unit-threaded
Advanced multi-threaded unit test framework for D with custom assertions, property-based testing, and mocking.
What is unit-threaded?
unit-threaded is an advanced unit test framework for the D programming language that extends D's built-in `unittest` blocks with features like named tests, custom assertions, multi-threaded execution, property-based testing, and mocking. It solves the limitations of D's default test runner by providing better organization, error reporting, and scalability for test suites.
D developers and teams building applications or libraries in D who need a robust, feature-rich testing framework to write expressive, maintainable, and parallelizable unit and integration tests.
Developers choose unit-threaded for its seamless integration with D's `unittest` blocks, fluent assertion syntax, and advanced features like property-based testing and mocking—all while maintaining compatibility with D's compile-time reflection and tooling like dub.
Overview
Advanced unit test framework for D
Use Cases
Best For
- Writing expressive unit tests with custom assertion syntax in D
- Running test suites in parallel to reduce execution time
- Property-based testing with generated inputs for D functions
- Mocking interfaces and structs in D unit tests
- Organizing tests with tags, setup/shutdown hooks, and serial execution
- Integration testing with isolated file system operations using sandbox environments
Not Ideal For
- Projects with strict build time constraints where additional dependencies and compile-time reflection overhead are unacceptable
- Teams relying on D's default unittest runner who want zero-configuration testing without manual module management
- Environments requiring extensive, production-ready mocking capabilities beyond the basic interface and struct support provided
Pros & Cons
Pros
Provides readable custom assertions like `1.should == 2`, improving test clarity and error messages as demonstrated in the README's examples.
Runs tests in threads by default for faster suite completion, with the `@Serial` attribute available for thread-safe tests when needed.
Supports UDAs such as `@Tags`, `@Setup`, and `@Shutdown` for fine-grained control over test execution and organization, reducing boilerplate.
Integrates property-based testing with the `check` function, allowing random input generation to validate function properties, though it's labeled as preliminary.
Cons
Requires manual listing of test modules or complex dub configurations, which the README admits can increase build times and have edge cases, making initial adoption tedious.
Fast compilation mode is labeled as experimental and lacks error reporting, indicating immaturity and potential instability for users needing quick builds.
Mocking support is basic compared to dedicated frameworks, requiring explicit expectation setting and verification, which might not scale for complex test scenarios.
Frequently Asked Questions
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