test-prof
TestProf is a Ruby gem that profiles and analyzes test suite performance, helping teams identify bottlenecks in RSpec and minitest tests. It integrates with standard Ruby profilers and provides specialized tools for detecting factory misuse and slow test patterns.
Key facts
Objective fields from the source. Values we can't verify are shown as “Unknown” rather than guessed.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Repository | test-prof/test-prof |
| Owner | test-prof |
| Primary language | Ruby |
| License | MIT — OSI-approved |
| Stars | 2k |
| Forks | 169 |
| Open issues | 8 |
| Latest release | v1.6.0 (2026-03-18) |
| Last updated | 2026-04-02 |
| Source | https://github.com/test-prof/test-prof |
What test-prof is
TestProf wraps ruby-prof and stackprof profilers, analyzes factory instantiation overhead, provides ActiveSupport-backed profilers, and includes RSpec/minitest helpers and RuboCop cops for test optimization. It targets Ruby 2.7+ and JRuby 9.3+, with minimal setup required.
Get the test-prof source
Clone the repository and explore it locally.
git clone https://github.com/test-prof/test-prof.gitcd test-prof# follow the project's README for install & configurationNeed it deployed, integrated, or customized instead? DEV.co ships production installs.
Best use cases
Implementation considerations
- Add gem to :test group only; no production dependency. Setup is minimal—requires only Gemfile addition and optional environment variable configuration per profiler.
- Choose profiler backend (ruby-prof, stackprof, or ActiveSupport) based on accuracy needs and CPU overhead tolerance; stackprof is lower-overhead for production-like profiles.
- RuboCop cops are optional but recommended; configure in .rubocop.yml to enforce faster test patterns alongside profiling.
- Factory profilers require factory_bot or similar; will not detect issues in projects using fixture-only or fully-mocked strategies.
- Baseline profiling run recommended before optimization; use reported metrics to set realistic performance targets for CI/CD gates.
When to avoid it — and what to weigh
- Non-Ruby/Rails projects — TestProf is Ruby-specific and designed for RSpec/minitest; not applicable to other language ecosystems.
- Projects using only mocked tests with no database interaction — Gains are minimal if your test suite has no factory or database overhead; the tool's value diminishes when I/O and instantiation are not bottlenecks.
- Minimal or greenfield test suites — Small, well-optimized test suites may not justify adoption overhead; TestProf's ROI is highest with large, established test bases (100k+ test runs).
- Restricted Ruby versions below 2.7.0 — Requires Ruby >= 2.7.0 (or JRuby >= 9.3.0); older codebases must remain on older TestProf versions with reduced feature support.
License & commercial use
MIT License (SPDX: MIT). Permissive OSI-approved license allowing use, modification, and distribution in proprietary and commercial projects without copyleft obligations.
MIT License explicitly permits commercial use. No restrictions on proprietary applications, closed-source derivatives, or vendor licensing. Standard MIT terms apply; review project's MIT license text for exact terms if required for legal compliance.
DEV.co evaluation signals
Editorial assessment — not user reviews. Directional, with an explicit confidence level.
| Signal | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Maintenance | Active |
| Documentation | Strong |
| License clarity | Clear |
| Deployment complexity | Low |
| DEV.co fit | Strong |
| Assessment confidence | High |
No embedded exploits or known CVEs reported in data. As a test-only dependency, attack surface is limited to test execution. Profilers (ruby-prof, stackprof) are well-established; review their security posture independently. Use gemfile.lock to pin versions in CI/CD to prevent supply-chain drift.
Alternatives to consider
ruby-prof (direct)
Lower-level, direct profiler without TestProf's factory analysis and RSpec helpers; requires manual instrumentation and report parsing.
stackprof (direct)
Sampling profiler with less overhead but no factory-specific insights; best for whole-suite baseline profiling, not test-specific optimization.
RSpec --profile flag + custom benchmarking
Native RSpec feature identifies slow tests but does not diagnose root causes (factory overhead, N+1 queries, etc.); requires manual investigation.
Build on test-prof with DEV.co software developers
Install TestProf, profile your tests, and identify bottlenecks. Reduce CI/CD time and improve developer productivity in minutes.
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test-prof FAQ
What profiler backend should I use?
Can I use TestProf in production?
Does TestProf require changes to my existing tests?
How much test time improvement should I expect?
Software development & web development with DEV.co
Adopting test-prof is usually one piece of a larger software development effort. As a software development agency, DEV.co provides software development services and web development expertise — pairing senior software developers and web developers with your team to design, build, and operate open-source testing software in production.
Speed up your Ruby test suite today
Install TestProf, profile your tests, and identify bottlenecks. Reduce CI/CD time and improve developer productivity in minutes.