ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Behavior-driven development

Behavior-driven development (BDD) is a way of writing computer programs that is a bit like playing with Legos. Think of a Lego set that has instructions for building a castle. The instructions tell you what pieces to use and how to put them together to create the castle. In BDD, you start with a similar set of instructions, called a "scenario".

A scenario describes a situation, like a knight defending the castle from an invading army. It tells you what should happen in that situation, like the knight defeating the invaders or the castle being destroyed. These scenarios are written in a way that's easy for people to understand, using simple language like "Given...when...then" statements.

For example, "Given the knight has a sword, when the invaders attack, then the knight should defeat them and protect the castle". This scenario is like a test for the program. A programmer can use it to build the program in small pieces, just like assembling the Lego castle one brick at a time. Each time a piece is added to the program, the scenario can be run to see if it works as expected.

BDD helps programmers make sure the program does what it's supposed to do. It also helps them to communicate with other people, like testers or customers, about what the program should be doing. By using simple language, everyone can understand what's happening and what's expected.

In conclusion, behavior-driven development is a way of writing computer programs using simple, easy-to-understand scenarios that describe what the program should do in different situations. These scenarios are like Lego instructions that help programmers build the program step by step and make sure it works as expected.