Robolectric in Google Summer of Code 2024

We have some exciting news to share - Robolectric has been accepted as a host organization for the Google Summer of Code (GSOC) 2024! This will provide an opportunity for students interested in Android development to contribute to one of the most widely used testing frameworks for Android.

What is Robolectric?

For those new to Robolectric, it's a powerful testing framework that allows Android tests to be executed on the JVM instead of an emulator or a real device. This makes Android tests that run on Robolectric much faster and more reliable.

Robolectric is used by many organizations building Android applications. Robolectric has received code contributions from developers at companies such as Google, ByteDance, Meta, Block, Amazon, and many more.

Contributions and improvements to Robolectric make a meaningful impact on the quality of Android testing, and thus improve the quality of the Android ecosystem as a whole.

The Robolectric GSOC experience

This is the second time Robolectric has participated in GSOC (the last time being in 2022). Students who work on Robolectric will gain a deeper understanding of the Android framework, JVM internals, and testing methodologies. Students will also collaborate with the Robolectric maintainers and other members of the Robolectric community, many of whom are professional Android developers. Students participating in GSOC will also receive a stipend from Google!

Ideal GSOC candidates

Ideally, students applying for Robolectric in GSOC should have a solid grasp of Java fundamentals and some background in Android application development. While none of these are absolutely required, it will make the learning curve more manageable. More importantly, we are looking for students that have demonstrated a passion for programming and open-source.

We also ask that students interested in applying should attempt to make one small contribution to Robolectric in order to gain some familiarity with the development environment.

Note that time zone differences will be a consideration when reviewing applications. Because of the limited number of mentors. We would prefer if each mentor and host were in a compatible time zone.

More information

The Robolectric profile for GSOC 2024 can be found here.

Review the Robolectric GSOC 2024 project list for a list of project ideas.

If you have any questions, please start a discussion here or email any of the Robolectric maintainers.

We are very excited for the summer and hope that GSOC 2024 is an awesome experience for everyone involved!