Behat
Metrics as of , from the GitHub or GitLab API of each repository. Refreshed monthly.
What Behat is
Behat is a behaviour-driven development framework for PHP that tests software against business expectations. Specifications are plain-language feature files using Feature, Scenario, Given, When and Then keywords. Steps can drive browser automation, HTTP API calls, shell commands, databases, filesystems or PHP code directly. Profiles, tags and suites run the same features in different ways. Extensions add framework integrations, browser automation, reporters and data fixtures. Behat installs through Composer as a development dependency and runs from vendor/bin/behat. It has followed Semantic Versioning since version 3.0.0.
Written from the project's README, read , and its documentation (see sources).
- Category
- BDD
- License
- MIT
- Language
- PHP
- Changelog
- Releases on GitHub
Repository metrics
Status
activeLast commit within 90 days of the fetch date.Computed from the last commit date and the archive flag on the fetch date. See the status rules.
Alternatives
Listed BDD tools, same primary language first, then by GitHub stars. Each line gives one fact from the tool's documentation where it differs from Behat's, with its source.
Codeception: Specification format: PHP code; classic PHPUnit tests also run. source: README
Robot Framework: Languages for writing tests: Robot Framework plain text syntax; Python as the primary language for extending it. source: README
cucumber-js: Languages for writing tests: JavaScript; TypeScript and other languages that transpile to JavaScript. source: Docs: Transpiling
cucumber-ruby: Languages for writing tests: Ruby. source: README
behave: Languages for writing tests: Python. source: README
Gauge: Languages for writing tests: Language runners for C# (.NET and .NET Core), Java, JavaScript, Python, Ruby. source: Docs: Plugins
Cucumber JVM: Languages for writing tests: Java (JVM). source: README
Godog: Languages for writing tests: Go. source: README
Comparisons
How to install
composer require --dev behat/behatQuestions
Is Behat open source?
Yes. Behat is released under MIT, an OSI-approved license, as reported by the GitHub API on 2026-09-22.
Is Behat maintained?
On 2026-09-22, the last commit to the default branch was on 2026-09-18, so the listed status is active. Rule: Last commit within 90 days of the fetch date.
How many GitHub stars does Behat have?
3,970 stars on 2026-09-22, from the GitHub API. The number is refreshed at each monthly update.
What language is Behat written in?
The repository's primary language, as reported by the GitHub API, is PHP.
How do I install Behat?
The README gives this command: composer require --dev behat/behat
Sources
- GitHub REST API: repository, read
- GitHub REST API: commits, read
- GitHub REST API: latest release, read
- GitHub REST API: contributors, read
- README, read
- Behat documentation, read