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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Unitary?​

Unitary is a modern PHP testing framework built around evidence-driven testing, deterministic execution, and extreme performance. It is designed to make tests fast, explicit, and trustworthy without configuration or plugins.

Is Unitary based on PHPUnit?​

No.

Unitary is a standalone framework built from the ground up. It does not wrap, extend, or depend on PHPUnit or any other legacy testing tool.

What does “Evidence-Driven Testing” mean?​

It means tests produce concrete, inspectable evidence:

  • The exact input that was tested
  • The validation that failed
  • Why it failed
  • Where it failed

Failures are reported with full context, not abstract assertion messages.

Does Unitary replace assertions?​

No. It reframes how they are used.

  • Validations are used to verify behavior and continue execution
  • Native assert() is supported as a strict halt when a condition must not be violated

This gives you control over when tests should stop and when they should continue collecting evidence.

Can I still write unit tests?​

Yes.

Unitary supports:

  • Unit tests
  • Integration tests
  • Controlled execution with real classes
  • Mocked and wrapped dependencies

The framework does not force a testing style. It enforces clarity.

How does mocking work?​

Mocking is built in.

You can:

  • Mock or wrap real classes
  • Override specific methods
  • Keep original behavior where needed
  • Define expectations, return values, and call counts

Mocks are isolated per test group and never leak state.

Is Unitary fast enough for large test suites?​

Yes.

Unitary routinely executes 100,000+ validations per second with low memory usage. Performance comes from a minimal core and deterministic execution, not concurrency tricks.

Does Unitary support CI?​

Yes.

Features include:

  • JUnit XML output
  • Deterministic execution
  • Stable failure reporting
  • Low memory footprint

CI behavior matches local execution.

Do I need configuration files?​

No.

Unitary works out of the box:

  • Automatic test discovery
  • Sensible defaults
  • Optional central config if needed

Configuration is supported, not required.

Can I run individual tests?​

Yes.

You can:

  • Run specific files or directories
  • Target tests by hash
  • Use debug mode for detailed output

Is Unitary production-safe?​

Yes.

Unitary:

  • Runs tests in full isolation
  • Does not modify application state outside test scope
  • Includes dependency and vulnerability inspection tools

It is safe to use in local development and CI pipelines.

Is Unitary opinionated?​

Yes — deliberately.

Unitary prioritizes:

  • Determinism over magic
  • Evidence over abstraction
  • Speed over compatibility
  • Clarity over flexibility

If those align with how you work, Unitary fits well.