test-driven-development

Test-driven development enforces a strict Red-Green-Refactor cycle by guiding you to write a failing test before implementing the minimal production code to pass it. This ensures features are driven by explicit, named tests and reduces regression risk.

Yes, the TDD Red-Green-Refactor cycle applies to feature development, bug fixes, refactoring, and behavior changes. It guides creation of deterministic failing tests to verify the bug, followed by minimal implementation and explicit verification of passes.

The best way to write tests before implementation is using a deterministic test-first approach that satisfies minimal, explicit test definitions across languages and stacks. This documents behavior through explicit tests before writing any production code.

Test-driven development works across languages and stacks without requiring specific testing framework dependencies. It focuses on the deterministic Red-Green-Refactor steps and explicit verification of test failures and passes rather than relying on external components.

To start writing a failing test first, define the explicit, minimal test for the new behavior, verify it fails deterministically, implement the minimal code to pass it, and then refactor. This test-first approach ensures clear requirements and reduced regressions.