Reliability and code quality are essential in the dynamic sector of software development. In recent years, two prominent approaches to software development have gained significant traction: behavior driven development and test driven development. Each emphasizes the testing process and has its unique viewpoints.
It is an acceptable requirement for the stakeholders, testers, and developers to understand the methodology. It helps them with delivering dependable software solutions. In this blog we will explore the core concepts of TDD and BDD, along with their functional methods, features and comparison of TDD Vs BDD to understand the practical applications. By the time this book ends, you will have a solid understanding of how TDD and BDD could enhance your software development process.
What is TDD?
TDD -Test driven development is a new methodology in the software development process which is fundamentally different from the earlier approaches. It is a difficult task of writing test cases for a non-existing function. However, this has been a game changer for developers around the world.
A simple loop called “Red, Green, Refactor” is used in TDD.
Red: Write a test for a new function first. Now that the function doesn’t exist, it makes sense that the test will fail. It’s a red flag that the functionality isn’t there yet, so this is the “red” step.
Green: Write just the right amount of code to pass the test next. This is the “green” stage, where the function is born, even if it’s just a simple idea. Don’t look for perfection; instead, get things done.
Refactor: Finally, make the code better. Clean it up, make it work better, and make sure it can be maintained without changing how it works. This “refactor” step is very important for the long-term health of the code.
However, why go through this process that looks so hard to understand? What is TDD? It has many benefits, such as having writers question features and possible problems right from the start, which makes the code stronger and more reliable. It makes writers think about features and problems from the start, which makes the code better and more reliable. Also, bugs can be found faster, which saves time and work in the long run. TDD is also easier to handle and keep up to date because it works in small steps.
How Does TDD Work?
Test Driven Development is a methodology which can make the code more reliable and easy to manage. To explain how it works, here it is:
Make a Test That Fails: Write a test for a new feature or function that doesn’t exist and which is yet to start. The code that will make this test pass hasn’t been written yet, so it’s likely to fail at first. This is the “red” step, where the test shows that the feature is missing.
Write just enough code to get through the test: Next, write just the bare minimum of code that will get you through the test. In the “green” phase, the goal is to get the code to work quickly without thinking about how well it looks or how efficiently it works.
Change the code: After the test has been passed, make the code structure and style better. In this “refactor” step, the code gets cleaned up and optimized to identify any unnecessary parts. Even after that all the tests are passed.
Repeat: For every new feature, this cycle repeats from step one to the end. After writing the test that fails, move on to fix it and change it. All along while making sure the codebase stays well organized, and bug free.
Enables the developers to write the code in a bug free way with the above steps. It helps them to think carefully about the features making the code stable and easier to manage. Bugs are identified in the early stage of development cycle to rectify it.
What is BDD?
Behavior Driven Development builds on the TDD concepts by focusing on communication among team members. It enables communication between technical and non-technical team members by giving them a common language to talk about how software works. What is BDD and what makes it different:
Collaborative Method: BDD brings together the product owners, testers, and stakeholders along with the coders. By working together, everyone is sure to understand what is needed and what is expected to happen.
Stories and scenarios for users: User stories, which explain the features from the user point of view. There are scenarios for each user story that show how certain actions should happen. The language used to write these scenarios is called Gherkin, and it’s just plain English. It describes the predicted conditions, actions, and results.
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“Given, When, Then” is the simple formula for the Gherkin language. |
As an example, here’s what could happen with a login feature:
● Given that the user is on the login page
● When they enter valid credentials,
● Then they should be redirected to the dashboard
This easy to read style makes it simple for everyone on the team to understand the ongoing process.
Automated Testing: BDD tools like ACCELQ convert these Gherkin scenarios into automated tests which can be executed regularly. This makes sure that the app works as emancipated and any errors are identified in the early development process.
How Does BDD Work?
Behavior Driven Development enhances the development process by encouraging teamwork and effective communication.
Write about users: Begin with the user stories, which explains a lot about the software working process from the user point of view. To make sure that all points of view are taken into account making the coders, testers, and stakeholders come together.
Make Scenarios: Every user story is broken down into specific situations that show how the action should work. The language used to write these scenarios is Gherkin, which is simple English used to talk about what happened, what happened next, and what is supposed to happen.
As an example:
● Given that the user is on the login page
● When they enter valid credentials,
● Then they should be redirected to the dashboard
Automate Situations: To convert these Gherkin examples into automated tests, utilize BDD tools like ACCELQ. These tools scan through the cases and run them against the app to make sure it works as expected.
Run and Validate: The automated tests run regularly without manual intervention, and they are often part of the process for continuous integration. It ensures any change in the codebase without breaking current features, while the results are intact.
These steps enable the development process to meet the user expectations while making it understandable for the software’s intended functionality. This way of working together lowers the chance of misunderstandings and makes sure that the end product really helps people.
Comparing TDD and BDD
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Aspect
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TDD (Test-Driven Development)
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BDD (Behavior-Driven Development) |
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Focus |
Developer-centric: Write tests before code to verify functionality. |
User-centric: Specify behavior through examples that all can understand. |
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Language and Communication |
Tests written in programming languages, primarily understood by developers. |
Scenarios written in Gherkin, plain language using “Given, When, Then” syntax. |
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Collaboration |
Minimal involvement from non-developers, focuses on technical correctness. |
Promotes collaboration among developers, testers, and business stakeholders. |
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Granularity |
Fine-grained unit tests verifying individual components. |
Broader scenarios, including end-to-end tests validating overall behavior. |
Challenges and Best Practices:
Using the TDD and BDD methodologies can be hard sometimes. But following the right practice can bring the expected results.
Challenges:
Learning Curve: For any of the methods or both to work, the teams need to update their knowledge and get proper training.
Initial Resistance: Teams may not like the changes to their work flow or what they think is more work they have to do.
Collaboration: For BDD to work, people must constantly talk to each other and work together, which can be hard for teams that work in different places.
Best Practices:
Assistance and Training: Team members need to undergo extensive training and resources that enables them to comprehend for applying TDD and BDD process.
Start modest: Start with little jobs to gain confidence and experience before advancing to larger ones.
CI/CD: By integrating the automated test cases into CI/CD pipelines, it ensures the testing process is reliable and consistent.
Regular Reviews: Tests should be reviewed and revised frequently to make sure they stay useful and manageable.
Improved Collaboration: Make sure that everyone on the team, including the testers, coders, and stakeholders, can interact and work together.
Teams can use TDD and BDD effectively, provided they address these issues and follow recommended procedures. Better, user-focused software will come out of this.
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Conclusion:
TDD and BDD are the proven approaches that improve software dependability and quality assurance. Creating tests before writing code is the main goal of TDD to guarantee that every feature is well tested.
By contrast, behavior description and cooperation are stressed in BDD to guarantee that software development meets user needs. Develop teams may produce more dependable, user-focused, and manageable software if they are aware of and adopt these ideas. TDD and BDD are useful frameworks for streamlining the software development process and providing excellent solutions adapted to the demands of contemporary software environments. Neither of them has to be used together.
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