Design by contract (DbC), also known as contract programming, programming by contract and design-by-contract programming, is an approach for designing software. It prescribes that software designers should define formal, precise and verifiable interface specifications for software components, which extend the ordinary definition of abstract data types with preconditions, postconditions and invariants. These specifications are referred to as "contracts", in accordance with a conceptual metaphor with the conditions and obligations of business contracts.
"Design by Contract" is a registered trademark of Eiffel Software in the United States, and should not be confused with the general design approach. Microsoft calls their design-by-contract programming implementation "Code Contracts".
Read more about Design By Contract: History, Description, Relationship With Software Testing
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