# tj/should.js

BDD style assertions for node.js -- test framework agnostic

Repository: https://github.com/tj/should.js
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/shouldjs
Language: JavaScript
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Last push: 2015-12-19T17:53:56+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 32/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 5768, "days_push": 3910, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 2734, forks 184 (observed 2026-08-28T04:07:16.254825+00:00)

## What it is
should.js is an expressive, readable, BDD-style assertion library for Node.js and browsers that is test framework agnostic. It extends Object.prototype with a non-enumerable 'should' getter so assertions read like natural language, with helpful error messages.

## Use cases
- write bdd style assertions in node.js tests
- assert object properties and array lengths in tests
- use an assertion library with any test framework
- replace the node assert module with readable assertions
- run assertions in the browser

## When to choose
- you want expressive, chainable assertions that read like sentences
- you use a test runner without built-in assertions or want framework-agnostic assertions
- you prefer BDD-style should syntax over plain assert

## When to avoid
- you need an actively maintained library - the latest release is from 2015 and the repo moved to shouldjs/should.js
- you dislike Object.prototype extension, which can conflict with null-prototype objects and strict environments
- you need IE <= 8 support, which is not supported

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: maintenance
- function: testing, e2e-testing
- domain: testing, developer-tools
- platform: browser
- tags: bdd-assertions, assertion-library, test-framework-agnostic, nodejs, javascript

## Member repositories
- tj/should.js (main) score 32

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:16.254825+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T02:14:28.912467+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/tj/should.js (fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:16.254825+00:00, sha dc0a33a8409c)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.