FluentAssertions is a .Net assertion framework that helps you write better tests. Available via NuGet.

The main selling point is human readability. Both for the code and most importantly for the error message when a test fails. Take a look at this classical assertion:

Assert.AreEqual(3, calculationResult);

This will fail to something like Assert.AreEqual failed. Expected:<3>. Actual:<4>. Compared to FluentAssertions:

calculationResult.Should().Be(3);

What will result in Expected calculationResult to be 3, but found 4.

Right away you can see that with FluentAssertions your code reads like a regular sentence. In addition your failing test output is much more meaningful. And that example was just one the most basic assertions. One specific assertion scenario I see in every project and I like as a benchmark for readability is the assertion of a specific exception:

try
{
    var division = calculator.Divide(2, 0);
}
catch (DivideByZeroException)
{
   return;
}
Assert.Fail();

That’s an classical approach to assert an exception, seen plenty of times. Not only is this ugly to read and write and error-prone, when the test fails you get a message like Assert.Fail failed. Now that’s not very helpful. Of course you could add a reason for the fail like Assert.Fail("DivideByZeroException should have been thrown"); but why would you want to write that yourself? With FluentAssertions it just comes out of the box:

Action divide = () => calculator.Divide(2, 0);
divide.Should().Throw<DivideByZeroException>();

Not only is the code way more readable and error-resistant, whenever the test fails it returns a meaningful message: Expected a <System.DivideByZeroException> to be thrown, but no exception was thrown. Now that’s something you would like to see in a notification from your CI system.

Just as a brain-teaser, think about how you would write an assertion like that and how readable the result would be compared to FluentAssertions:

var persons = new[] { "Dennis", "Jonas", "Adam" };
persons.Should().Contain(person => person == "Matthias");

Expected persons {"Dennis", "Jonas", "Adam"} to have an item matching (person == "Matthias").

Similar frameworks

By now there are quite a few frameworks out there, that attack the same problem. FluentAssertions seem to still be the favourite choice by far - measured in GitHub stars and NuGet downloads. However, I do want to mention Shouldly as an alternative with a similar active community. I invite you to check it out and decide for yourself which one you prefer.

Final thoughts

FluentAssertions has been around for many years now and I use it whenever I write tests - and that’s almost all the time. It surprises me how many people still do not know about this or similar frameworks and write tests “the old way”. I have yet to find a single dev who is not delighted when I introduce FluentAssertions to him. If you have not used any advanced assertion-framework up until now give it a try and you will never write tests the way you used to. You are welcome.

I hope you liked that format. I’m thinking about making this “better know a framework” a series. Inspired by the great .NET Rocks! podcast.