Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) is a software development methodology that emerged from Test-Driven Development (TDD) and Domain-Driven Design (DDD) practices. BDD aims to ensure that the development process is aligned with the desired behavior of the software from a business perspective.
In BDD, software requirements are expressed in the form of scenarios, which describe the expected behavior of the system from a user's perspective. These scenarios are written in a structured natural language format that is easily understandable by both technical and non-technical stakeholders. The scenarios serve as executable specifications that guide the development process.
BDD encourages collaboration between the various stakeholders, including developers, testers, business analysts, and product owners. By using a common language to describe the system's behavior, BDD helps to bridge the gap between technical and non-technical team members and promotes effective communication and understanding.
BDD also emphasizes the importance of automating the execution of scenarios. Automated tests, often written using frameworks such as Cucumber or SpecFlow, validate the system's behavior against the specified scenarios. These tests not only serve as documentation but also provide a safety net during refactoring and ensure that the software continues to behave as expected.
Benefits of adopting BDD include improved communication and collaboration, increased transparency, faster feedback cycles, and a focus on delivering business value. By aligning the development process with the desired behavior of the software, BDD can help teams build high-quality software that meets the needs of the stakeholders.