Defects4J as a Challenge Case for the Search-Based Software Engineering Community

Paper in proceeding, 2020

Defects4J is a collection of reproducible bugs, extracted from real-world Java software systems, together with a supporting infrastructure for using these bugs. Defects4J has been widely used to evaluate software engineering research, including research on automated test generation, program repair, and fault localization. Defects4J has recently grown substantially, both in number of software systems and number of bugs. This report proposes that Defects4J can serve as a benchmark for Search-Based Software Engineering (SBSE) research as well as a catalyst for new innovations. Specifically, it outlines the current Defects4J dataset and infrastructure, and details how it can serve as a challenge case to support SBSE research and to expand Defects4J itself.