PHPUnit vs Tape
PHPUnit
phpunit.deTape
github.comSide by side
| Figure | PHPUnit | Tape |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 0 |
| Spec score · Unit Testing | 8.4 (#2) | 6.5 (#24) |
| Assertions | The manual documents assertions for values, exceptions, side effects, output, files, JSON, and XML. | Its assertion methods include truthy, equality, deep equality, exception, and pattern-matching assertions. |
| Installation | PHPUnit 13 can be downloaded as a PHAR archive or installed as a per-project development dependency with Composer. | The README gives `npm install tape --save-dev` as the installation command. |
| Purpose | PHPUnit is a testing framework for PHP. | Tape is a TAP-producing test harness for Node.js and browsers. |
| Security | The getting-started page links to documentation for verifying PHPUnit PHAR releases. | The repository links a security policy, but the opened policy link did not show separate security or compliance claims. |
| Test execution | PHPUnit provides a command-line test runner for running tests and selecting test suites. | Tests execute serially, and the command-line runner can select test files with glob patterns. |
Plans
In their own words
PHPUnit
PHPUnit is a free testing framework for PHP, with a command-line runner for running tests and selecting test suites. It covers assertions for return values, exceptions, side effects, output, files, JSON, XML, and error-log output. Tests can be organized through filesystem structure or XML configuration and can use data providers, dependencies, stubs, and mock objects. The framework documents code coverage reports in HTML and JSONL formats, plus JUnit and TeamCity logging configuration. For tests that fail intermittently, PHPUnit supports repeating and retrying runs through attributes and command-line options. Installation is available as a PHAR or as a Composer development dependency. PHPUnit 13 is the current stable major version and requires PHP 8.4 or later. Bug-fix support for that version runs through February 4, 2028; its end-of-life date is undetermined. Documentation is available for versions 8.5 through 13.4. PHPUnit supports Linux, macOS, Windows, and self-hosted use.