Microsoft.Testing.Platform: Unifying the .NET Testing Landscape

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Microsoft.Testing.Platform, launched a year ago alongside the MSTest Runner announcement, has rapidly become a cornerstone in the .NET testing landscape. This lightweight and portable alternative to VSTest has achieved a remarkable milestone, surpassing 20 million downloads. The platform’s success is largely attributed to its adoption by all major .NET test frameworks, including Expecto, MSTest, NUnit, TUnit, and xUnit.net.

Key Features and Benefits

The Microsoft.Testing.Platform stands out for its modular and extensible design, allowing developers to include only the necessary components and extend any part of the test execution process. Its core features include:

  • Portability: Designed to run anywhere .NET is supported, without additional dependencies.
  • Seamless Integration: Works smoothly with Visual Studio Test Explorer, VS Code Test Explorer in C# Dev Kit, Azure DevOps, and .NET SDK.
  • Open Source: Developers can contribute to the project through the microsoft/testfx GitHub repository.

Framework Integration

Expecto

Expecto, known for its focus on parallel and async testing, now supports the Microsoft.Testing.Platform through YoloDev.Expecto.TestSdk v0.15.0. Developers can enable this integration by setting specific properties in their project file.

MSTest

Microsoft’s own testing framework, MSTest, supports the new platform from version 3.2.0 onwards. It offers cross-platform capabilities and targets various .NET versions.

NUnit

With the release of version 5, NUnit3TestAdapter now integrates with Microsoft.Testing.Platform. NUnit continues to be a popular choice for all .NET languages.

TUnit

As a modern and flexible testing framework, TUnit is built entirely on top of Microsoft.Testing.Platform. It boasts support for Native AOT and Trimmed Single File applications.

xUnit.net

The latest version of xUnit.net (xunit.v3) now supports Microsoft.Testing.Platform, maintaining its position as a community-focused unit testing tool for .NET.

Looking Ahead

The widespread adoption of Microsoft.Testing.Platform signifies a significant shift in the .NET testing ecosystem. As the platform continues to evolve, it promises to empower developers further and foster innovation in testing methodologies.

The .NET community is encouraged to explore the platform, experiment with their preferred frameworks, and contribute to its ongoing development. With collaborative efforts from framework authors and the community, the future of .NET testing looks brighter than ever.

Read more such articles from our Newsletter here.

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