test-driven-development

Test-driven development prevents regressions by enforcing a strict test-first workflow where a failing test must exist before implementing production code, ensuring expected behavior is defined upfront. The Red-Green-Refactor cycle provides rapid feedback to catch issues immediately.

The Red-Green-Refactor cycle in unit testing is a workflow where you write a failing test first, implement the minimal code to make it pass, and then refactor for clarity. This cycle promotes safer refactoring and clearer software design decisions.

To start test-driven development when fixing a bug or adding a feature, write a failing test that captures the desired behavior, implement the minimal production code to make the test pass, and then refactor the code for clarity and long-term maintainability.

Yes, you can use test-driven development for refactoring existing software projects. It is applicable to behavior changes and refactoring across software projects, providing guardrails to ensure a failing test exists before modifying code, which leads to safer refactoring.

Test-driven development does not require specific testing frameworks to work. It is a workflow applicable across software projects seeking high confidence changes, relying on the test-first practice and Red-Green-Refactor cycle rather than specific dependencies or components.