Jest
Metrics as of , from the GitHub or GitLab API of each repository. Refreshed monthly.
What Jest is
Jest is a JavaScript testing framework designed to run without configuration in most JavaScript projects. Test files such as sum.test.js use expect together with matchers like toBe. An interactive watch mode reruns only the test files related to changed files. Snapshot testing records large objects so that changes to them can be reviewed over time. Jest runs from the command line or through an npm test script. The yarn create jest command generates a commented configuration file. The README covers setup alongside Babel, webpack, Vite, Parcel and TypeScript. The babel-jest transform installs with Jest and applies automatically when a Babel configuration is present.
Written from the project's README, read .
- Category
- Unit testing and test runners
- License
- MIT
- Language
- TypeScript
- 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 unit testing and test runners tools, same primary language first, then by GitHub stars. Each line gives one fact from the tool's documentation where it differs from Jest's, with its source. See also Jest alternatives.
Vitest: Languages for writing tests: JavaScript and TypeScript, with JSX. source: README
GoogleTest: Languages for writing tests: C++ (the 1.18.x branch requires C++17). source: README
Testify: Languages for writing tests: Go. source: README
Mocha: Languages for writing tests: JavaScript; TypeScript through Node.js type stripping or a loader such as tsx. source: Docs: TypeScript
Catch2: Languages for writing tests: C++. source: README
AVA: Languages for writing tests: JavaScript on Node.js; TypeScript definitions included. source: README
PHPUnit: Languages for writing tests: PHP. source: README
Jasmine: Languages for writing tests: JavaScript. source: README
Comparisons
How to install
npm install --save-dev jestQuestions
Is Jest open source?
Yes. Jest is released under MIT, an OSI-approved license, as reported by the GitHub API on 2026-09-22.
Is Jest 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 Jest have?
45,463 stars on 2026-09-22, from the GitHub API. The number is refreshed at each monthly update.
What language is Jest written in?
The repository's primary language, as reported by the GitHub API, is TypeScript.
How do I install Jest?
The README gives this command: npm install --save-dev jest
Sources
- GitHub REST API: repository, read
- GitHub REST API: commits, read
- GitHub REST API: latest release, read
- GitHub REST API: contributors, read
- README, read