Explain the concept of code coverage and how it can be used to assess test quality

TL;DR

Code coverage is a metric that measures the percentage of code that is executed when the test suite runs. It helps in assessing the quality of tests by identifying untested parts of the codebase. Higher code coverage generally indicates more thorough testing, but it doesn't guarantee the absence of bugs. Tools like Istanbul or Jest can be used to measure code coverage.

What is code coverage?

Code coverage is a software testing metric that determines the amount of code that is executed during automated tests. It provides insights into which parts of the codebase are being tested and which are not.

Types of code coverage

1. Statement coverage: Measures the number of statements in the code that have been executed.
2. Branch coverage: Measures whether each branch (e.g., if and else blocks) has been executed.
3. Function coverage: Measures whether each function in the code has been called.
4. Line coverage: Measures the number of lines of code that have been executed.
5. Condition coverage: Measures whether each boolean sub-expression has been evaluated to both true and false.

Example

Consider the following JavaScript function:

function isEven(num) {
  if (num % 2 === 0) {
    return true;
  } else {
    return false;
  }
}

A test suite for this function might look like this:

test('isEven returns true for even numbers', () => {
  expect(isEven(2)).toBe(true);
});

test('isEven returns false for odd numbers', () => {
  expect(isEven(3)).toBe(false);
});

Running code coverage tools on this test suite would show 100% statement, branch, function, and line coverage because all parts of the code are executed.

How to measure code coverage

Tools

1. Istanbul: A popular JavaScript code coverage tool.
2. Jest: A testing framework that includes built-in code coverage reporting.
3. Karma: A test runner that can be configured to use Istanbul for code coverage.

Example with Jest

To measure code coverage with Jest, you can add the --coverage flag when running your tests:

jest --coverage

This will generate a coverage report that shows the percentage of code covered by your tests.

Assessing test quality with code coverage

Benefits

• Identifies untested code: Helps in finding parts of the codebase that are not covered by tests.
• Improves test suite: Encourages writing more comprehensive tests.
• Increases confidence: Higher coverage can increase confidence in the stability of the code.

Limitations

• False sense of security: High coverage does not guarantee the absence of bugs.
• Quality over quantity: 100% coverage does not mean the tests are of high quality. Tests should also check for edge cases and potential errors.

Further reading

• Istanbul documentation
• Jest code coverage
• Karma coverage