Is there a C++ unit testing library that is similar to NUnit?

Question

We need to migrate a unit test harness developed with C# and NUnit to C++ running on Red Hat Linux.

We want to minimize the efforts in migration.

We are reading resources such as this:

http://gamesfromwithin.com/exploring-the-c-unit-testing-framework-jungle

But we don't see anything similar to NUnit.

Answer 1

We use Google Mock and Google Test. Having never used NUnit, though, I can't comment on how similar it is to NUnit.

Answer 2

Have You considered using CppUnit?

Here is an overview on unit testing frameworks for C++.

Answer 3

And there's Boost.Test.

Answer 4

I recommend you try UnitTest++:
http://unittest-cpp.sourceforge.net/UnitTest++.html

I don't know if it is similar to NUnit, but it is powerful, elegant, and simple-to-use.

Answer 5

I use Boost.Test. I used to use CppUnit, but found that it works in a Java/Junit way as opposed to a C++ way. For example using setup and teardown methods instead of constructors and desctructors. Also the Test Case / Fixture support was a little laborious since C++ doesn't support reflection.

I found Boost.Test fitted better with the C++ code I was testing. It is also a lot more powerful. After a while I ported all my CppUnit tests to Boost.Test, this took about a day and I haven't looked back.

As far as I know the person behind cppunit also wrote cxxunit which is more C++esque.

Answer 6

There is a good one called CPPUnit. It started its life as a port of JUnit to C++ by Michael Feathers. I have worked with it and it is great. Note though, that unit testing in C++ is harder than in other languages.

Answer 7

Googletest is very similar in usage to xUnit. Googlemock is by far th best mocking framework for C++. The libraries are cross platform, have excellent documentation and an active user base. All you need is a compliant C++ compiler that can handle templates.

Michael Feathers, the original author of CppUnit, now recommends CppUnitLite, which is a bare bones framework. Once I have regaled him with the joys of Googlemock at ACCU 2010 I hope he'll embrace it :-)

Answer 8

You won't find anything very much like NUnit, unfortunately. Since C++ doesn't have the same strong reflection ability, the process for defining tests needs to be somewhat more explicit, rather than using attributes, as in NUnit.

I like cxxtest because it's easy to set up, and doesn't require manual test registration.

Answer 9

There is a relatively new kid on the block called WinUnit. I haven't had time to try it myself but it might be worth a look.

Answer 10

Expanding on Mark Bessey's answer: I really like cxxTest because it's just a set of C++ header files & Perl scripts. As long as you have a C++ compiler & Perl, it will work on nearly any system. It also has features to integrate with your IDE (although I haven't used them).

Also, here's a good article Exploring the C++ Unit Testing Framework Jungle. This post is potentially out of date (circa 2004), but gives a great summary of features & straight-up examples utilizing each of the following C++ unit testing frameworks:

• CppUnit
• Boost.Test
• CppUnitLite
• NanoCppUnit
• Unit++
• CxxTest