ng-register-vitest

name: ng-register-vitest description: Step-by-step guide for migrating Angular projects from Karma/Jasmine to Vitest (Angular v20/21+). Includes dependency management, configuration setup, test file API migration, and best practices for zoneless/OnPush testing.

Register Vitest and Migrate from Karma/Jasmine

Overview

This skill guides coding agents through migrating an existing Angular project from Karma + Jasmine to Vitest with modern patterns (OnPush + Zoneless). The process involves removing legacy dependencies, configuring vitest, and updating test APIs.

Target Environment:

• Angular v20.2+
• TypeScript 5.7+
• Node.js 20+

Benefits:

• ✅ 10-50x faster test execution (no Zone.js overhead)
• ✅ Native ESM support with esbuild
• ✅ Modern async/await patterns
• ✅ Zoneless-compatible from the start
• ✅ Smaller bundle size in tests

Prerequisites

Before starting, verify:

1. Angular version is 20.2 or later
2. Project is buildable (ng build completes)
3. All tests currently pass (baseline for comparison)
4. Git is initialized (to track migration diffs)

Check Angular version:

ng version
# Output should show: Angular: 20.x or 21.x

Step 1: Remove Karma/Jasmine Dependencies

1a. Identify and remove dependencies

Run this to find Karma and Jasmine packages:

npm list | grep -E "(karma|jasmine)"

1b. Uninstall Karma and Jasmine

npm uninstall \
  @angular-devkit/build-angular \
  @angular/cdk \
  @types/jasmine \
  jasmine-core \
  karma \
  karma-chrome-launcher \
  karma-coverage \
  karma-jasmine \
  karma-jasmine-html-reporter

Alternative (Windows PowerShell):

npm uninstall `
  @angular-devkit/build-angular `
  @angular/cdk `
  @types/jasmine `
  jasmine-core `
  karma `
  karma-chrome-launcher `
  karma-coverage `
  karma-jasmine `
  karma-jasmine-html-reporter

1c. Verify removal

npm list | grep -E "(karma|jasmine)"
# Should return empty

Step 2: Install Vitest Dependencies

2a. Install required packages

npm install --save-dev \
  vitest@^4.0.0 \
  @analogjs/vitest-angular@^1.18.0 \
  jsdom@^26.0.0

2b. Verify installation

npm list vitest @analogjs/vitest-angular jsdom

Expected output: Should show all three packages installed

Step 3: Create vitest.config.ts

Create file at project root:

File: vitest.config.ts

/// <reference types="vitest" />
import { defineConfig } from 'vitest/config';

export default defineConfig({
    test: {
        globals: true,
        include: ['src/**/*.spec.ts'],
        setupFiles: ['src/test-setup.ts'],
        environment: 'jsdom',
        coverage: {
            provider: 'v8',
            reporter: ['text', 'html', 'json'],
            exclude: ['node_modules/', 'dist/']
        }
    },
});

Key options:

• globals: true – No need to import describe, it, expect
• include – Pattern for test files (must match *.spec.ts)
• setupFiles – Files to run before tests (TestBed initialization)
• jsdom – Browser environment simulation for testing

Step 4: Create Test Setup File

Create file at src/test-setup.ts:

import { BrowserDynamicTestingModule, platformBrowserDynamicTesting } from '@angular/platform-browser-dynamic/testing';
import { getTestBed } from '@angular/core/testing';

let testBedInitialized = false;

if (!testBedInitialized) {
    getTestBed().initTestEnvironment(BrowserDynamicTestingModule, platformBrowserDynamicTesting());
    testBedInitialized = true;
}

This initializes the TestBed environment before tests run.

Step 5: Update tsconfig.spec.json

Update TypeScript types to use Vitest instead of Jasmine:

{
  "extends": "./tsconfig.json",
  "compilerOptions": {
    "outDir": "./out-tsc/spec",
    "types": [
      "vitest/globals"
    ]
  },
  "include": [
    "src/**/*.spec.ts",
    "src/**/*.d.ts"
  ]
}

Changes from Karma/Jasmine:

• Remove: "types": ["jasmine"]
• Add: "types": ["vitest/globals"]

Step 6: Update angular.json Test Configuration

Update the test builder in angular.json:

{
  "projects": {
    "my-app": {
      "architect": {
        "test": {
          "builder": "@angular/build:unit-test",
          "options": {
            "tsConfig": "tsconfig.spec.json",
            "buildTarget": "my-app:build"
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Using Angular CLI to update (recommended):

Run this command to regenerate the test configuration automatically:

ng build --configuration=test

Or manually edit:

1. Find "test" builder (currently points to @angular-devkit/build-angular:karma)
2. Replace with "@angular/build:unit-test"
3. Simplify options:
   • Remove karmaConfig property
   • Keep only tsConfig and buildTarget

Step 7: Update package.json Test Script

In package.json, verify the test script:

{
  "scripts": {
    "test": "ng test"
  }
}

This automatically uses @angular/build:unit-test (Vitest) via angular.json.

Step 8: Migrate Test File APIs

8a. Spy and Mock Syntax

Example Migration:

// Before (Jasmine)
beforeEach(() => {
  const userServiceSpy = jasmine.createSpyObj('UserService', ['getUser']);
  userServiceSpy.getUser.and.returnValue(of({ id: 1, name: 'Test' }));
});

// After (Vitest)
beforeEach(() => {
  const userServiceSpy = {
    getUser: vi.fn().mockReturnValue(of({ id: 1, name: 'Test' }))
  };
});

8b. Async Patterns

Example Migration:

// Before (Jasmine with fakeAsync)
it('waits for async operation', fakeAsync(() => {
  component.loadData();
  tick(1000);
  expect(component.data).toBeDefined();
}));

// After (Vitest with timers)
it('waits for async operation', () => {
  vi.useFakeTimers();
  component.loadData();
  vi.advanceTimersByTime(1000);
  expect(component.data).toBeDefined();
  vi.useRealTimers();
});

// Or with native async/await
it('waits for async operation', async () => {
  component.loadData();
  await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 1000));
  expect(component.data).toBeDefined();
});

8c. DOM and Assertion Changes

Step 9: Remove Old Karma Configuration Files

Delete these files if they exist:

rm -f karma.conf.js          # Karma config
rm -f src/karma-test-shim.js # Old test shim

Or in PowerShell:

Remove-Item -Path 'karma.conf.js' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Remove-Item -Path 'src/karma-test-shim.js' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

Step 10: Run Tests and Validate

10a. Execute tests

npm test
# or
ng test

10b. Expected output

✓ src/app/app.component.spec.ts (3)
✓ src/app/services/user.service.spec.ts (5)
...
✓ 40 files, 127 tests passed (0.5s)

10c. Check test coverage

npm test -- --coverage

Step 11: Update All Test Files (Batch Approach)

For projects with many tests, use a systematic approach:

11a. Identify all test files

find src -name "*.spec.ts" -type f | wc -l

11b. Audit API usage in tests

# Find jasmine.createSpyObj usage
grep -r "jasmine.createSpyObj" src --include="*.spec.ts"

# Find fakeAsync usage
grep -r "fakeAsync" src --include="*.spec.ts"

# Find spyOn usage (needs vi.spyOn)
grep -r "spyOn" src --include="*.spec.ts"

11c. Migration priority

1. First: Test utility files and base specs
2. Second: Service specs (no UI dependencies)
3. Third: Component specs (depends on refactored services)
4. Last: Integration tests

Common Issues and Solutions

Issue 1: Test Hangs or Timeout

Symptom: Tests timeout or hang after migration

Solution:

1. Check for missing vi.useRealTimers() after fake timer tests
2. Ensure await fixture.whenStable() is used for async operations
3. Verify no setTimeout without proper cleanup in afterEach

// ✅ Correct
afterEach(() => {
  vi.useRealTimers(); // Reset timers
  vi.clearAllMocks();  // Clear all spies
});

Issue 2: DOM not Updating in Tests

Symptom: Template changes not reflected in test assertions

Solution:

• Use await fixture.whenStable() instead of manual tick()
• Call fixture.detectChanges() after state changes

// ✅ Correct for OnPush components
it('updates on input change', async () => {
  fixture.componentRef.setInput('data', newData);
  fixture.detectChanges();
  await fixture.whenStable();
  expect(fixture.nativeElement.textContent).toContain('updated');
});

Issue 3: AsyncScheduler RxJS Tests Failing

Symptom: RxJS asyncScheduler tests fail with real timers

Solution: Use vi.useFakeTimers() for async scheduler operations:

it('emits on asyncScheduler', () => {
  vi.useFakeTimers();
  // AsyncScheduler operations here
  vi.runAllTimers();
  expect(...).toBe(...);
  vi.useRealTimers();
});

Issue 4: TestBed is Not Initialized

Symptom: Error: "TestBed is not initialized"

Solution:

• Verify src/test-setup.ts exists
• Check vitest.config.ts includes setupFiles: ['src/test-setup.ts']
• Rebuild project: npx tsc --noEmit

Issue 5: Vitest Can't Find Module

Symptom: Error: "Cannot find module '@angular/core'"

Solution:

1. Clear node_modules: rm -rf node_modules && npm install
2. Verify all dependencies are installed
3. Check paths in tsconfig.json are correct

Testing with Zoneless

For applications using provideZonelessChangeDetection():

// In your test setup or individual tests
beforeEach(async () => {
  await TestBed.configureTestingModule({
    imports: [MyComponent],
    providers: [provideZonelessChangeDetection()]
  }).compileComponents();
});

it('works with zoneless', async () => {
  const fixture = TestBed.createComponent(MyComponent);
  fixture.detectChanges();
  await fixture.whenStable();

  // Signal updates trigger change detection automatically
  component.count.set(5);
  fixture.detectChanges();
  expect(fixture.nativeElement.textContent).toContain('5');
});

Best Practices for Vitest Migration

✅ Use Modern Patterns

// Good: Direct signal testing
it('signal updates', () => {
  const count = signal(0);
  count.set(5);
  expect(count()).toBe(5);
});

// Good: Using async/await
it('loads data', async () => {
  await component.loadData();
  expect(component.data).toBeDefined();
});

❌ Avoid Legacy Patterns

// Bad: Relying on zone.js
it('handles zone events', (done) => {
  setTimeout(() => {
    expect(...).toBe(...);
    done(); // Don't use done callback
  }, 100);
});

✅ Proper Cleanup

afterEach(() => {
  vi.clearAllMocks();
  vi.useRealTimers();
  vi.clearAllTimers();
});

Verification Checklist

• Dependencies removed: npm list | grep karma returns empty
• Dependencies installed: npm list vitest shows v4+
• vitest.config.ts exists at project root
• src/test-setup.ts exists and initializes TestBed
• tsconfig.spec.json has "types": ["vitest/globals"]
• angular.json test builder is @angular/build:unit-test
• No karma.conf.js in project root
• npm test runs without errors
• Test output shows: "X files, X tests passed"
• All test APIs updated (no jasmine., no fakeAsync)

References

• Vitest Docs
• @analogjs/vitest-angular
• Angular Testing Guide
• TestBed API
• Vitest Assertion Matchers