---
id: radish-bdd
version: "0.18.4"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# radish-bdd — Behaviour-Driven-Development tool for Python

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 179.0K/mo

## What it is and what it does

radish is a Python-based BDD framework that reads and executes Gherkin feature files—the human-readable test specifications used across the BDD ecosystem. It parses Given-When-Then scenarios and maps them to Python step definitions you write, then runs them and reports results. Beyond standard Gherkin, radish adds preconditions, scenario loops, constants, and expression support, giving you more flexibility in how you structure tests.

You install it via pip, write feature files in plain Gherkin syntax, define step implementations as decorated Python functions, and invoke the radish command-line tool to run your test suite. It works on Windows, Mac, and Linux, supports Python versions from 3.7 onward, and depends on a small set of utilities for command parsing, colored output, tag filtering, type parsing, and human-readable formatting.

Use it for:

- Write acceptance tests in plain English (Gherkin) that non-technical stakeholders can read and understand.
- Automate API or web application testing by mapping feature scenarios to Python step definitions.
- Build test suites with reusable steps and data-driven scenarios using scenario loops and constants.
- Integrate BDD tests into CI/CD pipelines to verify behavior before deployment.
- Document system behavior through executable feature files that stay in sync with actual code.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

radish is a Behavior Driven Development (BDD) test framework written in Python that executes Gherkin-style feature files and supports standard BDD patterns plus extensions like preconditions, scenario loops, and constants.

Yes, if you need a Python-native BDD framework. radish is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, low install friction, and works across major platforms and recent Python versions. It's mature (since 2013) and suitable for teams wanting to write acceptance tests in Gherkin. Choose it if you prefer a Python-focused alternative to tools like Behave or Cucumber.

## Install

pip install radish-bdd
uv add radish-bdd
poetry add radish-bdd

## Installing radish-bdd

Before you install: Low friction install with five runtime dependencies (docopt, colorful, tag-expressions, parse_type, humanize). Actively maintained with recent commits and no known vulnerabilities.

License in practice: MIT license permits free use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions—suitable for both open-source and commercial projects.

Quickstart:

pip install radish-bdd

# Create a feature file (e.g., features/example.feature)
# Feature: Example
#   Scenario: Test
#     Given a step

# Create steps file (features/steps.py)
from radish import given

@given('a step')
def step_impl(step):
    pass

# Run tests
# radish features/

Requires Python 3 or later (supports 3.7 through 3.14); feature files and step definitions must follow Gherkin conventions.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the 'unconventional' BDD features (preconditions, scenario loops, constants, expressions) are documented with examples in the fact sheet.
- Performance characteristics when running large numbers of scenarios or complex step definitions.

## Package facts

- License: MIT (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 179.0K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

BDD testing framework Python, Gherkin feature file runner, behavior driven development tool, Python test automation BDD, scenario testing framework, acceptance test framework Python, feature file execution, bdd, gherkin, acceptance-testing

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