Difference between toBe() and toEqual() in Jasmine

In this article, we will be seeing differences between toBe() and toEqual() in jasmine.

In Jasmine, toBe() and toEqual() are two different methods used to make test assertions.

• toBe() is a matcher used to test for strict equality between two values. 
• It checks if the value returned by the code is the same object as the expected value. 
• This means that the values must have the same type and value.

expect(5).toBe(5); // passes
expect('hello').toBe('hello'); // passes
expect(5).toBe('5'); // fails

• In the third example, the test fails because the values are not strictly equal since they have different types (a number and a string).
• toEqual() is a matcher used to test for deep equality between two values. 
• It checks if the value returned by the code equals the expected value by recursively comparing objects' properties and arrays' values.

expect(5).toEqual(5); // passes
expect('hello').toEqual('hello'); // passes
expect(5).toEqual('5'); // fails
expect([1,2,3]).toEqual([1,2,3]); // passes
expect({a: 1, b: 2}).toEqual({b: 2, a: 1}); // passes

• In the third example, the test fails because the values are not profoundly equal since they have different types. 
• In the last example, the test passes even though the order of properties is different in the actual and expected objects because the comparison is made recursively.

Equality:

• toBe() tests for strict equality.
• toEqual() tests for deep equality.

Value:

• toBe() checks if the value returned by the code is the same object as the expected value.
• toEqual() compares the properties of the object and values of an array.

Check:

• toBe() checks the same type and value.
• toEqual() checks for the same value.

Testing:

• toBe() is used to test primitive values like strings and numbers.
• toEqual() is used to test objects and arrays.

Speed:

• toBe() is faster than toEqual() since it performs simple equality checks.
• toEqual() performs the recursive comparison.