test-driven-development

The red-green-refactor cycle in test-driven development involves writing a failing test to define behavior, implementing minimal code to pass it, and then improving the design while keeping tests green. This enforces a test-first workflow to guide production code across new features, bug fixes, and refactors.

To start writing tests before production code, write a failing test that strictly defines the desired behavior for your new feature. Then, implement the minimal code required to pass that test, ensuring your software evolves with fewer regressions and a maintainable design.

Yes, you can use test-first development for bug fixes and code refactoring. By writing a failing test that reproduces the bug or validates the refactor, you implement minimal code to pass it, ensuring behavior validation and guarding against future regressions across software projects.

You should write a failing test before implementation to provide a safety net against regressions and brittle designs. This test-first principle defines expected behavior upfront, ensuring your production code evolves confidently with minimal logic to pass the specific test requirements.

No specific testing frameworks or dependencies are required to apply this test-driven development workflow. It focuses on the fundamental red-green-refactor cycle and test-first principles, making it applicable across any software engineering environment where you can execute and validate tests.