Getting Started

TIP

Prova is designed to be a drop-in replacement for xUnit but built for the modern Native AOT era.

Installation

1. Create a Console Project

Tests in Prova are executable console applications. This gives you full control over the entry point and configuration.

dotnet new console -n MyTestProject
cd MyTestProject

2. Install Prova

Add the Prova package to your project.

dotnet add package Prova

3. Configure .csproj

Enable Native AOT and ensure the output type is Exe.

<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">

    <PropertyGroup>
        <OutputType>Exe</OutputType>
        <TargetFramework>net10.0</TargetFramework>
        <ImplicitUsings>enable</ImplicitUsings>
        <Nullable>enable</Nullable>
        <!-- Crucial: Enable Native AOT -->
        <PublishAot>true</PublishAot>
    </PropertyGroup>

    <ItemGroup>
        <PackageReference Include="Prova" Version="0.6.0" />
    </ItemGroup>

</Project>

NOTE

Prova auto-generates a Program.cs entry point for you. If your project has a custom Program.cs you can delete it, or disable auto-generation by setting <GenerateProgramFile>false</GenerateProgramFile> in your .csproj.

Writing Your First Test

Prova uses attributes you are likely familiar with ([Fact], [Theory]) but lives in the Prova namespace.

using Prova;
using Prova.Assertions; // Working as of v0.5.0!

public class CalculatorTests
{
    [Fact]
    public void Add_ReturnsSum()
    {
        int result = 2 + 2;
        Assert.Equal(4, result);
    }

    [Theory]
    [InlineData(1, 1, 2)]
    [InlineData(5, 5, 10)]
    public void Add_WithParams_ReturnsSum(int a, int b, int expected)
    {
        Assert.Equal(expected, a + b);
    }
}

Running Tests

Prova v0.5.0 runs natively on the Microsoft Testing Platform (MTP). You can run tests via standard CLI commands without any VSTest bridge:

# Native Microsoft Testing Platform features
dotnet test

# Run as a self-executing console app for instant feedback
dotnet run

Next Steps

• Migrating from xUnit: Learn how to use our automatic code fixers.
• Assertions: Explore the full assertion library.
• Architecture: Understand why we chose Native AOT.