Re: Direction for test frameworks: Perl TAP vs. Python/pytest

From: Tom Lane <tgl(at)sss(dot)pgh(dot)pa(dot)us>
To: Andrew Dunstan <andrew(at)dunslane(dot)net>
Cc: Michael Paquier <michael(at)paquier(dot)xyz>, Jacob Champion <jacob(dot)champion(at)enterprisedb(dot)com>, Daniel Gustafsson <daniel(at)yesql(dot)se>, Aleksander Alekseev <aleksander(at)tigerdata(dot)com>, PostgreSQL Hackers <pgsql-hackers(at)postgresql(dot)org>, Heikki Linnakangas <hlinnaka(at)iki(dot)fi>, Melanie Plageman <melanieplageman(at)gmail(dot)com>
Subject: Re: Direction for test frameworks: Perl TAP vs. Python/pytest
Date: 2026-06-18 21:38:18
Message-ID: 1400908.1781818698@sss.pgh.pa.us
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Andrew Dunstan <andrew(at)dunslane(dot)net> writes:
> OK, so the consensus I'm sensing is that we should add a pytest
> framework, backpatch it into all the live branches, and initially port
> some relatively contained set of tests and backpatch that too.
> ...
> This is going to make Python a hard requirement for non-psql based
> testing. There are currently 7 buildfarm animals building master without
> enabling python, although 4 of those are building with meson so
> presumably python is available to them.

Another thing to think about: it's not just "make Python a hard
requirement". It's "make Python >= some-version a hard requirement".
If we intend to be able to back-patch the test framework, that will
constrain our ability to use bleeding-edge Python features in it.
Compare discussions at [1][2].

regards, tom lane

[1] https://www.postgresql.org/message-id/flat/CAOYmi%2BnVsoMRFp4u0oQ66-oPT6%2BNNAfhLvk5htthY5zkUOnbfA%40mail.gmail.com
[2] https://www.postgresql.org/message-id/flat/16098.1745079444%40sss.pgh.pa.us

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