Master's thesis in Software Development: Faster mutation testing with Stryker

A mutation testing framework will measure the effectiveness of unit tests by inserting mutants (bugs) inside your production code and running the (unit) tests. If the tests pass for a given mutant, then there might be a missing test case. The mutant ‘survived’ in that case. If at least one of the tests fails, then the mutant is ‘killed’. The percentage of killed mutants is referred to as the ‘mutation score’ and is a metric for test effectiveness.

At Info Support, we maintain Stryker Mutator, an open-source mutation testing framework. It consists of 3 flavors: Stryker.NET (C#), Stryker4s (Scala), and Stryker (for JavaScript and friends). For more info, see https://stryker-mutator.io.

There are many ways of introducing mutants into the source code. Mutating sources statement by statement is a logical choice, but not good for performance as the codebase needs to be recompiled or reloaded after every mutation. Mutation switching can provide a solution to speed up the process. With mutation switching all mutants are compiled into the codebase at once and switched on one-by-one at runtime. In the case of Stryker.NET and Styker4s this has resulted in a significant performance boost.

We would like to increase the performance of Stryker even further. Research will focus on finding areas where improvements can be made and/or developing methodologies for speeding up mutation testing.

About Info Support Research Center

We anticipate on upcoming and future challenges and ensures our engineers develop cutting-edge solutions based on the latest scientific insights. Our research community proactively tackles emerging technologies. We do this in cooperation with renowned scientists, making sure that research teams are positioned and embedded throughout our organisation and our community, so that their insights are directly applied to our business. We truly believe in sharing knowledge, so we want to do this without any restrictions.

Read more about Info Support Research here.

What does Info Support offer you during your graduation period?

Of course, we offer you an excellent package of graduation conditions with various options. These include:

• Laptop, all necessary tools, and development environments to successfully carry out your assignment
• A graduation allowance, where you have the choice of:
  • € 1000 gross per month
  • € 500 gross per month + lease car with fuel card
  • € 600 gross per month + accommodation in Veenendaal

During your graduation internship, you will be included in one of our business units and in our Research Center. This will give you a good understanding of the developments within our projects and our research projects.

In addition, Info Support offers you:

• A challenging master’s thesis at a solid, growing, and financially healthy company
• Professional and experienced guidance, hybrid working
• A graduation program with, among other things, training sessions, knowledge evenings, project visits, activities, and team, unit, and company outings
• Experimentation with new products and releases that are in the pre-release phase
• Brainstorming with other graduates and IT colleagues who are collegial and passionate
• Potential for a permanent position in our IT Top Traineeship program!

About Info Support

Info Support specializes in custom software, data/AI solutions, management, and training and is active in the Finance, Industry, Agriculture, Food & Retail, Mobility & Public, and Healthcare sectors. We provide solid and innovative solutions for complex and critical software issues. Our headquarters are located in Veenendaal (NL) and Mechelen (BE). At present, approximately 500 employees are employed by Info Support.

Info Support’s working method is characterized by a number of core values: solidity, integrity, craftsmanship, and passion. These core values are intertwined in our work and the way we interact with each other. This year, we were also named a Top Employer in the Netherlands!

To ensure that all employees are always up to date with the latest developments, Info Support has an in-house knowledge center that eagerly satisfies the hunger for more or different knowledge and skills.