Einingarprófun

Einingarprófun, often translated as unit testing, is a software testing method where individual units of source code—the smallest testable parts of an application—are isolated and tested to determine whether they are fit for use. A unit is typically a function, a procedure, a method, or a particular data structure. The goal of unit testing is to validate that each unit of the software performs as designed.

The process involves writing code that calls the unit being tested and then checks if the results are as expected. Developers usually write unit tests during the development process. This approach helps to catch bugs early in the development cycle, making them cheaper and easier to fix. Unit tests are also valuable for documenting the intended behavior of a unit and for providing a safety net when refactoring code, as they can quickly identify if a change has broken existing functionality.

Tools known as unit testing frameworks are commonly used to automate the process. These frameworks provide a structure for writing and running tests, as well as for reporting on their results. Popular examples include JUnit for Java, NUnit for .NET, and pytest for Python. When a unit test fails, it indicates a defect in the code that needs to be addressed. Conversely, when all unit tests pass, it provides a degree of confidence in the correctness of the individual units, though it does not guarantee the absence of all bugs in the larger system.