Einheitenprüfung

Einheitenprüfung, also known as unit testing, is a software testing method used by software developers to verify that individual units of source code, the smallest testable parts of an application, are working as expected. A unit is typically a function, a method, or a procedure. The primary goal of unit testing is to isolate and validate each component of the software to ensure it behaves correctly.

This type of testing is performed early in the development lifecycle, often as code is being written. Developers write test cases that exercise the specific functionality of a unit. These tests are automated, meaning they can be run repeatedly and quickly. When a unit test fails, it indicates a defect in the code that needs to be fixed immediately.

The benefits of unit testing include improved code quality, reduced debugging time, and easier maintenance. By catching errors early, developers can prevent them from propagating to other parts of the system. Unit tests also serve as documentation, illustrating how a particular unit of code is intended to be used. Popular unit testing frameworks exist for most programming languages, such as JUnit for Java, NUnit for .NET, and Pytest for Python, facilitating the creation and execution of these tests.