tl;dr

Title	pytest Quick Start Guide (available from Packt and Amazon)
Author	Bruno Oliveira (@nicoddemus)
Publication	2018 Packt Publishing
Summary	“Write better Python code with simple and maintainable tests” – a very readable guide for pytest’s main features.
Prerequisites	Intermediate-level Python programming.

Summary

pytest Quick Start Guide is a new book about using pytest for Python test automation. Bruno Oliveira explains not only how to use pytest but also why its features are useful. Even though this book is written as a “quick start” introduction, it nevertheless dives deep into pytest’s major features. It covers:

1. An introduction to pytest
2. Why pytest is superior to unittest
3. Setting up pytest with pip and virtualenv
4. Writing basic tests
5. How assertions really work
6. Common command line arguments
7. Marks and parametrization
8. Using and writing fixtures
9. Popular plugins
10. Converting unittest suites to pytest

Example code is hosted on GitHub at PacktPublishing/pytest-Quick-Start-Guide.

Praises

This book is an easy introduction to test automation in Python with pytest. Readers should have intermediate-level Python skills, but they do not need previous testing or automation skills. The progression of chapters makes it easy to start quick and then go deeper. Oliveira has a very accessible writing style, too.

The unittest refactoring guide is a hidden gem. The unittest module is great because it comes bundled with Python, but it is also clunky and not very Pythonic. Not all teams know the best way to modernize their test suites. Oliveira provides many pieces of practical advice for making the change, at varying degrees of conversion. The big changes use pytest’s fixtures and assertions.

A Comparison to Python Testing with pytest

Python Testing with pytest by Brian Okken is another popular pytest book. Both books are great resources for learning pytest, but each approaches the framework from a unique perspective. How do they compare? Here’s what I saw:

Oliveira’s book

Okken’s book

Oliveira’s book is a great introductory guide for pytest. Oliveira’s writing style makes the reader feel like the author is almost teaching in person. The book’s main theme is getting the reader to use the main features of pytest pragmatically for general testing needs. The main differences in content are the unittest refactoring guide and some of the plugins and fixtures covered. This book is probably the best choice for beginners who want to learn the basics of pytest quickly.

Okken’s book is introductory but also a great manual for future reference. Okken’s writing style is direct and concise, which covers more material in fewer pages. The format for each chapter is consistent: for each idea: idea → code → output → explanation; exercises at the end. Okken also covers how to create and share custom pytest plugins. This book is probably the best choice for people who want to master the ins and outs of pytest.

Ultimately, I recommend both books because they are both excellent.

Takeaways

Reading books on the same subject by different authors helps the reader learn the subject better. I’ve used pytest quite a lot myself, but I was able to learn new things from both pytest Quick Start Guide and Python Testing with pytest. Reading how experts use and think about the framework makes me a better engineer. Different writing styles and different opinions also challenge my own understandings. (It’s also funny that the authors of both pytest books have the same initials – “B.O.”)

pytest is really popular. There are now multiple good books on the subject. It’s becoming the de facto test automation framework for Python, outpacing unittest, nose, and others. These days, it seems more popular to write a pytest plugin than to create a new framework.