James Bender

Yes, You Need to Unit Test your JavaScript. Here's How.

Stop the slow slog to the end. Learn how TDD creates a safety net, letting you build and refactor with confidence.

Yes, You Need to Unit Test your JavaScript. Here's How.
#1about 7 minutes

Why developers avoid unit testing JavaScript

Common excuses for not unit testing are addressed by framing tests as a long-term investment that prevents project slowdowns.

#2about 5 minutes

Understanding the Test-Driven Development workflow

TDD inverts the traditional development process by using specifications to write automated tests before writing the implementation code.

#3about 7 minutes

The core characteristics of a good unit test

Effective unit tests are isolated from dependencies, targeted to a single scenario, and repeatable regardless of external factors.

#4about 5 minutes

Applying the red-green-refactor TDD cycle

The core TDD loop involves writing a failing test (red), writing minimal code to pass it (green), and then improving the code's design (refactor).

#5about 2 minutes

Choosing a JavaScript testing framework: Jest vs Jasmine

Jest is recommended over Jasmine primarily for its performance benefits, as it runs tests in a multi-threaded environment.

#6about 8 minutes

Writing your first basic unit test with Jest

A live coding demonstration introduces the basic Jest syntax, including the `test`, `expect`, and `toBe` functions for a simple sum operation.

#7about 14 minutes

Live coding a Tic-Tac-Toe game using TDD

This demonstration builds a simple game engine by following the red-green-refactor cycle and using BDD-style tests with `describe` and `it`.

#8about 2 minutes

Practical next steps for adopting unit testing

Actionable advice for teams includes starting with new features, practicing daily, sharing knowledge, and measuring code coverage.

#9about 9 minutes

Audience Q&A on testing strategies

Questions from the audience are answered, covering topics like integration testing in React, handling front-end tests, and involving product teams.

Related jobs
Jobs that call for the skills explored in this talk.

Featured Partners

Related Videos

See all videos
How to TDD in legacy code45:43

How to TDD in legacy code

Gil Zilberfeld

Test Driven Development with JavaScript1:42:16

Test Driven Development with JavaScript

Sascha Depold & Parinaz Roghany

Catching up on the basics you don't really need that much code14:44

Catching up on the basics you don't really need that much code

Chris Heilmann

10 must-know design patterns for JS Devs28:13

10 must-know design patterns for JS Devs

Erick Wendel

How to Stop Choosing JavaScript Frameworks and Start Living43:57

How to Stop Choosing JavaScript Frameworks and Start Living

Sasha Shynkevich

The Eventloop in JavaScript - How does it work?30:36

The Eventloop in JavaScript - How does it work?

Christian Woerz

Watch Tests Go Brrrr! : Getting Started with Cypress in ReactJS53:45

Watch Tests Go Brrrr! : Getting Started with Cypress in ReactJS

Anna McDougall

Vuejs and TypeScript- Working Together like Peanut Butter and Jelly44:31

Vuejs and TypeScript- Working Together like Peanut Butter and Jelly

Rob Richardson

From learning to earning

Jobs that call for the skills explored in this talk.