§ 01
Tests belong to the spec, not the language.
A login flow is a login flow. Python should not own it. Java should not own it. We write the spec once. Every runtime reads the same file.
MANIFESTOabout / testmlv0.4
We write tests once. We run them in every language.
TestML is a spec, not a vendor. One YAML-style file holds the cases. Five runtimes read it the same way. No more re-writing the same login test in Python and Java and Ruby.
§ manifesto
Five clauses that shape every release.
The spec is short. The runtimes are small. These rules keep us honest when scope creeps. Read them as a contract.
§ 02
Polyglot is the default now.
Real teams ship in five languages. They re-implement the same assertions five times. That is wasted work. TestML refuses to accept it.
§ 03
YAML is a feature, not a fashion.
Plain text wins. It diffs in Git. It reads in pull requests. It loads in any language without a parser fight.
§ 04
Open source is the only fair contract.
MIT license. No vendor seats. No locked tiers. The spec is the product. The runtimes are community-owned.
§ 05
Green tests are the only proof.
We measure success in pass dots, not stars. A framework that fails CI is not a framework. It is a liability.
§ design principles
Four pillars hold up the project.
Every choice maps back to one of these. If a feature breaks a pillar, we cut the feature.
One file. Many runtimes.
Author a test once. Run it under Python, JavaScript, Ruby, Perl, or Java. Same assertions. Same fixtures. Same pass criteria.
Data-driven by design.
Cases live next to the spec. No glue code. Add a row to add a case. Drop a row to drop one. That is the whole loop.
Standards over plugins.
TestML is a spec first. Runtimes follow it. That means no plugin lock-in and no breaking moves between releases.
Built in the open.
Roadmap on GitHub. RFCs in public. Community governance with no paywall behind the docs.
§ stance
What TestML is. What it refuses to be.
Most testing tools list features. We list constraints. A clear no makes a clear yes possible.
YESwhat we build
- Yes — one syntax across every supported runtime
- Yes — MIT-licensed source available on GitHub
- Yes — portable across Linux, macOS, and Windows
- Yes — data-driven cases in plain text
- Yes — community RFCs steer the spec
what we skipNO
- Not a language-specific testing library
- Not gated behind paid tiers or seats
- Not locked to a single development ecosystem
- Not a closed-source proprietary harness
- Not a tool that rewards test duplication
§ runtimes
Same spec. Five stable runtimes.
Pick the language your service uses. Install the runtime. Point it at the same .tml file. The pass dot goes green.
Python
$ pip install testmlstableJavaScript
$ npm i testmlstableRuby
$ gem install testmlstablePerl
$ cpan TestMLstableJava
$ maven: org.testmlstableReady to write tests once?
Pick a language. Install in one line. Drop in a .tml file. The first green pass dot takes about three minutes.