It's so difficult to create software without bugs that it almost seems unreal. Software bugs are the differences between the program's expected and actual behaviors. Software can never be completely bug-free, however there are steps that may be taken to reduce the amount of problems by using different prevention and detection methods. 

The methods that can be employed to stop software bugs from developing are called prevention strategies. The methods that can be used to find software flaws are called detection techniques. Bug detection is a more expensive method of reducing software problems than prevention because it can only occur once the bugs start to manifest in the program.

Software Bug Types

Three main categories can be used to classify software bugs:

Implementation Bugs

Implementation bugs are issues that arise when software is being implemented. These defects are introduced after the matching standards are implemented in the code; they do not exist during the requirements and design phases of the software. As a result, another name for this might be "coding bugs."

Take an application's login page, for instance. The standard states that both letters and numbers are allowed in a valid username. The developer permits the use of symbols in the username in addition to letters and numbers during implementation. These are the most prevalent kinds of software bugs, and they are mostly avoidable.

Specification Bugs

Bugs introduced during the process of establishing software specifications are referred to as specification bugs. When technical standards for requirements and design are developed, these flaws are introduced. 

For instance, the specification states that the user should see the error message "Incorrect Password!" if they input the wrong password. "Incorrect Username or Password!" should be the error message in this case, in accordance with conventional security rules.

A specification bug occurs when a novice developer, unaware of the common security protocols and guidelines observed in software products, is assigned to implement the specification and, without realizing it, implements the behavior specified in the specification.

Absent Specification problems

Absent specification problems are those that occur in software because associated procedures and use cases were overlooked when specifications were being created. These are the bugs that appear because no one considered their possibility or necessity when the specs were being developed. 

A website's specification, for instance, makes no mention of supporting HTTPS. As a result, it is believed that the website does not require HTTPS support.

One common type of defect in products is security vulnerability. Until someone starts to notice the associated hazards and raises an alert, the security component is typically overlooked in the early stages of product specifications. 

How Is Software Bug Prevention Possible?

A few methods that can aid in preventing software defects are as follows:

Test-Driven Development (TDD): TDD promotes building feature/product failure tests prior to feature/product development. The test cases start to pass once the feature/product development is finished, confirming that the feature/product will behave as predicted.

The possibility of a feature or product being released to end customers untested is significantly decreased if tests are developed prior to the feature or product. TDD is a potent tool that may be used to stop defects from developing as a result of insufficient testing.

Ongoing Inclusion 

The concept of Continuous Integration and Testing (CICT) highlights the need for automated testing using pre-written test cases for each code update that is included into the central code repository. 

Therefore, automated testing must be implemented and integrated with the CI/CD system in order for continuous testing to be possible.

Integration of the test automation system with the product's build system is essential for achieving CICT for a product.

Regressions and injections in the product are ensured to be detected as soon as they occur through the use of a CICT pipeline. Finding the changes that led to the regression or injection would have required a significant amount of time and effort, which is saved by doing this. 

Behavior Driven Development (BDD)

DSLs, or domain-specific languages, are recommended for team communication. Reducing misunderstandings among stakeholders is facilitated by the use of DSL. When BDD is used, it is easy for everyone in the team to participate in creating and reviewing tests without getting bogged down in the specifics of code syntax because tests can be created in a simple text language like English.

The flexibility and openness with which test cases are created and reviewed can greatly aid in minimizing the number of bugs that arise from breakdowns in team and inter-team communication.

Management and Review of Specifications

The specifications for a product change along with its scope. It might take a committed effort to monitor and analyze the specifications' updates. Bugs later in the product's implementation can be avoided by promptly identifying any updates to the specifications that could cause a conflict.

Clear Communication

Highlighting missing or contradictory scenarios in specifications can be greatly aided by open and transparent communication between teams and team members. Such problems can be found much more quickly and early if all team members are encouraged to share use cases or scenarios that they believe are missing or contradicting in the specification.

Encouraging teams to consult with pertinent stakeholders and generate potential expected behaviors in the event of missing or conflicting specifications can aid in minimizing bugs that result from implementation-related assumptions.