If you're brand new to using unittests, the simplest approach to learn is often the best. On that basis along I recommend using py.test rather than the default unittest module.
Consider these two examples, which do the same thing:
Example 1 (unittest):
import unittest
class LearningCase(unittest.TestCase):
def test_starting_out(self):
self.assertEqual(1, 1)
def main():
unittest.main()
if __name__ == "__main__":
main()
Example 2 (pytest):
def test_starting_out():
assert 1 == 1
Assuming that both files are named test_unittesting.py, how do we run the tests?
Example 1 (unittest):
cd /path/to/dir/
python test_unittesting.py
Example 2 (pytest):
cd /path/to/dir/
py.test