Top 10 BDD Testing Tools
Behavior driven development (BDD) is a crucial methodology that bridges communication between technical teams and business stakeholders in software development. BDD tools are essential to define and test application features using various programming languages. These tools ensure effective communication and align software functionalities for your business needs. BDD tools are revolutionizing software testing by facilitating collaboration among team members and enabling efficient test automation.
This blog will explore the top 10 BDD tools that stand out in the industry. Each tool has unique characteristics, making it an essential part of modern software development and testing processes. Join us as we explore these tools to streamline software testing workflows.
10 BDD Tools For Your Testing Efforts
1. ACCELQ
ACCELQ is an AI-powered continuous automation testing platform. This platform supports Behavior driven development (BDD) to write tests using reusable commands and auto-generate test cases based on test data. The platform can pre-build process flows that emulate the underlying app behavior. This platform is capable of performing test automation without requiring any custom frameworks. ACCELQ Live is a revolutionary approach to business assurance in a multi-cloud packaged app environment.
Features:
- This platform offers no-code test automation, enabling users to increase testing performance significantly. ACCELQ allows teams to develop automation test logic in plain English, making it accessible to technical and non-technical people who may not have advanced programming skills.
- ACCELQ’s Universe is a visual blueprint of the application that drives automation across the quality lifecycle with a business process focus. It allows for the development of test scenarios with predictive analytics.
- The analytic runtime engine of this platform adapts intelligently to unexpected application changes, ensuring reliable test execution. This design-first approach ensures robust element identification with the help of Artificial Intelligence technologies.
- ACCELQ integrates API and UI testing into a single flow, enabling end-to-end test validation. This feature supports testing across multiple platforms, browsers, and devices.
- This platform integrates natively with CI/CD tools like Jira and Jenkins, ensuring that test automation is an integral process in the development lifecycle. ACCELQ can redefine traceability with an intelligent, connected test repository.
Website Link: https://www.accelq.com/
2. Cucumber
Cucumber is an open-source BDD testing tool. It was initially written in Ruby language, and at present, it supports different programming languages. The tool supports the Ruby language, so developers must install its development kit. This tool supports parallel testing and integrates with various testing frameworks. However, Cucumber supports only web environments. This tool uses Gherkin to write test scenarios.
Features:
- Cucumber supports programming languages like Ruby, Java, Python, and more. This tool makes it accessible and useful for multiple development teams.
- This tool uses the Gherkin language with keywords to write test scenarios. The keywords (Given, When, Then) allow easy understanding and writing behavior specifications.
- Cucumber seamlessly integrates with several testing frameworks like JUnit and TestNG. This integration facilitates the incorporation of BDD into existing testing environments and workflows.
- This tool supports parallel testing, crucial for accelerating the testing process, especially in large and complex software projects.
- Cucumber provides reporter plugins to produce reports containing information about scenarios that have passed or failed. A few plugins are built-in, while others have to be installed separately.
Website Link: https://cucumber.io
3. Specflow
SpecFlow is a BDD framework for .NET. This framework helps you to write, share, and download the feature files with your team through its online Gherkin editor. SpecFlow uses human-readable descriptions of software requirements as a base for testing to form a shared understanding. This framework practices BDD to assist teams in filling in the blanks while defining requirements. It uses a common language called Gherkin to avoid confusion among team members since each person can have a different point of view. SpecFlow helps you combine test case documentation along with the test automation results.
Features:
- SpecFlow is specifically designed for the .NET framework, making it a suitable BDD tool for developers working in this environment. It helps developers to be productive by writing feature files and automation code in their favorite IDE using C# and .NET methods.
- This framework utilizes an online Gherkin editor to write, share, and download feature files with your team. It helps to edit Gherkin feature files within the browser without installation and share them with your team by just sharing a link.
- SpecFlow integrates with various CI/CD tools such as Buddy, CloudBees, GoCD, and more. Buddy runs in customizable containers with over twenty ready-to-use environments for the most popular languages and frameworks. CloudBees helps developers secure workflows by reinforcing consistency till delivering the software. GoCD helps you troubleshoot a broken pipeline by tracking every change from commit to deployment in real time.
- This framework provides living documentation, which combines test case documentation with test automation results. Hence, test reports are generated quickly.
- SpecFlow bridges the gap between non-technical and technical team members by following Gherkin, a common language. This shared understanding helps prevent misunderstandings among teams.
Website Link: https://specflow.org
4. JBehave
JBehave is a Java-based framework that supports BDD. It is ideal for Java-based enterprises who like to specify and run text-based user stories. User stories are scenarios explaining what should happen when a particular behavior is encountered while using the application. The JBehave Core module enables running stories as JUnit tests. You can execute them in a command-line build supporting JUnit tests.
Features:
- User stories can be written using either JBehave syntax or Gherkin syntax. It can be specified as classpath resources or external URL-based resources.
- JBehave uses annotation-based binding of textual steps to Java methods, with auto-conversion of string arguments to any parameter type via custom parameter converters.
- User stories can be executed concurrently, specifying the number of concurrent threads. It can be documented via generic user-defined meta information that allows easy story filtering and organization into story maps.
- This framework supports Groovy scripting for writing configuration and Step instances.
- JBehave executes user stories in HTML, TXT, and XML. You can run JUnit tests or other annotation-based unit test frameworks with your favorite IDE.
Website Link: https://jbehave.org
5. FitNesse
FitNesse is an open-source testing tool. The wiki pages created in FitNesse are run as tests. The application can be tested against the specifications, resulting in a roundtrip between specifications and implementation. FitNesse is an integrated standalone wiki and acceptance testing framework.
Features:
- The wiki syntax is minimalistic and helps you concentrate on the content. FitNesse has a rich-text editor for those who need to get into the wiki markup. The rich-text editor has extra features to support table creation and modification, something you’ll love when creating test tables.
- FitNesse can test Web, GUI, and electronic components. This tool supports major programming languages and can automate the testing process.
- This wiki web server uses software requirements as test inputs, validating them with its actual software implementation.
- This testing tool comes as an all-in-one package. FitNesse setup is easy; download the application ( a java jar file and start it.) The wiki pages are stored as files, so there is no hassle with databases.
- FitNesse tests are mainly for customers, testing professionals, business analysts, support staff, management, and all other stakeholders who need evidence that the products produce a good return on investment. Hence, FitNesse can be considered to build the correct code.
Website Link: https://fitnesse.org
6. Concordian
Concordion can be used to write and manage automated acceptance tests in Java-based projects. Active software specification specifies the behavior of a feature. It provides a way to implement and verify it by connecting with the system under development. An active specification in Concordion consists of two parts:
1. A clear written requirement document can describe the desired functionality using XHTML. The XHTML-based specifications contain descriptions of the functionality provided with acceptance test examples.
2. Acceptance tests are written in Java language named fixture code. Tests are implemented using a Concordion extension of a standard JUnit test case. The Fixture Code is responsible for finding the example's data marked by a tag and using them to verify the software under development.
Concordion is a specification tool that hides scripting activity inside Java fixture code. This tool is used by product teams worldwide to deliver outstanding software and is maintained by a group of volunteers.
Features:
- Concordian can link to other specifications with color-coded output showing success, failure, or ignored status. The pages can be nested to form a hierarchical index with aggregated results.
- When you want to show several examples of application behavior, tables provide a concise alternative to repeat the same sentences. You can also verify a list of results against a table.
- Through Concordian, it is easy to add screenshots and logging details to report what test checks are going, making debugging easier.
- Testers can trace the stack trace when exceptions occur by clicking a button inside the specification.
- With less manual testing, you can focus more on exploratory testing using Concordian.
Website Link: https://concordion.org
7. Behat
Behat is an open-source Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) framework primarily designed for PHP. It is a tool aimed at supporting the delivery of software that matters through continuous communication, deliberate discovery, and test automation. Behat primarily focuses on developing the right system rather than verifying it later. It is achieved by facilitating and enriching the communication of requirements.
Features:
- Behat emphasizes enhancing the communication of requirements. It is designed to ensure that the development process aligns closely with the business needs and expectations, thereby building the right system.
- Built from the ground up for PHP, Behat integrates seamlessly with the PHP ecosystem. It heavily uses Symfony components, adheres to coding standards, and performs well in static analysis, making it a comfortable and familiar tool for PHP developers.
- Behat is highly extensible, allowing almost every framework aspect to be enhanced or replaced through its powerful extension system. This flexibility makes it adaptable to various testing needs and scenarios.
- The codebase’s compatibility with primary static analysis tools ensures high-quality, standard-compliant code, contributing to the overall reliability and maintainability of the software developed using Behat.
- Behat has a community presence and active participation on platforms like GitHub and Twitter. Their community support provides you with knowledge, extensions, and collaborative opportunities for users.
Website Link: https://docs.behat.org/en/latest
8. BeanSpec
BeanSpec is a Java-based BDD tool that handles complex specifications within its framework. It is designed to be used with Java-based IDEs like Eclipse and NetBeans, making it a suitable choice for Java development environments. BeanSpec stands out for its ability to manage intricate behavior specifications, providing a narrative style that simplifies defining component behavior.
Features:
- BeanSpec is tailored for Java environments, offering seamless integration with popular Java IDEs. This tool makes it a natural fit for Java development projects.
- The tool allows users to specify and summarize the behavior of components using a narrative style, which is easy to follow and understand.
- BeanSpec has an internal reporting feature, which can generate reports at the end of test execution runs.
- The tool employs a declarative language for specifying behavior, making it simple to handle complex specifications and ensuring clarity in defining component behavior.
- BeanSpec is helpful for various stakeholders in software development, including developers, testers, and business analysts.
Link: https://github.com/search?q=BeanSpec&type=commits
9. JDave
JDave is a Behavior driven development (BDD) framework that operates on top of JUnit for Java environments. JDave differentiates itself by being a specification engine where each scenario depicts the behavior of a class, unlike story runner frameworks like Cucumber. This approach makes JDave an effective tool for Java developers focused on specifying and testing behavior in a detailed and developer-centric manner.
Features:
- JDave’s integration with JUnit allows it to run efficiently in Java IDEs like Eclipse, making it a convenient choice for Java developers.
- It integrates with JMock2 and Hamcrest as the mocking framework and the matching library, respectively. This integration enhances its capability to mock objects and create flexible expressions of intent.
- Unlike typical story runner frameworks, JDave functions as a specification engine, focusing on the behavior of class objects. This framework makes it particularly useful for detailed behavior specification.
- JDave is designed with a developer-centric approach, encouraging writing a minor test case possible to match what is needed in a program. This approach is beneficial for developers focusing on behavior-driven specifications.
- The specifications of JDave are written in their own way, making it a user-friendly tool for Java developers.
Link: https://github.com/jdave/JDave
10. TestLeft
TestLeft is a functional UI testing tool designed for developers and advanced testers. This tool is mainly known for supporting Behavior driven development (BDD) methodologies, allowing teams to validate application quality without leaving their development ecosystem. TestLeft aims to facilitate a shift-left testing approach, enabling faster and more efficient software delivery.
Features:
- TestLeft features advanced object recognition capabilities and automatic application model generation, allowing quick and accurate functional UI testing.
- This tool includes built-in methods, templates, and support for unit testing frameworks like MSTest, NUnit, and TestNG, enhancing its integration with the DevOps ecosystem.
- TestLeft is designed to work seamlessly within IDEs, providing developers and testers with the tools and libraries they need to set up and run tests quickly.
- It offers detailed test reporting and analysis features, enabling faster debugging and effective communication of results to stakeholders.
- TestLeft encourages a shift-left approach in testing, allowing teams to run functional tests against Gherkin requirements using popular BDD frameworks.
Website Link: https://smartbear.com/product/testleft
Conclusion
The behavior driven development testing approach supports many tools designed for different programming languages and platforms. Yet, from the above range of BDD tools - ACCELQ doesn’t require any custom framework, while Cucumber supports Ruby framework, and SpecFlow supports .NET framework. Each of these tools, with its unique capabilities, enhances various aspects of the development process, from minimal programming skills to automating the testing process.
If you want an easy-to-use, no-code test automation tool, look at ACCELQ. It is the most suitable tool for BDD that empowers business users by allowing them to write action logic in plain English. To know more about our solutions, contact our team today.
Chaithanya M N
Content Writer
A curious individual who is eager to learn and loves to share her knowledge using simple conversational writing skills. While her calling is technology and reading up on marketing updates, she also finds time to pursue her interests in philosophy, dance and music.
