Node.js

Test Commands

Use Node.js's built-in test runner (node:test) for unit and integration testing. Available since Node 18, it provides describe/it syntax, assertions, and coverage without external dependencies.

7 commands

Pro Tips

Run tests with 'node --test' to discover and run all test files matching the default pattern.

Use 'node --test --watch' for automatic test re-runs during development.

Generate coverage: 'node --test --experimental-test-coverage' — no Istanbul or c8 needed.

Common Mistakes

Node's built-in test runner is stable since Node 20. On Node 18, some features are experimental.

The built-in runner is simpler than Jest/Vitest. For mocking, snapshots, or complex setups, external tools may still be needed.

Commands

Run tests

$ node --test

Run test files (*.test.js pattern).

Filter tests by name

$ node --test --test-name-pattern='user'

Run only tests matching pattern.

Test with coverage

$ node --test --experimental-test-coverage

Generate test coverage report.

TAP reporter

$ node --test --test-reporter=tap

Output in TAP format (spec, dot, json, junit).

Coverage thresholds

$ node --test --experimental-test-coverage --test-coverage-lines=80

Set minimum line coverage threshold.

Update snapshots

$ node --test --test-update-snapshots

Update test snapshot files.

Spec reporter

$ node --test --test-reporter=spec

Output tests with spec reporter (human-readable).