer overruns, format string errors and SQL injections vulnerabilities, multi-threaded programming concurrency errors, etc.

GUIDancer - Eclipse-based tool from Bredex GmbH for automated testing of Java/Swing GUI's, Tests are specified, not programmed - no code or script is produced. Test specification is initially separate from the AUT, allowing test creation before the software is fully functional or available. Specification occurs interactively; components and actions are selected from menus, or by working with the AUT in an advanced "observation mode". Test results and errors viewable in a results view, can be saved as html or xml file.

CMTJava - Complexity measurement tool from Verifysoft GmbH. Includes McCabe cyclomatic complexity, lines-of-code metrics, Halstead metrics, maintainability index.

JavaCov - A J2SE/J2EE Coverage testing tool from Alvicom; specializes in testing to MC/DC (Modified Condition/Decision Coverage) depth. Capabilities include: Eclipse plugin; report generation into HTML and XML; Apache Ant integration and support for test automation.

Jameleon - Open source automated testing harness for acceptance-level and integration testing, written in Java. Separates applications into features and allows those features to be tied together independently, in XML, creating self-documenting automated test cases. These test-cases can then be data-driven and executed against different environments. Easily extensible via plug-ins; includes support for web applications and database testing.

Agitator - Automated java unit testing tool from Agitar Software. Creates instances of classes being exercised, calling each method with selected, dynamically created sets of input data, and analyzing results. Stores all information in XML files; works with Eclipse and a variety of IDEs

PMD - Open source tool scans Java code for potential bugs, dead code, duplicate code, etc. - works with a variety of configurable and modifiable rulesets. Integrates with a wide variety of IDE's.

JLint - Open source static analysis tool will check Java code and find bugs, inconsistencies and synchronization problems by doing data flow analysis and building the lock graph.

Lint4j - A static Java source and byte code analyzer that detects locking and threading issues, performance and scalability problems, and checks complex contracts such as Java serialization by performing type, data flow, and lock graph analysis. Eclipse, Ant and Maven plugins available.

FindBugs - Open source static analysis tool to inspect Java bytecode for occurrences of bug patterns, such as difficult language features, misunderstood API methods, misunderstood invariants when code is modified during maintenance, garden variety mistakes such as typos, use of the wrong boolean, etc. Can report false warnings, generally less than 50%.

CheckStyle - Open source tool for checking code layout issues, class design problems, duplicate code, bug patterns, and much more.

Java Development Tools - Java coverage, metrics, profiler, and clone detection tools from Semantic Designs.

AppPerfect Test Studio - Suite of testing, tuning, and monitoring products for java development from AppPerfect Corp. Includes: Unit Tester, Code Analyzer, Java/J2EE Profiler and other modules.

GJTester - Java unit, regression, and contract (black box) test tool from TreborSoft. Enables test case and test script development without programming. Test private and protected functions, and server application's modules, without implementing test clients, regression testing for JAVA VM upgrades. Useful for testing CORBA, RMI, and other server technologies as well. GUI interface emphasizing ease of use.

QFTest - A cross-platform system and load testing tool from Quality First Software with support for for Java GUI test automation (Swing, Eclipse/SWT, Webstart, Applets, ULC). Includes small-scale test management capabilities, capture/replay mechanism, intuitive user interface and extensive documentation, reliable component recognition and can handle complex and custom GUI objects, integrated test debugger and customizable reporting.

Cactus - A simple open-source test framework for unit testing server-side java code (Servlets, EJBs, Tag Libs, Filters, etc.). Intent is to allow fine-grained continuous testing of all files making up an application: source code but also meta-data files (such as deployment descriptors, etc) through an in-container approach. It uses JUnit and extends it. Typically use within your IDE, or from the command line, using Ant. From Apache Software Foundation.

JUnitPerf - Allows performance testing to be dynamically added to existing JUnit tests. Enables quick composition of a performance test suite, which can then be run automatically and independent of other JUnit tests. Intended for use where there are performance/scalability requirements that need re-checking while refactoring code. By Mike Clark/Clarkware Consulting, licensed under the BSD License.

Koalog Code Coverage - Code coverage analyzer for Java applications from Koalog SARL. Includes: in-process or remote coverage computation, capability of working directly on Java method binaries (no recompilation), predefined (XML, HTML, LaTex, CSV, TEXT) or custom report generation, and session merging to allow compilation of overall results for distinct executions. Integrates with Ant and JUnit.

Abbot Java GUI Test Framework - Testing framework by Timothy Wall provides automated event generation and validation of Java GUI components, improving upon the very basic functions provided by the java.awt.Robot class. (Abbot = "A Better 'Bot'). The framework may be invoked directly from Java code or accessed without programming through the use of scripts via 'Costello', a script editor/recorder. Suitable for use both by developers for unit tests and QA for functional testing. Free - available under the GNU Lesser General Public License

JUnit - Framework to write repeatable java unit tests - a regression testing framework written by Erich Gamma and Kent Beck. For use by developers implementing unit tests in Java. Free Open Source Software released under the IBM Public License and hosted on SourceForge. Site includes a large collection of extensions and documentation.

jfcUnit - Framework for developing automated testing of Java Swing-based applications at the UI layer (as opposed to testing at lower layers, for which JUnit may be sufficient). Provides recording and playback capabilities. Also available as plugins for JBuilder and Eclipse. Free Open Source Software from SourceForge site.

JBench - Freeware Java benchmarking framework to compare algorithms, virtual machines, etc. for speed. Available as binary distribution (including documentation), source distribution, or jar file.

Clover - Code coverage tool for Java from Cenqua. Fully integrated plugin for NetBeans, JBuilder, and other IDE's. Seamless integration with projects using Apache ANT. View coverage data in XML, HTML, PDF, or via a Swing GUI.

JCover - Java code test coverage analysis tool from Codework Limited. Works with source or compiled files. Gathers coverage measures of branches, statements, methods, classes, file, package and produces reports in multiple formats. Coverage difference comparison between runs. Coverage API provided.

Structure101 - Java source code visualization tool from Headway Software. Lets user understand, measure, and control architecture, design, composition, and dependencies of code base. Analyzes byte code and shows all dependencies, at all levels and between all levels; method, class, package, application. Measures code complexity using a measurement framework called XS. For Windows, Linux and Mac OS X.

Java Tool Suite from Man Machine Systems - Includes JStyle, a Java source analyzer to generate code comments and metrics such as inheritance depth, Cyclomatic Number, Halstead Measures, etc; JPretty reformats Java code according to specified options; JCover test coverage analyzer; JVerify Java class/API testing tool uses an invasive testing model allowing access to internals of Java objects from within a test script and utilizes a proprietary OO scripting language; JMSAssert, a tool and technique for writing reliable software; JEvolve, an intelligent Java code evolution analyzer that automatically analyzes multiple versions of a Java program and shows how various classes have evolved across versions; can 'reason' about selective need for regression testing Java classes; JBrowser class browser; JSynTest, a syntax testing tool that automatically builds a Java-based test data generator.

JProbe Suite - Collection of Java debugging tools from Quest Software; includes JProbe Profiler and JProbe Memory Debugger for finding performance bottlenecks and memory leaks, LProbe Coverage code coverage tool, and JProbe Threadalyzer for finding deadlocks, stalls, and race conditions. JProfiler freeware version available.

Krakatau Professional for Java - Software metrics tool from Power Software includes more than 70 OO, procedural, complexity, and size metrics related to reusability, maintainability, testability, and clarity. Includes Cyclomatic Complexity, Enhanced Cyclomatic Complexity, Halstead Software Science metrics, LOC metrics and MOOD metrics. Has online advisor for quality improvement.

OptimizeIt - Profiler, thread debugger, and code coverage tool suite from Borland (formerly from VMGear).

Jtest - ParaSoft's Jtest is an integrated, automatic unit testing and standards compliance tool for Java. It automatically generates and executes JUnit tests and checks whether code follows 400 coding standards and can automatically correct for many.

DevPartner Java Edition - Compuware's (formerly NuMega) debugging/productivity tool to detect and diagnose Java bugs and memory and performance problems; thread and event analysis, coverage analysis. Integrates with several Java IDE's.

VTune - Intel's performance tuning tool for applications running on Intel processors; includes Java support. Includes suggestions for optimization techniques.

TCAT for Java - Part of Software Research's TestWorks suite of test tools; code coverage analyzer and code analysis for Java; written in Java.

Open Source code analyzers listing - A listing of open source Java code analysis tools written in Java.

Open Source code coverage tools listing - A listing of open source Java code analysis tools written in Java.

Open Source Java test tools listing - A listing of open source tools and frameworks for Java testing, written in Java.

Open Source web test tools listing - A listing of open source web test tools and frameworks written in Java.

(Note: some other tools in these listings also handle testing, management, or load testing of java applets, servlets, and applications, or are planning to add such capabilities. Check listed web sites for current information.)