Pradhvan

I recently finished reading Python Testing with Pytest by Brian Okken and I am glad I picked this up rather than jumping into the docs. It's definitely a good introduction for people who haven't had their share of testing a python codebase, let alone be with Pytest.

The book introduces a python CLI called Tasks and takes this as a base for writing all of its tests throughout the course of the book. Though eventually, the tests become more complex when you get into the latter half of the book.

The pros of the book are that it covers almost every section of the framework from fixtures, plugins, custom pytest configuration and even using pytest with tools like coverage and mock. But if you're someone like me who hasn't had his share of testing a python codebase you might find yourself with a bit of information overload at times.

I did find the book a bit of overwhelming on chapters like writing your own plugin, custom configuration and using pytest with Jenkins because these are the features that I wouldn't be using right out of the box. I would definitely be coming back to these chapters in the future if I need any of the features.

Overall the book is really well-written keeping in mind beginners who are just picking up pytest as their first testing framework and also for folks who are moving towards pytest from any other testing framework. Exercises at the back of every chapter make sure you also get some hands-on experience of writing tests.

Just a personal tip for anyone who is picking this up and has less experience with pytest. Feel free to skip chapters or skim chapters that aren't useful right out of the box. You can always come back to them when you need those features.