CAN WE WRITE PERFECT TESTS? - MAYBE!
summary
Explains mutation testing as an AST-based mutator that alters code, reruns tests and marks changes killed or alive, with the mutant tool using forking sandboxing and selective test execution to cut runtime from a day to ~30 minutes on a focused component. Describes ~91 mutation operators, real use on the exom project aiming for 100% mutation coverage, practical limits like equivalent mutants and infinite-loop mutations, and an example where fuzzing mutation-like tooling helped find an SQLite bug.
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chapters (15)
- 0:00Introduction to mutation testing
- 1:17Why test your tests?
- 5:55What is mutation testing?
- 8:07Abstract syntax trees in mutation
- 9:32Practical mutation examples
- 12:04Mutation testing performance
- 14:34Real unit tests matter
- 15:59Mutation testing challenges
- 18:04When to use mutation testing
- 21:57Mutation vs property-based testing
- 23:01Success story in SQLite
- 25:04Mutation testing in workflow
- 26:09Common mutation failures
- 27:35Refactoring for mutation coverage
- 28:20Q&A session
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