testify
A Go testing toolkit with readable assertions, mocks, and test suites that work with the standard library.
- Stars
- 26.2k
- Forks
- 1.9k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- Go
- Last update
- 18 days ago
- Type
- Library
What it is
Testify is a set of Go packages that help you check that your code behaves as you expect. It offers an assert package with readable checks that print clear failure messages, a require package that stops a test on failure, a mock package for stand-in objects, and a suite package for grouping tests as structs. It plugs into Go's built-in go test command.
- Write test assertions like assert.Equal and assert.Nil with optional failure messages
- Replace a dependency with a mock object and verify the expected calls happened
- Group related tests into a suite with setup methods that run before each test
- Generate mock code from interfaces using the mockery tool mentioned in the README
Great for
- Go developers who want more readable test assertions than the standard library provides
- Teams writing unit tests that depend on external interfaces and need mock objects
- Developers who want to organize related tests with setup and teardown methods
Not ideal for
- Projects not written in Go, since it is a Go-only library
- People looking for a standalone application or end-user tool
- Anyone needing parallel suite tests, because the README says the suite package does not support them (issue #934)
How to get it
- 1
Install with a package manager
You'll need: Go
Install testify
go get github.com/stretchr/testify - 2
Run it
- Install the package with go get as shown above
- Import github.com/stretchr/testify/assert in a _test.go file
- Write a function named TestSomething that takes *testing.T and calls assert functions
- Run go test to see the results
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Use require instead of assert when a failed check should stop the test immediately
- Use assert.New(t) to avoid repeating the t argument across many assertions
- Add testifylint through golangci-lint to catch common mistakes, as the README suggests
- Use mock.Anything as a placeholder for arguments that change between runs
Downloads
Strengths
- Produces friendly, easy-to-read failure descriptions
- Works with Go's normal go test command and testing.T
- Widely used, with a long-established API and an MIT license
Trade-offs
- The README says v1 is maintained without breaking changes, and a v2 is only under discussion
- The suite package does not support parallel tests
- Mocks are written by hand unless you add a separate generator such as mockery
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| testify (this) | 26.2k | Library | beginner | 18 days ago | Go developers who want more readable test assertions than the standard library provides |
| mockito | 15.5k | Library | beginner | 8 days ago | Java developers writing unit tests for classes with external dependencies |
| chromedp | 13.3k | Library | intermediate | 4 days ago | Go developers who want to automate or test web pages in code |
| learn-go-with-tests | 23.9k | Learning resource | beginner | 11 days ago | Developers who are new to Go and want a guided, hands-on tutorial |
| imgui | 76.9k | Library | intermediate | 6 days ago | Game developers who want an in-engine debug or tools panel |
| bubbletea | 45.6k | Library | intermediate | 5 days ago | Go developers who want to build interactive command-line tools with a visual interface |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.