diff --git a/Nix/Parser.hs b/Nix/Parser.hs
index 3bf01fb..f2820cd 100644
--- a/Nix/Parser.hs
+++ b/Nix/Parser.hs
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {-# LANGUAGE CPP #-}
 
-module Nix.Parser (parseNixFile, Result(..)) where
+module Nix.Parser (parseNixFile, parseNixString, Result(..)) where
 
 import           Control.Applicative
 import           Control.Monad
@@ -170,3 +170,7 @@ lookaheadForSet = do
 
 parseNixFile :: MonadIO m => FilePath -> m (Result NExpr)
 parseNixFile = parseFromFileEx nixApp
+
+
+parseNixString :: String -> Result NExpr
+parseNixString = parseFromString nixApp
diff --git a/Nix/Parser/Library.hs b/Nix/Parser/Library.hs
index 3bc10b8..dc3edd1 100644
--- a/Nix/Parser/Library.hs
+++ b/Nix/Parser/Library.hs
@@ -66,6 +66,9 @@ parseFromFileEx p path =
     (either (Failure . text . show) Success . parse p path)
         `liftM` liftIO (T.readFile path)
 
+parseFromString :: Parser a -> String -> Result a
+parseFromString p = either (Failure . text . show) Success . parse p "<string>" . pack
+
 #else
 
 import Data.Char
@@ -73,7 +76,9 @@ import Data.List (nub)
 import Data.Text hiding (map)
 import Text.Parser.Expression as X
 import Text.Parser.LookAhead as X
-import Text.Trifecta as X hiding (whiteSpace, symbol, symbolic)
+import Text.Trifecta as X hiding (whiteSpace, symbol, symbolic, parseString)
+import Text.Trifecta (parseString)
+import Text.Trifecta.Delta
 
 identifier :: Parser Text
 identifier = pack <$> ((:) <$> letter <*> many (alphaNum <|> oneOf "_."))
@@ -137,6 +142,9 @@ inCommentSingle
     where
       startEnd   = nub ("*/" ++ "/*")
 
+parseFromString :: Parser a -> String -> Result a
+parseFromString p = parseString p (Directed "<string>" 0 0 0 0)
+
 #endif
 
 reservedNames :: [String]
diff --git a/hnix.cabal b/hnix.cabal
index 5ed20ce..b68b7c9 100644
--- a/hnix.cabal
+++ b/hnix.cabal
@@ -92,6 +92,19 @@ executable hnix
       , trifecta
   ghc-options: -Wall
 
+test-suite hnix-tests
+  type: exitcode-stdio-1.0
+  hs-source-dirs: tests
+  default-language: Haskell2010
+  main-is: Main.hs
+  build-depends:
+      base >= 4.3 && < 5
+    , containers
+    , hnix
+    , tasty
+    , tasty-th
+    , tasty-hunit
+
 source-repository head
   type:     git
   location: git://github.com/jwiegley/hnix.git
diff --git a/tests/Main.hs b/tests/Main.hs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9573caa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/Main.hs
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+module Main where
+
+import Test.Tasty
+
+import qualified ParserTests
+
+main :: IO ()
+main = defaultMain $ testGroup "hnix"
+  [ ParserTests.tests
+  ]
diff --git a/tests/ParserTests.hs b/tests/ParserTests.hs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..223741e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/ParserTests.hs
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+{-# LANGUAGE TemplateHaskell #-}
+{-# LANGUAGE OverloadedStrings #-}
+module ParserTests (tests) where
+
+import Test.Tasty
+import Test.Tasty.HUnit
+import Test.Tasty.TH
+
+import Nix.Types
+import Nix.Parser
+
+case_constant_int :: Assertion
+case_constant_int = assertParseString "234" $ Fix (NConstant (NInt 234))
+
+case_simple_set :: Assertion
+case_simple_set = assertParseString "{ a = 23; b = 4; }" $ Fix $ NSet NonRec
+  [ (Fix (NConstant (NSym "a")), Fix (NConstant (NInt 23)))
+  , (Fix (NConstant (NSym "b")), Fix (NConstant (NInt 4)))
+  ]
+
+case_int_list :: Assertion
+case_int_list = assertParseString "[1 2 3]" $ Fix $ NList
+  [ Fix (NConstant (NInt i)) | i <- [1,2,3] ]
+
+case_int_null_list :: Assertion
+case_int_null_list = assertParseString "[1 2 3 null 4]" $ Fix (NList (map (Fix . NConstant) [NInt 1, NInt 2, NInt 3, NNull, NInt 4]))
+
+case_simple_lambda :: Assertion
+case_simple_lambda = assertParseString "a: a" $ Fix (NAbs asym asym) where
+  asym = Fix (NConstant (NSym "a"))
+
+case_lambda_app_int :: Assertion
+case_lambda_app_int = assertParseString "(a:a) 3" $ Fix (NApp lam int) where
+  int = Fix (NConstant (NInt 3))
+  lam = Fix (NAbs asym asym)
+  asym = Fix (NConstant (NSym "a"))
+
+case_simple_let :: Assertion
+case_simple_let = assertParseString "let a = 4; in a" $ Fix (NLet binds asym) where
+  binds = [(asym, Fix (NConstant (NInt 4)))]
+  asym = Fix (NConstant (NSym "a"))
+
+tests :: TestTree
+tests = $testGroupGenerator
+
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+assertParseString :: String -> NExpr -> Assertion
+assertParseString str expected = case parseNixString str of
+  Success actual -> assertEqual ("When parsing " ++ str) expected actual
+  Failure err    -> assertFailure $ "Unexpected error parsing `" ++ str ++ "':\n" ++ show err