test-driven-development

Test-Driven Development enforces the Red-Green-Refactor cycle: write a failing test first, create minimal code to pass it, then refactor while maintaining passing tests to prevent regressions and document behavior.

Test-Driven Development addresses common testing anti-patterns by providing clear rules and verification checks after each development cycle to prevent practices that undermine testing effectiveness and code maintainability.

Use Test-Driven Development when starting any new feature or fixing a bug. It ensures a test is written first, guaranteeing the code meets requirements, prevents regressions, and maintains long-term maintainability.

Refactoring in Test-Driven Development occurs after tests pass during the Green phase. You restructure the code while continuously verifying against the existing automated tests to ensure behavior remains unchanged.

Test-Driven Development methodology is framework-agnostic. It enforces strict testing principles and a verification checklist for each development cycle, applicable across any software development environment without external dependencies.