Exports

The Assert class allows creating independent assertion instances with custom options.

@since v22.19.0

Indicates the failure of an assertion. All errors thrown by the node:assert module will be instances of the AssertionError class.

This feature is deprecated and will be removed in a future version. Please consider using alternatives such as the mock helper function.

@since v14.2.0, v12.19.0

Expects the string input to match the regular expression.

import assert from 'node:assert/strict';

assert.match('I will fail', /pass/);
// AssertionError [ERR_ASSERTION]: The input did not match the regular ...

assert.match(123, /pass/);
// AssertionError [ERR_ASSERTION]: The "string" argument must be of type string.

assert.match('I will pass', /pass/);
// OK

If the values do not match, or if the string argument is of another type than string, an {@link AssertionError} is thrown with a message property set equal to the value of the message parameter. If the message parameter is undefined, a default error message is assigned. If the message parameter is an instance of an Error then it will be thrown instead of the {@link AssertionError}.

@since v13.6.0, v12.16.0

Strict assertion mode

An alias of deepStrictEqual.

Legacy assertion mode

Stability: 3 - Legacy: Use deepStrictEqual instead.

Tests for deep equality between the actual and expected parameters. Consider using deepStrictEqual instead. deepEqual can have surprising results.

Deep equality means that the enumerable "own" properties of child objects are also recursively evaluated by the following rules.

@since v0.1.21

Tests for deep equality between the actual and expected parameters. "Deep" equality means that the enumerable "own" properties of child objects are recursively evaluated also by the following rules.

@since v1.2.0

Expects the string input not to match the regular expression.

import assert from 'node:assert/strict';

assert.doesNotMatch('I will fail', /fail/);
// AssertionError [ERR_ASSERTION]: The input was expected to not match the ...

assert.doesNotMatch(123, /pass/);
// AssertionError [ERR_ASSERTION]: The "string" argument must be of type string.

assert.doesNotMatch('I will pass', /different/);
// OK

If the values do match, or if the string argument is of another type than string, an {@link AssertionError} is thrown with a message property set equal to the value of the message parameter. If the message parameter is undefined, a default error message is assigned. If the message parameter is an instance of an Error then it will be thrown instead of the {@link AssertionError}.

@since v13.6.0, v12.16.0

Awaits the asyncFn promise or, if asyncFn is a function, immediately calls the function and awaits the returned promise to complete. It will then check that the promise is not rejected.

If asyncFn is a function and it throws an error synchronously, assert.doesNotReject() will return a rejected Promise with that error. If the function does not return a promise, assert.doesNotReject() will return a rejected Promise with an ERR_INVALID_RETURN_VALUE error. In both cases the error handler is skipped.

Using assert.doesNotReject() is actually not useful because there is little benefit in catching a rejection and then rejecting it again. Instead, consider adding a comment next to the specific code path that should not reject and keep error messages as expressive as possible.

If specified, error can be a Class, RegExp, or a validation function. See throws for more details.

Besides the async nature to await the completion behaves identically to doesNotThrow.

import assert from 'node:assert/strict';

await assert.doesNotReject(
async () => {
throw new TypeError('Wrong value');
},
SyntaxError,
);

import assert from 'node:assert/strict';

assert.doesNotReject(Promise.reject(new TypeError('Wrong value')))
.then(() => {
// ...
});

@since v10.0.0

Awaits the asyncFn promise or, if asyncFn is a function, immediately calls the function and awaits the returned promise to complete. It will then check that the promise is not rejected.

If asyncFn is a function and it throws an error synchronously, assert.doesNotReject() will return a rejected Promise with that error. If the function does not return a promise, assert.doesNotReject() will return a rejected Promise with an ERR_INVALID_RETURN_VALUE error. In both cases the error handler is skipped.

Using assert.doesNotReject() is actually not useful because there is little benefit in catching a rejection and then rejecting it again. Instead, consider adding a comment next to the specific code path that should not reject and keep error messages as expressive as possible.

If specified, error can be a Class, RegExp, or a validation function. See throws for more details.

Besides the async nature to await the completion behaves identically to doesNotThrow.

import assert from 'node:assert/strict';

await assert.doesNotReject(
async () => {
throw new TypeError('Wrong value');
},
SyntaxError,
);

import assert from 'node:assert/strict';

assert.doesNotReject(Promise.reject(new TypeError('Wrong value')))
.then(() => {
// ...
});

@since v10.0.0

Asserts that the function fn does not throw an error.

Using assert.doesNotThrow() is actually not useful because there is no benefit in catching an error and then rethrowing it. Instead, consider adding a comment next to the specific code path that should not throw and keep error messages as expressive as possible.

When assert.doesNotThrow() is called, it will immediately call the fn function.

If an error is thrown and it is the same type as that specified by the error parameter, then an AssertionError is thrown. If the error is of a different type, or if the error parameter is undefined, the error is propagated back to the caller.

If specified, error can be a Class, RegExp, or a validation function. See throws for more details.

The following, for instance, will throw the TypeError because there is no matching error type in the assertion:

import assert from 'node:assert/strict';

assert.doesNotThrow(
() => {
throw new TypeError('Wrong value');
},
SyntaxError,
);

However, the following will result in an AssertionError with the message 'Got unwanted exception...':

import assert from 'node:assert/strict';

assert.doesNotThrow(
() => {
throw new TypeError('Wrong value');
},
TypeError,
);

If an AssertionError is thrown and a value is provided for the message parameter, the value of message will be appended to the AssertionError message:

import assert from 'node:assert/strict';

assert.doesNotThrow(
() => {
throw new TypeError('Wrong value');
},
/Wrong value/,
'Whoops',
);
// Throws: AssertionError: Got unwanted exception: Whoops

@since v0.1.21

Asserts that the function fn does not throw an error.

Using assert.doesNotThrow() is actually not useful because there is no benefit in catching an error and then rethrowing it. Instead, consider adding a comment next to the specific code path that should not throw and keep error messages as expressive as possible.

When assert.doesNotThrow() is called, it will immediately call the fn function.

If an error is thrown and it is the same type as that specified by the error parameter, then an AssertionError is thrown. If the error is of a different type, or if the error parameter is undefined, the error is propagated back to the caller.

If specified, error can be a Class, RegExp, or a validation function. See throws for more details.

The following, for instance, will throw the TypeError because there is no matching error type in the assertion:

import assert from 'node:assert/strict';

assert.doesNotThrow(
() => {
throw new TypeError('Wrong value');
},
SyntaxError,
);

However, the following will result in an AssertionError with the message 'Got unwanted exception...':

import assert from 'node:assert/strict';

assert.doesNotThrow(
() => {
throw new TypeError('Wrong value');
},
TypeError,
);

If an AssertionError is thrown and a value is provided for the message parameter, the value of message will be appended to the AssertionError message:

import assert from 'node:assert/strict';

assert.doesNotThrow(
() => {
throw new TypeError('Wrong value');
},
/Wrong value/,
'Whoops',
);
// Throws: AssertionError: Got unwanted exception: Whoops

@since v0.1.21

Strict assertion mode

An alias of strictEqual.

Legacy assertion mode

Stability: 3 - Legacy: Use strictEqual instead.

Tests shallow, coercive equality between the actual and expected parameters using the == operator. NaN is specially handled and treated as being identical if both sides are NaN.

import assert from 'node:assert';

assert.equal(1, 1);
// OK, 1 == 1
assert.equal(1, '1');
// OK, 1 == '1'
assert.equal(NaN, NaN);
// OK

assert.equal(1, 2);
// AssertionError: 1 == 2
assert.equal({ a: { b: 1 } }, { a: { b: 1 } });
// AssertionError: { a: { b: 1 } } == { a: { b: 1 } }

If the values are not equal, an AssertionError is thrown with a message property set equal to the value of the message parameter. If the message parameter is undefined, a default error message is assigned. If the message parameter is an instance of an Error then it will be thrown instead of the AssertionError.

@since v0.1.21

Throws an AssertionError with the provided error message or a default error message. If the message parameter is an instance of an Error then it will be thrown instead of the AssertionError.

import assert from 'node:assert/strict';

assert.fail();
// AssertionError [ERR_ASSERTION]: Failed

assert.fail('boom');
// AssertionError [ERR_ASSERTION]: boom

assert.fail(new TypeError('need array'));
// TypeError: need array

Using assert.fail() with more than two arguments is possible but deprecated. See below for further details.

@deprecated since v10.0.0 - use fail([message]) or other assert functions instead.

Throws an AssertionError with the provided error message or a default error message. If the message parameter is an instance of an Error then it will be thrown instead of the AssertionError.

import assert from 'node:assert/strict';

assert.fail();
// AssertionError [ERR_ASSERTION]: Failed

assert.fail('boom');
// AssertionError [ERR_ASSERTION]: boom

assert.fail(new TypeError('need array'));
// TypeError: need array

Using assert.fail() with more than two arguments is possible but deprecated. See below for further details.

@since v0.1.21

Throws value if value is not undefined or null. This is useful when testing the error argument in callbacks. The stack trace contains all frames from the error passed to ifError() including the potential new frames for ifError() itself.

import assert from 'node:assert/strict';

assert.ifError(null);
// OK
assert.ifError(0);
// AssertionError [ERR_ASSERTION]: ifError got unwanted exception: 0
assert.ifError('error');
// AssertionError [ERR_ASSERTION]: ifError got unwanted exception: 'error'
assert.ifError(new Error());
// AssertionError [ERR_ASSERTION]: ifError got unwanted exception: Error

// Create some random error frames.
let err;
(function errorFrame() {
err = new Error('test error');
})();

(function ifErrorFrame() {
assert.ifError(err);
})();
// AssertionError [ERR_ASSERTION]: ifError got unwanted exception: test error
//     at ifErrorFrame
//     at errorFrame

@since v0.1.97

Strict assertion mode

An alias of notDeepStrictEqual.

Legacy assertion mode

Stability: 3 - Legacy: Use notDeepStrictEqual instead.

Tests for any deep inequality. Opposite of deepEqual.

import assert from 'node:assert';

const obj1 = {
a: {
b: 1,
},
};
const obj2 = {
a: {
b: 2,
},
};
const obj3 = {
a: {
b: 1,
},
};
const obj4 = { __proto__: obj1 };

assert.notDeepEqual(obj1, obj1);
// AssertionError: { a: { b: 1 } } notDeepEqual { a: { b: 1 } }

assert.notDeepEqual(obj1, obj2);
// OK

assert.notDeepEqual(obj1, obj3);
// AssertionError: { a: { b: 1 } } notDeepEqual { a: { b: 1 } }

assert.notDeepEqual(obj1, obj4);
// OK

If the values are deeply equal, an AssertionError is thrown with a message property set equal to the value of the message parameter. If the message parameter is undefined, a default error message is assigned. If the message parameter is an instance of an Error then it will be thrown instead of the AssertionError.

@since v0.1.21

Tests for deep strict inequality. Opposite of deepStrictEqual.

import assert from 'node:assert/strict';

assert.notDeepStrictEqual({ a: 1 }, { a: '1' });
// OK

If the values are deeply and strictly equal, an AssertionError is thrown with a message property set equal to the value of the message parameter. If the message parameter is undefined, a default error message is assigned. If the message parameter is an instance of an Error then it will be thrown instead of the AssertionError.

@since v1.2.0

Strict assertion mode

An alias of notStrictEqual.

Legacy assertion mode

Stability: 3 - Legacy: Use notStrictEqual instead.

Tests shallow, coercive inequality with the != operator. NaN is specially handled and treated as being identical if both sides are NaN.

import assert from 'node:assert';

assert.notEqual(1, 2);
// OK

assert.notEqual(1, 1);
// AssertionError: 1 != 1

assert.notEqual(1, '1');
// AssertionError: 1 != '1'

If the values are equal, an AssertionError is thrown with a message property set equal to the value of the message parameter. If the message parameter is undefined, a default error message is assigned. If the message parameter is an instance of an Error then it will be thrown instead of the AssertionError.

@since v0.1.21

Tests strict inequality between the actual and expected parameters as determined by Object.is().

import assert from 'node:assert/strict';

assert.notStrictEqual(1, 2);
// OK

assert.notStrictEqual(1, 1);
// AssertionError [ERR_ASSERTION]: Expected "actual" to be strictly unequal to:
//
// 1

assert.notStrictEqual(1, '1');
// OK

If the values are strictly equal, an AssertionError is thrown with a message property set equal to the value of the message parameter. If the message parameter is undefined, a default error message is assigned. If the message parameter is an instance of an Error then it will be thrown instead of the AssertionError.

@since v0.1.21

Tests if value is truthy. It is equivalent to assert.equal(!!value, true, message).

If value is not truthy, an AssertionError is thrown with a message property set equal to the value of the message parameter. If the message parameter is undefined, a default error message is assigned. If the message parameter is an instance of an Error then it will be thrown instead of the AssertionError. If no arguments are passed in at all message will be set to the string:'No value argument passed toassert.ok()' .

Be aware that in the repl the error message will be different to the one thrown in a file! See below for further details.

import assert from 'node:assert/strict';

assert.ok(true);
// OK
assert.ok(1);
// OK

assert.ok();
// AssertionError: No value argument passed to `assert.ok()`

assert.ok(false, 'it\'s false');
// AssertionError: it's false

// In the repl:
assert.ok(typeof 123 === 'string');
// AssertionError: false == true

// In a file (e.g. test.js):
assert.ok(typeof 123 === 'string');
// AssertionError: The expression evaluated to a falsy value:
//
//   assert.ok(typeof 123 === 'string')

assert.ok(false);
// AssertionError: The expression evaluated to a falsy value:
//
//   assert.ok(false)

assert.ok(0);
// AssertionError: The expression evaluated to a falsy value:
//
//   assert.ok(0)

import assert from 'node:assert/strict';

// Using `assert()` works the same:
assert(0);
// AssertionError: The expression evaluated to a falsy value:
//
//   assert(0)

@since v0.1.21

Tests for partial deep equality between the actual and expected parameters. "Deep" equality means that the enumerable "own" properties of child objects are recursively evaluated also by the following rules. "Partial" equality means that only properties that exist on the expected parameter are going to be compared.

This method always passes the same test cases as assert.deepStrictEqual(), behaving as a super set of it.

@since v22.13.0

Awaits the asyncFn promise or, if asyncFn is a function, immediately calls the function and awaits the returned promise to complete. It will then check that the promise is rejected.

If asyncFn is a function and it throws an error synchronously, assert.rejects() will return a rejected Promise with that error. If the function does not return a promise, assert.rejects() will return a rejected Promise with an ERR_INVALID_RETURN_VALUE error. In both cases the error handler is skipped.

Besides the async nature to await the completion behaves identically to throws.

If specified, error can be a Class, RegExp, a validation function, an object where each property will be tested for, or an instance of error where each property will be tested for including the non-enumerable message and name properties.

If specified, message will be the message provided by the {@link AssertionError} if the asyncFn fails to reject.

import assert from 'node:assert/strict';

await assert.rejects(
async () => {
throw new TypeError('Wrong value');
},
{
name: 'TypeError',
message: 'Wrong value',
},
);

import assert from 'node:assert/strict';

await assert.rejects(
async () => {
throw new TypeError('Wrong value');
},
(err) => {
assert.strictEqual(err.name, 'TypeError');
assert.strictEqual(err.message, 'Wrong value');
return true;
},
);

import assert from 'node:assert/strict';

assert.rejects(
Promise.reject(new Error('Wrong value')),
Error,
).then(() => {
// ...
});

error cannot be a string. If a string is provided as the second argument, then error is assumed to be omitted and the string will be used for message instead. This can lead to easy-to-miss mistakes. Please read the example in throws carefully if using a string as the second argument gets considered.

@since v10.0.0

Awaits the asyncFn promise or, if asyncFn is a function, immediately calls the function and awaits the returned promise to complete. It will then check that the promise is rejected.

If asyncFn is a function and it throws an error synchronously, assert.rejects() will return a rejected Promise with that error. If the function does not return a promise, assert.rejects() will return a rejected Promise with an ERR_INVALID_RETURN_VALUE error. In both cases the error handler is skipped.

Besides the async nature to await the completion behaves identically to throws.

If specified, error can be a Class, RegExp, a validation function, an object where each property will be tested for, or an instance of error where each property will be tested for including the non-enumerable message and name properties.

If specified, message will be the message provided by the {@link AssertionError} if the asyncFn fails to reject.

import assert from 'node:assert/strict';

await assert.rejects(
async () => {
throw new TypeError('Wrong value');
},
{
name: 'TypeError',
message: 'Wrong value',
},
);

import assert from 'node:assert/strict';

await assert.rejects(
async () => {
throw new TypeError('Wrong value');
},
(err) => {
assert.strictEqual(err.name, 'TypeError');
assert.strictEqual(err.message, 'Wrong value');
return true;
},
);

import assert from 'node:assert/strict';

assert.rejects(
Promise.reject(new Error('Wrong value')),
Error,
).then(() => {
// ...
});

error cannot be a string. If a string is provided as the second argument, then error is assumed to be omitted and the string will be used for message instead. This can lead to easy-to-miss mistakes. Please read the example in throws carefully if using a string as the second argument gets considered.

@since v10.0.0

Tests strict equality between the actual and expected parameters as determined by Object.is().

import assert from 'node:assert/strict';

assert.strictEqual(1, 2);
// AssertionError [ERR_ASSERTION]: Expected inputs to be strictly equal:
//
// 1 !== 2

assert.strictEqual(1, 1);
// OK

assert.strictEqual('Hello foobar', 'Hello World!');
// AssertionError [ERR_ASSERTION]: Expected inputs to be strictly equal:
// + actual - expected
//
// + 'Hello foobar'
// - 'Hello World!'
//          ^

const apples = 1;
const oranges = 2;
assert.strictEqual(apples, oranges, `apples ${apples} !== oranges ${oranges}`);
// AssertionError [ERR_ASSERTION]: apples 1 !== oranges 2

assert.strictEqual(1, '1', new TypeError('Inputs are not identical'));
// TypeError: Inputs are not identical

If the values are not strictly equal, an AssertionError is thrown with a message property set equal to the value of the message parameter. If the message parameter is undefined, a default error message is assigned. If the message parameter is an instance of an Error then it will be thrown instead of the AssertionError.

@since v0.1.21

Expects the function fn to throw an error.

If specified, error can be a Class, RegExp, a validation function, a validation object where each property will be tested for strict deep equality, or an instance of error where each property will be tested for strict deep equality including the non-enumerable message and name properties. When using an object, it is also possible to use a regular expression, when validating against a string property. See below for examples.

If specified, message will be appended to the message provided by the AssertionError if the fn call fails to throw or in case the error validation fails.

Custom validation object/error instance:

import assert from 'node:assert/strict';

const err = new TypeError('Wrong value');
err.code = 404;
err.foo = 'bar';
err.info = {
nested: true,
baz: 'text',
};
err.reg = /abc/i;

assert.throws(
() => {
throw err;
},
{
name: 'TypeError',
message: 'Wrong value',
info: {
nested: true,
baz: 'text',
},
// Only properties on the validation object will be tested for.
// Using nested objects requires all properties to be present. Otherwise
// the validation is going to fail.
},
);

// Using regular expressions to validate error properties:
assert.throws(
() => {
throw err;
},
{
// The `name` and `message` properties are strings and using regular
// expressions on those will match against the string. If they fail, an
// error is thrown.
name: /^TypeError$/,
message: /Wrong/,
foo: 'bar',
info: {
nested: true,
// It is not possible to use regular expressions for nested properties!
baz: 'text',
},
// The `reg` property contains a regular expression and only if the
// validation object contains an identical regular expression, it is going
// to pass.
reg: /abc/i,
},
);

// Fails due to the different `message` and `name` properties:
assert.throws(
() => {
const otherErr = new Error('Not found');
// Copy all enumerable properties from `err` to `otherErr`.
for (const [key, value] of Object.entries(err)) {
otherErr[key] = value;
}
throw otherErr;
},
// The error's `message` and `name` properties will also be checked when using
// an error as validation object.
err,
);

Validate instanceof using constructor:

import assert from 'node:assert/strict';

assert.throws(
() => {
throw new Error('Wrong value');
},
Error,
);

Validate error message using RegExp:

Using a regular expression runs .toString on the error object, and will therefore also include the error name.

import assert from 'node:assert/strict';

assert.throws(
() => {
throw new Error('Wrong value');
},
/^Error: Wrong value$/,
);

Custom error validation:

The function must return true to indicate all internal validations passed. It will otherwise fail with an AssertionError.

import assert from 'node:assert/strict';

assert.throws(
() => {
throw new Error('Wrong value');
},
(err) => {
assert(err instanceof Error);
assert(/value/.test(err));
// Avoid returning anything from validation functions besides `true`.
// Otherwise, it's not clear what part of the validation failed. Instead,
// throw an error about the specific validation that failed (as done in this
// example) and add as much helpful debugging information to that error as
// possible.
return true;
},
'unexpected error',
);

error cannot be a string. If a string is provided as the second argument, then error is assumed to be omitted and the string will be used for message instead. This can lead to easy-to-miss mistakes. Using the same message as the thrown error message is going to result in an ERR_AMBIGUOUS_ARGUMENT error. Please read the example below carefully if using a string as the second argument gets considered:

import assert from 'node:assert/strict';

function throwingFirst() {
throw new Error('First');
}

function throwingSecond() {
throw new Error('Second');
}

function notThrowing() {}

// The second argument is a string and the input function threw an Error.
// The first case will not throw as it does not match for the error message
// thrown by the input function!
assert.throws(throwingFirst, 'Second');
// In the next example the message has no benefit over the message from the
// error and since it is not clear if the user intended to actually match
// against the error message, Node.js throws an `ERR_AMBIGUOUS_ARGUMENT` error.
assert.throws(throwingSecond, 'Second');
// TypeError [ERR_AMBIGUOUS_ARGUMENT]

// The string is only used (as message) in case the function does not throw:
assert.throws(notThrowing, 'Second');
// AssertionError [ERR_ASSERTION]: Missing expected exception: Second

// If it was intended to match for the error message do this instead:
// It does not throw because the error messages match.
assert.throws(throwingSecond, /Second$/);

// If the error message does not match, an AssertionError is thrown.
assert.throws(throwingFirst, /Second$/);
// AssertionError [ERR_ASSERTION]

Due to the confusing error-prone notation, avoid a string as the second argument.

@since v0.1.21

Expects the function fn to throw an error.

If specified, error can be a Class, RegExp, a validation function, a validation object where each property will be tested for strict deep equality, or an instance of error where each property will be tested for strict deep equality including the non-enumerable message and name properties. When using an object, it is also possible to use a regular expression, when validating against a string property. See below for examples.

If specified, message will be appended to the message provided by the AssertionError if the fn call fails to throw or in case the error validation fails.

Custom validation object/error instance:

import assert from 'node:assert/strict';

const err = new TypeError('Wrong value');
err.code = 404;
err.foo = 'bar';
err.info = {
nested: true,
baz: 'text',
};
err.reg = /abc/i;

assert.throws(
() => {
throw err;
},
{
name: 'TypeError',
message: 'Wrong value',
info: {
nested: true,
baz: 'text',
},
// Only properties on the validation object will be tested for.
// Using nested objects requires all properties to be present. Otherwise
// the validation is going to fail.
},
);

// Using regular expressions to validate error properties:
assert.throws(
() => {
throw err;
},
{
// The `name` and `message` properties are strings and using regular
// expressions on those will match against the string. If they fail, an
// error is thrown.
name: /^TypeError$/,
message: /Wrong/,
foo: 'bar',
info: {
nested: true,
// It is not possible to use regular expressions for nested properties!
baz: 'text',
},
// The `reg` property contains a regular expression and only if the
// validation object contains an identical regular expression, it is going
// to pass.
reg: /abc/i,
},
);

// Fails due to the different `message` and `name` properties:
assert.throws(
() => {
const otherErr = new Error('Not found');
// Copy all enumerable properties from `err` to `otherErr`.
for (const [key, value] of Object.entries(err)) {
otherErr[key] = value;
}
throw otherErr;
},
// The error's `message` and `name` properties will also be checked when using
// an error as validation object.
err,
);

Validate instanceof using constructor:

import assert from 'node:assert/strict';

assert.throws(
() => {
throw new Error('Wrong value');
},
Error,
);

Validate error message using RegExp:

Using a regular expression runs .toString on the error object, and will therefore also include the error name.

import assert from 'node:assert/strict';

assert.throws(
() => {
throw new Error('Wrong value');
},
/^Error: Wrong value$/,
);

Custom error validation:

The function must return true to indicate all internal validations passed. It will otherwise fail with an AssertionError.

import assert from 'node:assert/strict';

assert.throws(
() => {
throw new Error('Wrong value');
},
(err) => {
assert(err instanceof Error);
assert(/value/.test(err));
// Avoid returning anything from validation functions besides `true`.
// Otherwise, it's not clear what part of the validation failed. Instead,
// throw an error about the specific validation that failed (as done in this
// example) and add as much helpful debugging information to that error as
// possible.
return true;
},
'unexpected error',
);

error cannot be a string. If a string is provided as the second argument, then error is assumed to be omitted and the string will be used for message instead. This can lead to easy-to-miss mistakes. Using the same message as the thrown error message is going to result in an ERR_AMBIGUOUS_ARGUMENT error. Please read the example below carefully if using a string as the second argument gets considered:

import assert from 'node:assert/strict';

function throwingFirst() {
throw new Error('First');
}

function throwingSecond() {
throw new Error('Second');
}

function notThrowing() {}

// The second argument is a string and the input function threw an Error.
// The first case will not throw as it does not match for the error message
// thrown by the input function!
assert.throws(throwingFirst, 'Second');
// In the next example the message has no benefit over the message from the
// error and since it is not clear if the user intended to actually match
// against the error message, Node.js throws an `ERR_AMBIGUOUS_ARGUMENT` error.
assert.throws(throwingSecond, 'Second');
// TypeError [ERR_AMBIGUOUS_ARGUMENT]

// The string is only used (as message) in case the function does not throw:
assert.throws(notThrowing, 'Second');
// AssertionError [ERR_ASSERTION]: Missing expected exception: Second

// If it was intended to match for the error message do this instead:
// It does not throw because the error messages match.
assert.throws(throwingSecond, /Second$/);

// If the error message does not match, an AssertionError is thrown.
assert.throws(throwingFirst, /Second$/);
// AssertionError [ERR_ASSERTION]

Due to the confusing error-prone notation, avoid a string as the second argument.

@since v0.1.21