Josip Miskovic
Josip Miskovic

11 Best Unit Testing Books in 2023

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  • Understand the goal of unit testing
  • Design and write tests that target key areas of your code including the domain model
  • Develop professional-quality tests and test suites
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  • Use XCTest and Swift to write unit tests for all your code
  • Isolate and replace dependencies in legacy code written without tests
  • Practice safe refactoring that makes these tests possible
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  • Use TDD improve code quality
  • Master advanced C++ concepts while using TDD
  • Use various testing tools for C++ development
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  • Understand the mechanics of software change
  • Get legacy code into a test harness
  • Write tests that protect you against introducing new problems
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This is a list of the best Unit Testing books in 2023.

Unit testing is writing and running automated tests against individual pieces of code to verify that they work as expected.

The best Unit Testing books will teach you the basics of the practice, such as how to write and run tests, as well as more advanced topics like how to use mocking frameworks and TDD workflows.

Best Unit Testing books in 2023 are:

1. Unit Testing Principles, Practices, and Patterns

Best Unit Testing Book

1. Unit Testing Principles, Practices, and Patterns Book Cover

Unit Testing Principles, Practices, and Patterns is a practical guide to designing and writing high-quality unit tests.

You'll learn how to develop professional-quality tests and test suites while integrating testing throughout the application life cycle.

The book also covers integration testing and avoiding anti-patterns. With this book, you'll be able to improve your project quality and delivery speed by identifying bad code early in the development process.

Even though the examples are in C#, the author designed the book to be universal.

Authors: Vladimir Khorikov

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Topics covered

You will learn how to:

  • Understand the goal of unit testing
  • Design and write tests that target key areas of your code including the domain model
  • Develop professional-quality tests and test suites
  • Integrate testing throughout the application life cycle
  • Identify and avoid anti-patterns in unit testing
  • Implement modern best practices in unit testing
  • Automate your testing process to save time and money

Vladimir Khorikov: About the author

Vladimir Khorikov is a software engineer, Microsoft MVP, and author of several popular Pluralsight courses. He has been professionally involved in software development for over 15 years.

2. IOS Unit Testing by Example Xctest Tips and Techniques Using Swift

Best for IOS Developers

2. IOS Unit Testing by Example Book Cover

Unit Testing with XCTest and Swift is a practical guide that shows you how to write unit tests for your iOS code.

The book covers use of the XCTest framework to write unit tests for all of your code, including view controllers.

You'll also learn how to identify and isolate dependencies in legacy code, so that you can safely refactor it.

By the end of this book, you'll be able to make even the boldest changes with confidence, knowing that your code is always verified quickly and automatically.

Authors: Jon Reid

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Topics covered

You will learn how to:

  • Use XCTest and Swift to write unit tests for all your code
  • Isolate and replace dependencies in legacy code written without tests
  • Practice safe refactoring that makes these tests possible
  • Use code coverage to find holes in your test suites
  • Identify hard dependencies in your code
  • Reshape the design of your code quickly and with less risk

Jon Reid: About the author

Jon Reid is a software engineer and technical agile coach at Industrial Logic. He is a leading expert in unit testing and test-driven development (TDD) for iOS, and has been practicing TDD on Apple platforms since 2001. His blog Quality Coding focuses on technical agile practices for iOS developers, including unit testing, TDD, and refactoring.

3. Modern C++ Programming with Test-Driven Development Code Better, Sleep Better

Best Book for C++ programmers

3. Modern C++ Programming with Test-Driven Development Book Cover

The Modern C++ Programming with Test-Driven Development book is a comprehensive treatment on TDD in C++ which provides you with everything you need to know about TDD, and the challenges and benefits of implementing it in your C++ systems.

It takes you step-by-step from TDD basics to advanced concepts with many detailed code examples.

This book will teach you how to use TDD to improve your legacy C++ systems while using modern C++11 features that facilitate TDD.

You'll also find out how to grow and sustain TDD in your team.

This book is for experienced C++ programmers.

Authors: Jeff Langr

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Topics covered

You will learn how to:

  • Use TDD improve code quality
  • Master advanced C++ concepts while using TDD
  • Use various testing tools for C++ development
  • Discover best practices for growing and sustaining a TDD culture in your team
  • Avoid common C++ pitfalls when doing TDD

4. Working Effectively with Legacy Code

4. Working Effectively with Legacy Code Book Cover

Unit tests are crucial for legacy code.

If you're struggling with legacy code, this book offers start-to-finish strategies and techniques to help you get your code under control.

The book draws on material from the author's renowned Object Mentor seminars and includes examples in Java, C++, C, and C#.

You'll learn how to accurately identify where changes need to be made, work with program elements in isolation, and make safer changes. The book also includes a catalog of twenty-four dependency-breaking techniques.

Authors: Michael Feathers

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Topics covered

You will learn how to:

  • Understand the mechanics of software change
  • Get legacy code into a test harness
  • Write tests that protect you against introducing new problems
  • Identify where code changes need to be made
  • Coping with legacy systems that aren't object-oriented
  • Handling applications that don't seem to have any structure
  • Use dependency-breaking techniques to work with program elements in isolation
  • Make safer changes.

5. The Art of Unit Testing With examples in C#

Best Unit Testing Book for C# developers

5. The Art of Unit Testing Book Cover

The Art of Unit Testing provides you with a step-by-step guide on how to write unit tests for your C# code.

You will learn how to use stubs and mock objects to break dependencies, as well as how to integrate unit testing into your organization.

Additionally, the book takes a look at legacy code and design patterns that make unit testing difficult, and provides solutions.

If you want to learn how to create readable, maintainable, and trustworthy unit tests, then this book is for you.

Authors: Roy Osherove

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Topics covered

You will learn how to:

  • Understand the basics of unit testing
  • Understand stubs and how to use them to break dependencies
  • Use interaction testing and mock objects
  • Gain an understanding of isolation (mocking) frameworks
  • Refactor legacy code
  • Discover best practices for creating readable, maintainable, and trustworthy tests.

6. Test-driven Development By Example

6. Test-driven Development Book Cover

The Test-driven Development (TDD) book is a proven set of techniques that encourages simple designs and test suites that inspire confidence in your code.

The TDD book helps you to write reliable, bug-free code no matter what the level of complexity.

The methodology of the book is very rigid, so it's the best to cherry-pick approaches that are the best for your projects.

Authors: Kent Beck

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Topics covered

You will learn how to:

  • Write clean, well-tested code
  • Understand the principles of TDD and how to apply them
  • Gain familiarity with xUnit testing tools
  • Write tests for complex code, including reflection and exceptions
  • Use patterns to decide what tests to write

Kent Beck: About the author

Kent Beck is the creator of extreme programming and one of the foremost authorities on software engineering. He is the author of several books, including "Test-Driven Development: By Example," "Extreme Programming Explained," and "The Clean Coder."

7. Android Test-Driven Development by Tutorials (Second Edition) Learn Android TDD by Building Real-World Apps

Best for Java and Android Developers

7. Android Test-Driven Development by Tutorials (Second Edition) Book Cover

Android Test-Driven Development is a guide for intermediate Android developers who want to learn how to write testable apps using the Android Testing Support Library and Espresso.

The book covers unit testing, integration testing, and architecting for testing, as well as how to apply TDD to legacy projects.

You'll also learn about the different types of tests and how to organize them, code coverage, and refactoring.

By the end of the book, you'll be prepared to take advantage of Android Test-Driven Development in your own apps!

Authors: Lance Gleason, Victoria Gonda, Fernando Sproviero

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Topics covered

You will learn how to:

  • Apply different types of tests and how to organize them
  • Understand the Red-Green-Refactor steps and how to apply them
  • Start writing unit tests with TDD using JUnit and Mockito
  • Write tests with different subsystems including the persistence and network layers
  • Explore how to architect your app for testing and why it matters

8. xUnit Test Patterns Refactoring Test Code

8. xUnit Test Patterns Book Cover

xUnit Test Patterns is a guide to automated testing using the xUnit framework.

It covers everything from test strategy to in-depth test coding, and includes frequently encountered problems and their solutions.

The book is divided into three parts:

  • a tutorial on test automation,
  • a catalog of test smells, and
  • a description of each pattern.

The code samples are in multiple programming languages.

Authors: Gerard Meszaros

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Topics covered

You will learn how to:

  • Apply basics of unit testing and how it can improve your development process
  • Understand the different types of automated tests and when to use them
  • Discover how to write cleaner, more maintainable code with xUnit Test Patterns
  • Gain insight into best practices for agile development and test automation

Gerard Meszaros: About the author

Gerard Meszaros is the author of two best-selling books on unit testing: " xUnit Test Patterns: Refactoring Test Code" and " xUnit Test Patterns:Effective Unit Testing Techniques for Java Developers". He is also the author of " Object-Oriented Analysis and Design with Applications (3rd Edition) ", and a frequent contributor to IBM DeveloperWorks.

9. Learning Test-Driven Development A Polyglot Guide to Writing Uncluttered Code

9. Learning Test-Driven Development Book Cover

If you want to learn how to use test-driven development (TDD) with three different languages, this book is for you.

Author Saleem Siddiqui shows you how to tame domain complexity using a unit test-driven approach.

TDD partitions requirements into small, implementable features, enabling you to solve problems irrespective of the languages and frameworks you use.

With Learning Test-Driven Development at your side, you'll learn how to incorporate TDD into your regular coding practice.

You can use this book to write clean, uncluttered code using TDD in Go, JavaScript, and Python.

Authors: Saleem Siddiqui

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Topics covered

You will learn how to:

  • Use TDD with three different languages
  • Understand how TDD works across languages, testing frameworks, and domain concepts
  • Use TDD with continuos integration
  • Support refactoring and redesign with TDD
  • Write clean, uncluttered code using TDD in Go, JavaScript, and Python.
  • Set up a continuous integration environment with the unit tests produced during TDD.
  • Use TDD's divide-and-conquer approach to tame domain complexity.

10. Crafting Test-Driven Software with Python Write test suites that scale with your applications' needs and complexity using Python and PyTest

Best for Python Developers

10. Crafting Test-Driven Software with Python Book Cover

Python is a powerful language that allows you to embrace all modern testing practices with ease.

This book shows you how to apply TDD effectively in Python projects.

You’ll begin by learning about built-in unit tests and Mocks before covering rich frameworks like PyTest and web-based libraries such as WebTest and Robot Framework, discovering how Python allows you to embrace all modern testing practices with ease.

Moving on, you’ll find out how to design tests and balance them with new feature development and learn how to create a complete test suite with PyTest. The book helps you adopt a hands-on approach to implementing TDD and associated methodologies that will have you up and running in no time.

With the help of step-by-step explanations of essential concepts and practical examples, you’ll explore automatic tests and TDD best practices and get to grips with the methodologies and tools available in Python for creating effective and robust applications.

By the end of this book, you will be able to write reliable test suites in Python to ensure the long-term resilience of your application using the range of libraries offered by Python for testing and development.

If you are a Python developer looking to get started with test-driven development or want to learn about the testing tools available in Python, then Crafting Test-Driven Software with Python book is for you.

Basic knowledge of Python programming is required.

Authors: Alessandro Molina

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Topics covered

You will learn how to:

  • Use unit testing to your benefit
  • Understand how to design and write effective unit tests
  • Get to grips with popular Python testing frameworks
  • Discover how to use automated testing tools to ensure fault-tolerant applications

Alessandro Molina: About the author

Alessandro Molina is a software engineer with more than 15 years of experience in Python development. He has always been interested in Python as a Web Development Platform and is the author of two books on unit testing with Python, "Python Unit Testing" and "More Python Unit Testing"

11. Mastering React Test-Driven Development Build rock-solid, well-tested web apps with React, Redux and GraphQL

Best for React Developers

11. Mastering React Test-Driven Development Book Cover
React has taken the web development world by storm, and with good reason - it allows developers to create complex user interfaces with ease. However, testing React applications can be a challenge.

This React book provides step-by-step instructions for building test-driven React applications from the ground up.

You'll learn how to use Jest and Enzyme to write effective tests, and how to structure your code for testability.

Moreover, you'll also learn how to use React Router, Redux, and Relay (GraphQL) in your applications.

The book is fully up to date with React 16.9 and has in-depth coverage of hooks and the 'act' test helper.

Whether you're just getting started with React or you're looking to level up your testing skills, this book is for you.

Authors: Daniel Irvine

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Topics covered

You will learn how to:

  • Understand the TDD process
  • Use Jest for unit testing
  • Test drive React components and libraries
  • Use Cucumber.js and Puppeteer for acceptance testing
  • Understand when to be pragmatic while using TDD shortcuts
  • Build and test async Redux code using redux-saga and expect-redux.

Daniel Irvine: About the author

Daniel Irvine is an author and software engineer. He has written several books on software engineering and unit testing, and is a regular contributor to developer publications such as InfoQ and the IEEE Software magazine.

Conclusion

Unit Testing Principles, Practices, and Patterns is the best book to learn unit testing practices, patterns, and principles.

Which Unit Testing book is the best for me?

The best book on Unit Testing depends on your level of expertise and experience:

  • If you are a React Developer looking to level up your testing skills, read Mastering React Test-Driven Development by Daniel Irvine.
  • If you are a Python Developer looking to get started with Test-Driven Development, read Crafting Test-Driven Software with Python by Alessandro Molina.
  • If you are IOS Developer, IOS Unit Testing by Example by Jon Reid is the best book for you.
  • If you are an Android Developer, read Android Unit Testing by J.D. Glaser.
  • If you want to learn Unit Testing, read Test-Driven Development by Kent Beck.

FAQ on Unit Testing Books

What is test-driven development?

Test-driven Development (TDD) is a software development practice that relies on the repetition of a very short development cycle: first, the developer writes a failing test, then produces code to make the test pass, and finally refactors the new code to meet the original requirements.

Josip Miskovic
About Josip

Josip Miskovic is a software developer at Americaneagle.com. Josip has 10+ years in experience in developing web applications, mobile apps, and games.

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