Dotnet Xunit

dotnet-xunit

xUnit v3 testing framework features for .NET. Covers [Fact] and [Theory] attributes, test fixtures (IClassFixture, ICollectionFixture), parallel execution configuration, IAsyncLifetime for async setup/teardown, custom assertions, and xUnit analyzers. Includes v2 compatibility notes where behavior differs.

Version assumptions: xUnit v3 primary (.NET 8.0+ baseline). Where v3 behavior differs from v2, compatibility notes are provided inline. xUnit v2 remains widely used; many projects will encounter both versions during migration.

Out of scope: Test project scaffolding (creating xUnit projects, package references, Directory.Build.props) is owned by [skill:dotnet-add-testing]. Testing strategy and test type decisions are covered by [skill:dotnet-testing-strategy]. Integration testing patterns (WebApplicationFactory, Testcontainers) are covered by [skill:dotnet-integration-testing].

Prerequisites: Test project already scaffolded via [skill:dotnet-add-testing] with xUnit packages referenced. Run [skill:dotnet-version-detection] to confirm .NET 8.0+ baseline for xUnit v3 support.

Cross-references: [skill:dotnet-testing-strategy] for deciding what to test and how, [skill:dotnet-integration-testing] for combining xUnit with WebApplicationFactory and Testcontainers.

xUnit v3 vs v2: Key Changes

v2 compatibility note: If migrating from v2, replace xunit package with xunit.v3. Most [Fact] and [Theory] tests work without changes. The primary migration effort is in IAsyncLifetime (return type changes to ValueTask), [ClassData] (strongly typed row format), and removed assertion message parameters.

Facts and Theories

[Fact] -- Single Test Case

Use [Fact] for tests with no parameters:

public class DiscountCalculatorTests
{
    [Fact]
    public void Apply_NegativePercentage_ThrowsArgumentOutOfRangeException()
    {
        var calculator = new DiscountCalculator();

        var ex = Assert.Throws<ArgumentOutOfRangeException>(
            () => calculator.Apply(100m, percentage: -5));

        Assert.Equal("percentage", ex.ParamName);
    }

    [Fact]
    public async Task ApplyAsync_ValidDiscount_ReturnsDiscountedPrice()
    {
        var calculator = new DiscountCalculator();

        var result = await calculator.ApplyAsync(100m, percentage: 15);

        Assert.Equal(85m, result);
    }
}

[Theory] -- Parameterized Tests

Use [Theory] to run the same test logic with different inputs.

[InlineData]

Best for simple value types:

[Theory]
[InlineData(100, 10, 90)]      // 10% off 100 = 90
[InlineData(200, 25, 150)]     // 25% off 200 = 150
[InlineData(50, 0, 50)]        // 0% off = no change
[InlineData(100, 100, 0)]      // 100% off = 0
public void Apply_VariousInputs_ReturnsExpectedPrice(
    decimal price, decimal percentage, decimal expected)
{
    var calculator = new DiscountCalculator();

    var result = calculator.Apply(price, percentage);

    Assert.Equal(expected, result);
}

[MemberData] with TheoryData<T>

Best for complex data or shared datasets:

public class OrderValidatorTests
{
    public static TheoryData<Order, bool> ValidationCases => new()
    {
        { new Order { Items = [new("SKU-1", 1)], CustomerId = "C1" }, true },
        { new Order { Items = [], CustomerId = "C1" }, false },              // no items
        { new Order { Items = [new("SKU-1", 1)], CustomerId = "" }, false }, // no customer
    };

    [Theory]
    [MemberData(nameof(ValidationCases))]
    public void IsValid_VariousOrders_ReturnsExpected(Order order, bool expected)
    {
        var validator = new OrderValidator();

        var result = validator.IsValid(order);

        Assert.Equal(expected, result);
    }
}

[ClassData]

Best for data shared across multiple test classes:

// xUnit v3: use TheoryDataRow<T> for strongly-typed rows
public class CurrencyConversionData : IEnumerable<TheoryDataRow<string, string, decimal>>
{
    public IEnumerator<TheoryDataRow<string, string, decimal>> GetEnumerator()
    {
        yield return new("USD", "EUR", 0.92m);
        yield return new("GBP", "USD", 1.27m);
        yield return new("EUR", "GBP", 0.86m);
    }

    IEnumerator IEnumerable.GetEnumerator() => GetEnumerator();
}

// xUnit v2 compatibility: v2 uses IEnumerable<object[]> instead of TheoryDataRow<T>
// public class CurrencyConversionData : IEnumerable<object[]>
// {
//     public IEnumerator<object[]> GetEnumerator()
//     {
//         yield return new object[] { "USD", "EUR", 0.92m };
//     }
//     IEnumerator IEnumerable.GetEnumerator() => GetEnumerator();
// }

[Theory]
[ClassData(typeof(CurrencyConversionData))]
public void Convert_KnownPairs_ReturnsExpectedRate(
    string from, string to, decimal expectedRate)
{
    var converter = new CurrencyConverter();

    var rate = converter.GetRate(from, to);

    Assert.Equal(expectedRate, rate, precision: 2);
}

Fixtures: Shared Setup and Teardown

Fixtures provide shared, expensive resources across tests while maintaining test isolation.

IClassFixture<T> -- Shared Per Test Class

Use when multiple tests in the same class share an expensive resource (database connection, configuration):

public class DatabaseFixture : IAsyncLifetime
{
    public string ConnectionString { get; private set; } = "";

    public ValueTask InitializeAsync()
    {
        // xUnit v3: returns ValueTask (v2 returns Task)
        ConnectionString = $"Host=localhost;Database=test_{Guid.NewGuid():N}";
        // Create database, run migrations, etc.
        return ValueTask.CompletedTask;
    }

    public ValueTask DisposeAsync()
    {
        // xUnit v3: returns ValueTask (v2 returns Task)
        // Drop database
        return ValueTask.CompletedTask;
    }
}

public class OrderRepositoryTests : IClassFixture<DatabaseFixture>
{
    private readonly DatabaseFixture _db;

    public OrderRepositoryTests(DatabaseFixture db)
    {
        _db = db;
        // Each test gets the shared database fixture
    }

    [Fact]
    public async Task GetById_ExistingOrder_ReturnsOrder()
    {
        var repo = new OrderRepository(_db.ConnectionString);

        var result = await repo.GetByIdAsync(KnownOrderId);

        Assert.NotNull(result);
    }
}

v2 compatibility note: In xUnit v2, IAsyncLifetime.InitializeAsync() and DisposeAsync() return Task. In v3, they return ValueTask. When migrating, change the return types accordingly.

ICollectionFixture<T> -- Shared Across Test Classes

Use when multiple test classes need the same expensive resource:

// 1. Define the collection
[CollectionDefinition("Database")]
public class DatabaseCollection : ICollectionFixture<DatabaseFixture>
{
    // This class has no code -- it is a marker for the collection
}