Karate

Judgement

What it is

Developer tool

What it does

A test framework where API tests, mocks, performance tests and browser automation are written in a Gherkin-style language, running on the JVM.

Adopt it when

Testers who are not strong Java programmers need to write API tests and mocks for microservices in a readable format.

Watch out

Version 2 is a major rewrite with migration notes, and some features are part of the paid Karate Labs offerings.

Ready for

Production-ready

Runs as

Library and command line

Built with

Java, JavaScript and Gherkin

How established

Established: started 9 years ago, latest release v2.1.4.

What the license allows

You can build it into a product you sell, as long as you keep its copyright notice.

Judged on 2026-11-06 from the project's README and GitHub data. The license and age lines are worked out directly.

Built from

Follow it down: Karate → JDK → LLVM project → runs on a microchip

How compilers were built, back to punched paper tape

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