test-driven-development

Test-driven development (TDD) prevents bugs by formalizing expected behavior through executable tests written before production code. This approach turns requirements into a living validation suite, reducing regression risk and design drift.

To start test-driven development, write a failing test for your feature or bug fix first. Then, implement just enough minimal code to satisfy and pass the test, followed by iterative refactoring guardrails to ensure safer, incremental design improvements.

Yes, test-driven development works for bug fixes and refactoring by requiring a failing test that captures the bug or validates behavior before changes. It encourages incremental design and safer refactoring by maintaining a living suite of runnable tests.

The red-green-refactor cycle in software testing dictates writing a failing test, implementing minimal code to pass it, and then refactoring. This iterative workflow enforces disciplined test-first development and reduces regression risk throughout feature development.

Yes, you need runnable unit tests to enforce a test-first workflow. The process requires executable tests that fail initially, minimal code to pass them, and iterative refactoring guardrails to maintain a living suite validating software behavior.

You should avoid writing more than minimal code to pass tests during the initial implementation phase to prevent design drift. However, you must follow up with iterative refactoring guardrails to improve design incrementally while maintaining valid behavior.