stubplease

Stubplease is a software development tool designed to automate the creation and management of code stubs across programming languages. It supports rapid prototyping by generating minimal, executable placeholders from interfaces, APIs, or specifications, allowing teams to focus on integration and testing rather than boilerplate.

Originating as an open‑source project on a collaborative platform, stubplease was created to standardize stub generation across languages. It offers language adapters, a templating system, and a command‑line interface that can be extended with plugins to fit project conventions.

Key features include cross‑language stub generation, configurable templates, type inference where available, integration with build and test pipelines, and change‑aware updates that reflect evolving interfaces. The tool supports Python, Java, TypeScript, and other ecosystems through modular adapters.

Typical usage involves defining an interface or API specification, running stubplease to generate stubs, and then implementing business logic or tests around those stubs. As interfaces evolve, the tool can regenerate stubs while preserving custom behavior through hooks and override files.

Reception has been mixed. Proponents cite faster scaffolding, clearer initial design, and improved onboarding for new contributors. Critics caution that generated stubs may mask incomplete implementations or drift from project conventions without careful review or governance.

See also: code scaffolding, OpenAPI Generator, test doubles.