Behavior-driven development (BDD) has transformed how software teams collaborate, bridging the gap between technical and non-technical stakeholders. One of the most prominent tools for automating BDD practices is Cucumber JVM—a framework that helps automate the acceptance criteria of features defined in plain English. With the release of Cucumber JVM v6, the framework has been enhanced with several new features that improve the overall testing process, making it more efficient and business-friendly.
In this guide, we’ll explore the key features of Cucumber JVM, focusing on the updates in version 6, and how they enhance the functionality of BDD, helping teams deliver higher-quality software.
Introduction to Cucumber JVM
Cucumber JVM is a Java-based implementation of Cucumber, a widely used BDD framework. It allows developers and testers to write automated acceptance tests in a human-readable format using the Gherkin language. By doing so, it enables seamless communication between business stakeholders, developers, and testers, ensuring everyone has a clear understanding of the application's functionality.
Gherkin uses a simple Given-When-Then format to describe user stories and scenarios in plain English (or other localized languages), making it easy for non-technical team members to define requirements.
Sample Gherkin Feature File:
gherkin
Feature: Zero Bank - Purchase Foreign Currency
In order to purchase foreign currency
As a valid customer of Zero Bank
I want to calculate conversion rates for different currencies.
Scenario: Convert USD to GBP
Given I am on the Purchase Foreign Currency page
And I select the currency type as "GBP"
When I calculate the conversion for "100" USD
Then I should see the conversion amount for "GBP"This is a simple example of how business requirements can be written in the Gherkin language to be later automated using Cucumber. Now let’s dive into the features of Cucumber JVM and how the latest version, v6, improves BDD practices.
Top New Features of Cucumber JVM v6
Cucumber JVM has consistently evolved to meet the growing demands of software testing and development. With version 6, there are several exciting features and improvements designed to simplify the creation and management of BDD tests.
1. Rule Keyword
Introduced in Cucumber JVM v6, the Rule keyword allows teams to group scenarios based on specific business rules. This keyword helps in organizing and clarifying acceptance criteria, making them more meaningful. While the Rule keyword was previously introduced in Cucumber Ruby 4.x, it has now been integrated into Cucumber JVM to align better with business needs.
Example:
gherkin
Rule: Currency conversion rate depends on the daily sell rate
Example: Display daily selling rate for GBP
Given I am on the Purchase Foreign Currency page
And I select "GBP" as the currency
Then I should see the current selling rate for "GBP" against USDThe Rule keyword ensures that the examples you write directly relate to the business logic or rules in place, improving collaboration between teams during discussions.
2. Scenario Outline with Examples
The Scenario Outline feature allows testers to define scenarios that require multiple sets of input data. Instead of writing individual scenarios for each data set, Scenario Outline enables parameterization, making test management easier and reducing redundancy.
Example:
gherkin
Scenario Outline: Convert USD to various currencies
Given I am on the Purchase Foreign Currency page
And I select "<currency>" as the currency
When I calculate the conversion for "<usdAmount>" USD
Then I should see the conversion amount for "<currency>"
Examples:
| currency | usdAmount |
| Australia (dollar)| 100 |
| Canada (dollar) | 50 |
| Switzerland (franc)| 75 |This feature enhances efficiency by allowing developers to test multiple scenarios with minimal effort.
3. Enhanced Step Definition Matching
Cucumber JVM v6 offers better step definition matching, which helps automatically detect steps for scenarios. Step definitions serve as the bridge between the plain language used in Gherkin and the code that executes the tests.
Cucumber v6 has improved the way it matches steps, making the automation process more intuitive and less prone to ambiguity, which is crucial when dealing with complex test suites. This improvement ensures that the right step definition is executed based on the context and input parameters.
4. Business-Oriented Keywords
Version 6 of Cucumber JVM introduces several new business-oriented keywords that allow stakeholders to describe features and scenarios more effectively. These include:
Ability: Describes a system’s capability.
Business Need: Defines the underlying business requirement for a particular feature.
Scenario Template: A variation of Scenario Outline, used for describing templates for scenarios.
Scenarios: Represents multiple sets of examples or inputs for testing.
Example with Ability:
gherkin
Ability: Zero Bank - Purchase foreign currency
Scenario Template: Calculate conversion rates for multiple currencies
Given I am on the Purchase Foreign Currency page
And I select "<currency>" as the currency
When I calculate the conversion for "<usdAmount>" USD
Then I should see the conversion amount for "<currency>"
Scenarios:
| currency | usdAmount |
| AUD | 100 |
| CAD | 50 |
| GBP | 1200 |These new keywords allow teams to more clearly articulate the business logic behind each feature and scenario, ensuring that everyone on the team understands the requirements.
5. Online Cucumber Reports
One of the most practical features introduced in Cucumber JVM is the ability to generate online reports. After every test execution, a report is published online, accessible via a unique link. This feature is invaluable for teams seeking living documentation that can be shared with stakeholders. It also provides a clear snapshot of test results for easy debugging.
How to Enable Online Reports:
Add a cucumber.properties file:
arduino
cucumber.publish.enabled=trueAlternatively, set the environment variable:
arduino
CUCUMBER_PUBLISH_ENABLED=trueThis feature makes collaboration easier by sharing results and acting as a single source of truth for test outcomes.
6. Improved Performance and Speed
Cucumber JVM v6 offers improvements in execution speed and resource management, optimizing the performance of test suites. These optimizations help teams run large sets of scenarios more efficiently, providing quicker feedback loops during continuous integration processes.
Faster execution times enable teams to integrate Cucumber into their CI/CD pipelines more effectively, reducing the time it takes to detect issues and fix bugs.
7. Enhanced Integration with Popular Frameworks
Cucumber JVM integrates smoothly with widely used Java testing frameworks like JUnit and TestNG. With version 6, the integration is even more robust, ensuring that the testing framework fits seamlessly into existing Java projects.
This enhanced integration simplifies the test setup and allows for more scalable testing, particularly in enterprise environments.
8. Improved Parallel Execution Support
For teams running large-scale tests, Cucumber JVM v6 has improved parallel execution capabilities. This allows test suites to be split and executed across multiple threads or machines, dramatically speeding up the testing process. It’s a critical feature for enterprise-level projects where test coverage needs to be extensive but also efficient.
Parallel execution ensures faster feedback for development teams and helps identify issues quicker without slowing down the release process.
Why Cucumber JVM v6 is a Game-Changer for BDD Projects
With Cucumber JVM v6, the BDD process becomes more refined and collaborative. Key stakeholders, including business analysts, product owners, developers, and testers, can now contribute to living documentation that evolves with the product. The new Rule keyword, along with business-oriented keywords like Ability and Business Need, make it easier for non-technical members of the team to articulate requirements.
Furthermore, the enhanced support for Scenario Outlines and Examples reduces the effort needed to manage test cases, while features like online reports and parallel execution make testing more efficient.
Conclusion
The release of Cucumber JVM v6 brings several powerful features that help teams improve their BDD processes. With new keywords like Rule and Ability, enhanced performance, and better support for automated reporting, Cucumber is now more business-friendly and scalable than ever before. Whether you're a developer, tester, or business stakeholder, Cucumber JVM v6 offers the tools to create clearer, more maintainable tests that align directly with business goals.
As organizations continue to adopt BDD as a standard practice, Cucumber JVM v6 stands out as one of the most comprehensive frameworks available for writing and automating acceptance tests. By embracing these new features, your team can improve collaboration, reduce bugs, and release software faster.
Key Takeaways
Rule keyword groups scenarios by business logic, enhancing clarity during BDD discussions.
Scenario Outline simplifies parameterized testing, reducing redundancy and improving efficiency.
Business-oriented keywords like Ability and Business Need enable better communication between technical and non-technical teams.
Online Cucumber Reports provide real-time feedback and living documentation for stakeholders.
Improved step matching and definition management enhance the automation process.
Parallel execution improves speed, making Cucumber more scalable for enterprise projects.
Integration with JUnit and TestNG makes it easier to incorporate Cucumber into Java projects.
Performance optimizations result in faster test executions and shorter feedback loops.
FAQs
1. What is Cucumber JVM?
Cucumber JVM is a Java-based framework for Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) that allows you to write human-readable tests in the Gherkin language and automate them with Java.
2. What are the benefits of the Rule keyword in Cucumber JVM v6?
The Rule keyword helps to organize scenarios according to specific business rules, improving clarity and communication during requirements discussions.
3. How do I enable online Cucumber reports?
You can enable online reports by adding a cucumber.properties file with cucumber.publish.enabled=true or setting the environment variable CUCUMBER_PUBLISH_ENABLED=true.
4. What is the Scenario Outline feature in Cucumber?
Scenario Outline allows you to define a template for a scenario and run it with different sets of input data, improving test coverage and reducing duplication.
5. How does Cucumber JVM integrate with Java testing frameworks?
Cucumber JVM integrates seamlessly with frameworks like JUnit and TestNG, allowing for robust testing in Java-based projects.
6. Can I run Cucumber tests in parallel?
Yes, Cucumber JVM v6 has improved support for parallel test execution, helping to speed up test runs in larger projects.
7. What is the Gherkin language?
Gherkin is a domain-specific language used in BDD to define tests in a readable Given-When-Then format, making it accessible to both technical and non-technical team members.
8. How does Cucumber help with Behavior-Driven Development (BDD)?
Cucumber bridges the communication gap between business stakeholders and technical teams by allowing requirements to be written in plain language and automated for testing.
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