How to Exclude Certain Packages While Running Code Coverage in Spring Boot with Jacoco

Learn how to effectively use `Jacoco` to exclude specific packages from code coverage in Spring Boot applications, ensuring accurate testing results.
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How to Exclude Certain Packages While Running Code Coverage in Spring Boot with Jacoco

Code coverage is an essential aspect of software testing that helps developers understand how much of their code is being tested. However, there are instances when you might want to exclude certain packages from your code coverage report, particularly when they are not relevant or contain third-party code. In this guide, we will explore how to accomplish this using the Jacoco Maven plugin in a Spring Boot application, ensuring your testing results are accurate and meaningful.

Understanding Jacoco and its Configuration

Jacoco (Java Code Coverage) is a powerful tool that integrates with build tools like Maven, providing code coverage reports. It allows developers to include or exclude specific packages when calculating code coverage.

Why Exclude Packages from Code Coverage?

Excluding certain packages can be beneficial for a variety of reasons:

Third-Party Libraries: These packages often do not need to be tested since they are maintained by external developers.

Non-Core Functionalities: Some functionalities may not be relevant to the primary goals of your testing suite.

Reducing Noise: Excluding unnecessary packages can help clarify the coverage report and focus attention on the parts of your codebase that truly matter.

Configuring Jacoco Maven Plugin

Step 1: Add Jacoco Maven Plugin

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In this example, any classes located under the specified path package1/subpackage will be ignored during coverage calculations.

Step 2: Configure Execution Block

To customize your code coverage runs, you will benefit from defining an execution block as shown below. This step is critical for specifying which packages to include or exclude during the report generation phase.

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Explanation of the Configuration

includes: This section defines packages you want Jacoco to track. In this example, all classes under jacocodemo will be included in the coverage report.

excludes: Here, classes under jacocodemo/strings will be excluded, which means they won't appear in the coverage metrics.

Step 3: Running and Verifying Code Coverage

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After running the project, the generated report will reflect the exclusions specified, providing a more precise overview of your code coverage.

Conclusion

Excluding certain packages during code coverage runs in a Spring Boot application using Jacoco allows developers to focus on testing the core functionalities of their applications while ignoring irrelevant or third-party code. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can easily configure the Jacoco Maven plugin to meet your project's specific needs, ensuring that your testing strategy is both efficient and effective.

If you have any questions or need further clarification regarding the process, feel free to leave a comment below!