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  1. Stackups
  2. DevOps
  3. Testing Frameworks
  4. Javascript Testing Framework
  5. IntelliJ IDEA vs Jest

IntelliJ IDEA vs Jest

OverviewDecisionsComparisonAlternatives

Overview

Jest
Jest
Stacks15.2K
Followers4.1K
Votes175
IntelliJ IDEA
IntelliJ IDEA
Stacks44.0K
Followers36.9K
Votes1.5K

IntelliJ IDEA vs Jest: What are the differences?

Introduction

IntelliJ IDEA and Jest are two widely used tools in the software development industry. While IntelliJ IDEA is an integrated development environment (IDE) primarily used for Java development, Jest is a JavaScript testing framework specifically designed for testing JavaScript code. Despite both being tools used in software development, there are several key differences between IntelliJ IDEA and Jest.

  1. Language Support: One of the main differences between IntelliJ IDEA and Jest is the programming language they are designed to support. IntelliJ IDEA is primarily used for Java development, but it also supports a wide range of other programming languages like Kotlin, Groovy, Scala, and more. On the other hand, Jest is specifically designed for testing JavaScript code, making it suitable for projects developed using JavaScript or related frameworks like React.

  2. Functionality: Another significant difference between IntelliJ IDEA and Jest is their functionality. IntelliJ IDEA is a comprehensive IDE that provides features like code completion, code analysis, debugging, version control integration, and more. It offers a wide range of tools and capabilities to assist developers in the software development process. Jest, on the other hand, is a JavaScript testing framework focused solely on providing an efficient and effective way to write and run tests for JavaScript code. It offers features like test suites, test runners, assertions, and mocking to facilitate the testing process.

  3. User Interface: The user interface of IntelliJ IDEA and Jest also differs significantly. IntelliJ IDEA provides a rich and sophisticated UI with numerous options and settings. It allows developers to customize the layout, themes, and appearance according to their preferences. Additionally, it offers a variety of panels, windows, and toolbars to enhance productivity. Jest, on the other hand, has a much simpler UI with a command-line interface (CLI) or a minimalistic graphical user interface (GUI) for running tests and displaying test results.

  4. Integration: Integration capabilities are another area where IntelliJ IDEA and Jest differ. IntelliJ IDEA seamlessly integrates with build tools like Maven and Gradle, allowing developers to easily manage dependencies, build, and run projects. It also integrates with popular version control systems like Git, enabling developers to perform version control operations directly from within the IDE. Jest, on the other hand, integrates well with JavaScript projects and frameworks like React, providing specialized features and tooling for testing JavaScript code.

  5. Community Support: The level of community support for IntelliJ IDEA and Jest is another key difference. IntelliJ IDEA has a large and active community of developers who contribute to its ongoing development, share knowledge, and provide support through forums, blogs, and documentation. This vibrant community ensures that developers can find solutions to their problems and stay updated with the latest advancements in the IDE. Jest, although not as extensive as IntelliJ IDEA, also has a supportive community that provides assistance, shares best practices, and contributes to the improvement of the testing framework.

  6. Purpose: Lastly, the purpose of IntelliJ IDEA and Jest differs. IntelliJ IDEA is primarily used for software development and provides a plethora of features and tools to aid developers throughout the development process. It enables developers to write, debug, test, and deploy Java (and other supported languages) applications efficiently. Jest, on the other hand, is solely focused on testing JavaScript code. Its purpose is to provide an intuitive and powerful framework for developers to write and run tests for JavaScript projects, ensuring the reliability and correctness of the code.

In summary, IntelliJ IDEA is an extensive IDE used for various programming languages, including Java, while Jest is a specialized JavaScript testing framework focused on testing JavaScript code. IntelliJ IDEA offers a comprehensive set of features for software development, whereas Jest concentrates solely on providing efficient testing capabilities for JavaScript projects. Their language support, functionality, user interface, integration capabilities, community support, and purpose are the major differences between these two tools.

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Advice on Jest, IntelliJ IDEA

christy
christy

Program Manager

Jul 1, 2020

Needs adviceonPythonPythonEclipseEclipseIntelliJ IDEAIntelliJ IDEA

UPDATE: Thanks for the great response. I am going to start with VSCode based on the open source and free version that will allow me to grow into other languages, but not cost me a license ..yet.

I have been working with software development for 12 years, but I am just beginning my journey to learn to code. I am starting with Python following the suggestion of some of my coworkers. They are split between Eclipse and IntelliJ IDEA for IDEs that they use and PyCharm is new to me. Which IDE would you suggest for a beginner that will allow expansion to Java, JavaScript, and eventually AngularJS and possibly mobile applications?

2.03M views2.03M
Comments
Manabu
Manabu

CEO, Co-Founder at WinguMD

Jun 13, 2020

Decided

I originally chose IntelliJ over Eclipse, as it was close enough to the look and feel of Visual Studio and we do go back and forth between the two. We really begin to love IntelliJ and their suite of IDEs so we are now using AppCode for the IOS development because the workflow is identical with the IntelliJ. IntelliJ is super complex and intimidating at first but it does afford a lot of nice utilities to get us produce clean code.

551k views551k
Comments
Dane
Dane

Feb 7, 2020

Needs adviceonCypressCypressJestJest

As we all know testing is an important part of any application. To assist with our testing we are going to use both Cypress and Jest. We feel these tools complement each other and will help us get good coverage of our code. We will use Cypress for our end to end testing as we've found it quite user friendly. Jest will be used for our unit tests because we've seen how many larger companies use it with great success.

836k views836k
Comments

Detailed Comparison

Jest
Jest
IntelliJ IDEA
IntelliJ IDEA

Jest provides you with multiple layers on top of Jasmine.

Out of the box, IntelliJ IDEA provides a comprehensive feature set including tools and integrations with the most important modern technologies and frameworks for enterprise and web development with Java, Scala, Groovy and other languages.

Familiar Approach: Built on top of the Jasmine test framework, using familiar expect(value).toBe(other) assertions;Mock by Default: Automatically mocks CommonJS modules returned by require(), making most existing code testable;Short Feedback Loop: DOM APIs are mocked and tests run in parallel via a small node.js command line utility
Smart Code Completion;On-the-fly Code Analysis;Advanced Refactorings;Database Tools;UML Designer;Version Control Tools;Build Tools
Statistics
Stacks
15.2K
Stacks
44.0K
Followers
4.1K
Followers
36.9K
Votes
175
Votes
1.5K
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • 36
    Open source
  • 32
    Mock by default makes testing much simpler
  • 23
    Testing React Native Apps
  • 20
    Parallel test running
  • 16
    Fast
Cons
  • 4
    Documentation
  • 4
    Ambiguous configuration
  • 3
    Difficult
  • 2
    Multiple error messages for same error
  • 2
    Bugged
Pros
  • 301
    Fantastically intelligent
  • 242
    Best-in-class ide
  • 190
    Many languages support
  • 158
    Java
  • 121
    Fast
Cons
  • 20
    Large footprint required to really enjoy (mem/disc)
  • 16
    Very slow
  • 8
    Bad for beginners
  • 7
    UI is not intuitive
  • 5
    Not nearly as many tools to integrate as vs code
Integrations
No integrations available
Java
Java

What are some alternatives to Jest, IntelliJ IDEA?

PhpStorm

PhpStorm

PhpStorm is a PHP IDE which keeps up with latest PHP & web languages trends, integrates a variety of modern tools, and brings even more extensibility with support for major PHP frameworks.

Visual Studio

Visual Studio

Visual Studio is a suite of component-based software development tools and other technologies for building powerful, high-performance applications.

WebStorm

WebStorm

WebStorm is a lightweight and intelligent IDE for front-end development and server-side JavaScript.

NetBeans IDE

NetBeans IDE

NetBeans IDE is FREE, open source, and has a worldwide community of users and developers.

PyCharm

PyCharm

PyCharm’s smart code editor provides first-class support for Python, JavaScript, CoffeeScript, TypeScript, CSS, popular template languages and more. Take advantage of language-aware code completion, error detection, and on-the-fly code fixes!

Mocha

Mocha

Mocha is a feature-rich JavaScript test framework running on node.js and the browser, making asynchronous testing simple and fun. Mocha tests run serially, allowing for flexible and accurate reporting, while mapping uncaught exceptions to the correct test cases.

Eclipse

Eclipse

Standard Eclipse package suited for Java and plug-in development plus adding new plugins; already includes Git, Marketplace Client, source code and developer documentation. Click here to file a bug against Eclipse Platform.

Android Studio

Android Studio

Android Studio is a new Android development environment based on IntelliJ IDEA. It provides new features and improvements over Eclipse ADT and will be the official Android IDE once it's ready.

RubyMine

RubyMine

JetBrains RubyMine IDE provides a comprehensive Ruby code editor aware of dynamic language specifics and delivers smart coding assistance, intelligent code refactoring and code analysis capabilities.

CLion

CLion

Knowing your code through and through, CLion can take care of the routine while you focus on the important things. Boost your productivity with the keyboard-centric approach (Vim-emulation plugin is also available in plugin repository), full coding assistance, smart and relevant code completion, fast project navigation, intelligent intention actions, and reliable refactorings.

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