Why Can\'t Mockito Mock Static Methods?

Demystifying the Inability of Mockito to Mock Static Methods

Mockito, a popular mocking framework, lacks the ability to mock static methods. This limitation has raised questions among developers seeking to understand the underlying reasons for this inability. In this article, we'll delve into the technicalities of mocking and explain why Mockito faces difficulties when attempting to mock static methods.

The creation of mock objects in mocking libraries generally relies on dynamic class generation at runtime using technologies such as CGLib. Two primary approaches are used in this process: implementing an interface at runtime (as in EasyMock) or inheriting from the class to be mocked (as in Mockito). However, both of these strategies are rendered ineffective when it comes to mocking static members, as they cannot be overridden through inheritance.

The only feasible option for mocking statics is to modify the class's bytecode at runtime, which involves a more complex process than inheritance. This additional complexity likely contributes to Mockito's limitations in this regard. It's important to note that this limitation is not a fundamental flaw in Mockito's design but rather a technical constraint imposed by the nature of static methods.

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