A new PHP8+ Unit Testing Framework called MicroUnit

Source: Dev.to

Background

I spent many years as a professional C# developer and gradually fell in love with the language. While focusing on backend development, I also explored frontend work and became a full‑stack developer with a backend emphasis.

Why PHP Again?

A while ago I decided to revisit PHP after a long hiatus. I quickly noticed that unit testing in the PHP ecosystem was still dominated by PHPUnit. PHPUnit is a solid, battle‑tested framework, but I wanted something fresh, modern, and different—a solution that emphasizes simplicity, speed, and a zero‑dependency philosophy without trying to compete directly with PHPUnit.

Introducing MicroUnit

MicroUnit is a PHP 8+ unit testing framework built from the ground up with:

• A bloat‑free, modern syntax that leverages the newest PHP features.
• Insanely fast execution.
• Zero external dependencies.
• Built‑in mocking capabilities.

I wrote the entire codebase from scratch, set up documentation on GitHub Pages, and provided an informative README. The project is now on its 6th beta release, and I’m proud of what it has become so far.

How You Can Help

MicroUnit still has a long way to go before its first stable release. Your help would be invaluable:

• Try it out on your own projects.
• Provide feedback on usability, performance, and missing features.
• Contribute code, documentation, or tests if you’re motivated.

Any assistance will bring the project one step closer to a stable version.

Get the Project

• GitHub:
• Packagist: microunit/microunit