Mastering React Test-Driven Development

Spiking and deleting code

Spiking, in the test-driven sense of the word, simply means coding without tests. We spike when we're in uncharted territory. We need to find a workable approach to a problem we've never solved before, and there is likely to be a great deal of trial and error, along with a lot of backtracking. There is a high chance of finding unworkable approaches before a workable one. Writing tests doesn't make much sense in this situation because many of the tests written along the way will ultimately end up being scrapped.

Let's say, for example, that I'm building a Websocket server and client, but it's the first time I've used Websockets. This would be a good candidate for spiking – I can explore the Websocket API in a safe ...