What is the difference between mock and stub testing?

What is the difference between mock and stub testing?

Mock testing and stub testing are both techniques used in unit testing, but they serve different purposes. Stubs are used to simulate the behavior of components that a unit under test depends on, providing predefined responses. Mocks, on the other hand, are used to verify interactions between the unit under test and its dependencies, ensuring that certain methods are called with expected parameters.

Can you give me an example of when to use a mock?

Sure! If you're testing a service that makes an API call, you might use a mock to simulate the API response. This way, you can test how your service handles the response without actually making the network call.

And what about stubs? When should I use them?

You would use stubs when you want to isolate the unit of work from its dependencies. For example, if your function relies on a database call, you can use a stub to return a fixed dataset instead of querying the actual database.

Are there any tools that can help with mock and stub testing?

Yes, there are several tools available! For Java, you can use Mockito for creating mocks and stubs. In JavaScript, libraries like Sinon.js are popular for similar purposes.