Chapter 11. Property-based and concurrency testing

In this final chapter (hurray!), we’ll continue our survey of some of the testing tools that are available. Chapter 10 introduced Dialyzer and type specifications. But the Erlang ecosystem has much more to offer, as the following sections will demonstrate.

First, there’s QuickCheck, a property-based testing tool. Property-based testing turns unit testing on its head. Instead of writing specific test cases, as with traditional unit testing, property-based testing forces you to express test cases in terms of general specifications. Once you have these specifications in place, the tool can generate as many test cases as your heart desires.

Next, we’ll look at Concuerror, which is a tool that systematically detects concurrency errors in programs. Concuerror can point out hard-to-detect and often surprising race conditions, deadlocks, and potential process crashes.

This chapter contains plenty of examples to try out, providing you with ample opportunity to get a feel for these tools. QuickCheck and Concuerror can give you an incredible amount of insight into your programs, especially when they start to grow in complexity. Let’s begin upgrading your testing skills!

11.1. Introduction to property-based testing and QuickCheck

11.2. Concurrency testing with Concuerror

11.3. Resources

11.4. Summary