what is tdd

Test-driven development (TDD) is a software development process that emphasizes writing tests before writing the actual code. TDD follows an iterative process where small chunks of code are developed, tested, and refined until they pass all tests. The process aims to catch errors as early as possible in the development process, making debugging and fixing them easier. TDD can lead to more modularized, flexible, and extensible code, as the methodology requires that developers think of the software in terms of small units that can be written and tested independently and integrated together later. The TDD process usually follows the "Red-Green-Refactor" cycle, where a test is added to the test suite, the code is written to pass the test, and then the code is refactored to improve its design. TDD is related to, but different from, acceptance test-driven development (ATDD), which is a communication tool between the customer, developer, and tester to ensure that the requirements are well-defined. TDD encourages writing testable, loosely-coupled code that tends to be more modular, which reduces costs and improves efficiency. TDD is a more efficient and reliable approach to software development, ensuring that code is thoroughly tested before being integrated into the system.