What is Test-Driven Deployment (TDD)?

Have you ever wondered how software developers ensure the quality of their code? To ensure that programs are performing correctly, there is a process called Test-Driven Deployment (TDD).

TDD ensures that all of the components within a program fit together and function as expected. This method shifts the focus to unit testing, which enables teams to develop applications rapidly while ensuring quality and reliability in production.

In this blog post, we will explore what TDD is and how it helps create better code.

What Is TDD?

One of the notable forms of efficient software development is known as test-driven deployment (TDD). With overly complicated ideas becoming the norm, an approach that prioritizes simplicity is much more powerful than people tend to give credit for.

Test-driven deployment eases a team into a functional application by building on a solid foundation. Most developers will admit that their projects regularly feel like building a house of cards. It’s a mentally demanding task to keep your fingers crossed in the hopes that the software works as intended.

TDD eliminates this fear by using specific test cases. Instead of building a complex project, TDD breaks down each function into a unit test case that tests features based on intention. It’s a reliable way to drive app development because every piece of code is written with optimization in mind.

Even in a test environment, the fact that a test function has to succeed will drive your team to create optimized code that can be secure. In TDD, the failure tests offer a new opportunity for understanding what went wrong instead of damage control. 

How Test-Driven Development Works

To visualize TDD, we’ve got a compact list of what you need to address while evaluating it in your project.

1. Create the test for your chosen function

2. Run all created tests and see if the new one fails

3. Write new code to make the new one pass

4. Run all your tests and refactor the code

5. Repeat the steps

The entire point of this is to create a solid framework mainly focused on your code’s integrity. TDD tests every line of code that will eventually be translated into the main project.

The test code isn’t necessarily the final version. It’s a close replication aimed to be translated into a coherent program that functions successfully, leaving little to no margin for error.

In TDD, tests aren’t written with the end user as a priority. The test is purely used to see whether or not the code is logically sound and not as an evaluation of if the application is logical for the end user.

Phases of Test-Driven Deployment 

Test-driven deployment is designed to be completed in stages, a process of systematic arrival. Each optimization may work as its own independent milestone, bringing significant development forward as an ongoing effort.

The phased approach allows for each component of the execution process to be released only when it has been individualized, assessed, and verified—thus creating an ever-evolving routine of continuous deployment. Phases of TDD include:

Create a unit test

Creating a test for TDD is done to verify the functionality of features. The tests tend to be made precisely to ease out assumptions of a feature and help a developer think through the problem for a workable solution. Most tests are likely to fail. This is a part of the process, though.

Correct and refactor the code

After the test fails, a developer should begin making the right changes to give the code adequate success.

Succeeding in an isolated scenario is a good step in TDD, but the most important one is refactoring the code. After a successful test, optimizing the code makes it easier to read and update.

This optimization should not risk negatively affecting your program’s external behavior.

How to Create the Best Environment for TDD 

Defining the concept is essential, but a good understanding of TDD requires more than just a list to tick off. Your approach should stretch beyond “what is TDD” and make you prioritize a good foundation for test structures.

The standard for TDD is high, but tests in TDD are simple. It should be something that is created in a base form. The developer does this to make maintaining integrity in the code easier. Stripped to the bones and basically made without the end consumer’s point of view as a guide.

Even if isolated tests won’t be in the final product, they still need to be solid and maintained, especially during the later versions of your application. When you’ve got a history of good tests, optimizing your program in the future will be free from a series of headaches.

For TDD to be at its best, dependencies should be reduced to a minimum. In other words, don’t write tests that solely depend on the success of every other test. Instead, try grouping them according to functions. This will work like a set of repositories that examine specific portions of your app.

Benefits of Using Test-Driven Development

Now that you know the answer to “what is TDD,” it’s about time that we show you some cool perks that it can bring to your development team.

Notifies bugs in the system

TDD helps with early notification of bugs in the system. Creating optimized code brings a certain level of flair to the entire development process. It also exposes limitations to any new functions added to the test series. This way, a new bug can be detected pretty quickly.

Encourages teamwork

TDD can be easy to pick up when you’ve got an entire team working together on a project. It makes everyone’s life easier when the trail of code entries can be followed in a well-defined system.

At every stage in testing, each developer can properly document the purpose of a function and how the test performs in relation to it.

Easier to refactor code

With TDD, refactoring code is more convenient than a regular development cycle. The main catch that creates this simplified process of refactoring lies in the use of automated tests. Rather than introducing more bugs with an update, the automated test can account for possible holes in the system.

Reduces costs

TDD is a reliable way to keep your team busy with essential tasks for the project. While it might feel a bit odd at first, it has the power to completely revamp the speed and efficiency of the software at your organization. There’s a much lower chance of encountering bugs when a project follows test-driven deployment.

Final Thoughts

Test-driven development is an important process that can help ensure the quality of your codebase and encourage teamwork among developers. By creating unit tests and then writing code to make those tests pass, you can be confident that your code is well-crafted and effective.

In addition, refactoring code becomes much easier with TDD in place, which can save time and money down the line.

Are you using test-driven development in your project workflow? If not, what might be holding you back? Kobiton offers a range of services to help you complete test-driven development of your app. So no no matter what you need, we’ll have the expertise to help.