SeaLights vs JaCoCo

Both SeaLights and JaCoCo are valuable tools for software development, but they serve different purposes in the testing process. Here's a comparison table highlighting their key differences:

Feature	SeaLights	JaCoCo
Focus	Test optimization across the pipeline	Unit test coverage
Target Audience	Developers, QA owners, testers, product owners, etc.	Developers working on unit tests
Coverage	All test types (unit, integration, API, etc.)	Primarily unit tests
Languages	Cross-language support	Primarily Java
Modified Code Coverage	Analyzes coverage for changed code	Not applicable
Test Gap Analysis	Shows gaps across all testing stages and types	Shows gaps only for unit tests
Code Coverage Analysis	Tracks coverage trends across builds, etc.	Shows coverage data for the current test run only
Test Recommendations	Recommends tests to skip based on code changes	No test recommendations
Test Optimization	Automatically skips unimpacted tests	No test optimization
Ease of Use	Out-of-the-box reports and recommendations	Requires additional configuration for complex use
Integration	Integrates with various testing frameworks	Primarily standalone tool
Cost	Paid	Free and open-source software (OSS)

Key Takeaways

• SeaLights focuses on optimizing testing efforts across the entire development lifecycle, providing insights into all test types and modified code coverage.

• JaCoCo focuses specifically on unit test coverage, offering detailed reports for developers.

• SeaLights is a cross-language tool, while JaCoCo primarily supports Java.

• SeaLights offers out-of-the-box reports and recommendations, while JaCoCo requires more configuration for advanced use cases.

• SeaLights integrates with various testing frameworks, whereas JaCoCo is primarily a standalone tool.

• SeaLights is a paid tool, while JaCoCo is free and open-source.

Choosing the right tool depends on your specific needs and testing environment. If you need a comprehensive solution for optimizing testing across the entire pipeline, SeaLights is a strong option. If your focus is primarily on unit test coverage for Java projects, JaCoCo can be a valuable tool. Both tools can potentially be used together to gain a more holistic view of your code coverage and testing efficiency.