MAJOR: An efficient and extensible tool for mutation analysis in a Java compiler

Abstract

Mutation analysis is an effective, yet often time-consuming and difficult-to-use method for the evaluation of testing strategies. In response to these and other challenges, this paper presents MAJOR, a fault seeding and mutation analysis tool that is integrated into the Java Standard Edition compiler as a non-invasive enhancement for use in any Java-based development environment. MAJOR reduces the mutant generation time and enables efficient mutation analysis. It has already been successfully applied to large applications with up to 373,000 lines of code and 406,000 mutants. Moreover, MAJOR's domain specific language for specifying and adapting mutation operators also makes it extensible. Due to its ease-of-use, efficiency, and extensibility, MAJOR is an ideal platform for the study and application of mutation analysis.