Meta Open Source is transferring Jest to the OpenJS Foundation

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Meta Open Source is transferring Jest to the OpenJS Foundation

Meta Open up Source is formally transferring Jest, its open up supply JavaScript tests framework, to the OpenJS Basis

With about 17 million weekly downloads and more than 38,000 GitHub stars, Jest is the most employed testing framework in the JavaScript ecosystem and is applied by corporations of all measurements, including Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Stripe. We think that transferring ownership of Jest to the community — and relocating it into a foundation focused on supporting the JavaScript ecosystem — is an exciting and natural following stage as Jest matures as an open source undertaking. 

We have normally seemed at open up resource as an option to share our perform and help some others iterate and move speedily. This transfer does not transform how Jest is designed or released, and it does not specifically impact developers working with Jest to exam their programs. 

A heritage of Jest at Meta

Jest (at first referred to as “jst” internally) is an open supply JavaScript screening framework that allows developers to generate substantial-general performance assessments with minimum configuration and a simple-to-use API. Jest’s tagline is “a pleasant JavaScript Screening Framework,” and Jest has received consumer gratification scores more than 90 per cent in surveys this kind of as Point out of JS

Jest was developed in 2011 when Facebook’s chat attribute was rewritten in JavaScript. The amplified complexity necessary a rapid test-pushed enhancement cycle. It was open up-sourced in 2014 and preserved portion-time by engineers at Meta until 2016, when Christoph Nakazawa, a previous Meta engineer and recent Jest main contributor, overhauled the challenge with a focused staff. For the duration of that time, engineers at Meta designed quite a few of the features consumers realize Jest for nowadays, like general performance, observe mode, and snapshot tests.

As the task grew, so did the external local community of open up supply contributors that taken care of it. In 2018, Meta declared a new Jest Open Collective to support non-Meta staff members producing and maintaining Jest.

To date, the Jest Open up Collective has elevated more than $70,000 in funds for the Jest open up resource local community. The open up resource community has created major enhancements to Jest, these kinds of as jest-each individual, inline snapshots, interactive snapshot method, watch mode plugins, greater defaults, ESM aid, and extra.

Currently, Jest is mainly taken care of by a team of core contributors external to Meta led by Simen Bekkhus. In point, considering that 2018, pretty much all the contributions made to Jest have been made by open resource contributors outdoors of Meta. Because the venture is preserved by the local community, we feel it is best for the group to just take more than ownership of the undertaking.

So, these days, we are transferring possession of Jest to the Jest core group via OpenJS.

What is the OpenJS Basis?

The OpenJS Basis is host to a number of open up supply JavaScript assignments, like jQuery, Node.js, Electron, AMP, and webpack. It’s supported by 30 company and end-consumer associates, which includes GoDaddy, Google, IBM, Intel, Joyent, and Microsoft.

The OpenJS Foundation is dedicated to supporting the healthier expansion of the JavaScript ecosystem and web systems by performing as a neutral organization to host and sustain projects and to collaboratively fund pursuits for the gain of the group at big.

Going Jest to OpenJS will make it possible for the Jest core staff to direct the challenge moving forward.

What is transforming with Jest?

Jest signing up for the OpenJS foundation does not alter how Jest is produced or launched and does not instantly impact builders making use of Jest to check their purposes. Jest will carry on to work the exact as right before, with the task led by the Jest main crew: Simen Bekkhus, Christoph Nakazawa, Orta Therox, Michał Pierzchała, and Rick Hanlon

Jest 28 was lately released with contributions from over 60 contributors, two thirds of which have been very first time contributors. Extensive term, we hope the Jest group will continue creating Jest far more accessible to new contributors and acquire features for delightful JavaScript tests.

Upcoming steps

More than the next few months, we’ll be completing the OpenJS Foundation’s incubation method checklist, together with transferring the Jest area, repo, website, and other property to OpenJS. We’ll also be updating the code of conduct and contributor license settlement.

Also, as element of this shift, we will be publishing a venture charter and producing new governance procedures that will document the system for attaining commit accessibility, as well as our leadership assortment course of action.

Study additional

Jest is just one of above 800 energetic jobs from Meta in just the globally open up source local community. Meta has prolonged been a supporter of open up resource application and the open resource neighborhood. In addition to building a whole lot of our engineering operate publicly obtainable, together with sharing our research, code, designs, and engineering get the job done, we also commit in organizations that are critical for the prolonged-expression sustainability of the open source ecosystem.

To get started off with Jest, acquire a seem at our documentation.

To find out much more about Meta’s open up resource attempts, stop by Meta Open Resource.