C/C++ UNIT TESTING

Unit Testing on Host and Target for C and C++ Applications

Screenshot from C/C++test test overview video. Graphics representing the various industries, including aerospace/defense, industrial automation, and semiconductor.

C/C++ Unit Testing Solutions

Parasoft provides two complementary solutions for unit testing C and C++ applications:

C/C++test — a complete proprietary unit testing framework
C/C++test CT — integration with popular unit testing frameworks, including GoogleTest with TÜV SÜD certification

Both solutions support host and target execution, advanced code coverage, powerful stubbing and mocking, CI/CD integration, and now AI-driven test generation through intelligent agents powered by the Model Context Protocol (MCP) server.

How Does It Work?

C/C++test – Proprietary Unit Testing Framework

C/C++test delivers a complete, end-to-end unit testing framework without requiring external libraries. Developers and testers use graphical editors, guided wizards, and the Test Case Explorer to automatically generate unit tests, create mocks, stubs, and assertions, isolate units under test, detect failed assertions and unsatisfied stub expectations, and analyze coverage gaps in real time. All test artifacts are generated as source code, ensuring reviewability, version control, and suitability for safety-critical environments.

C/C++test CT – Framework Integration with TÜV SÜD Certification

C/C++test CT enhances GoogleTest, and other supported C/C++ unit testing frameworks, with enterprise-grade coverage (statement, branch, MC/DC), advanced reporting, CI/CD automation, and requirements traceability, all while preserving native framework syntax.

TÜV SÜD certification applies to GoogleTest-based unit testing for ISO 26262, IEC 61508, IEC 62304, and EN 50128, eliminating additional tool qualification effort in safety-critical projects. Existing framework assets are fully supported, enabling teams to scale without abandoning open-source investments.

Benefit From the Parasoft Approach

Realistic Test Cases

Unlike tools that store test inputs in proprietary formats, both C/C++test and C/C++test CT generate test cases as source code, with parameter values initialized in the same way as in production. This ensures tests closely reflect real-world behavior, making them well-suited for safety-critical software verification.

Time-Saving Qualification Kits

Industry-specific qualification kits, along with TÜV SÜD certification, dramatically reduce the effort required to achieve tool qualification across safety-critical standards including ISO 26262, ISO 21434, DO-178B/C, IEC 61508, and EN 50716.

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Easily Switch Between Isolation and Integration

Parasoft C/C++ testing solutions allow seamless switching between isolated (stubbed) and integration testing using the same test cases, enabling easy result comparison across multiple conditions with minimal reconfiguration.