What is the primary purpose of unit testing in software development?

The primary purpose of unit testing in software development is to test individual components for correctness. Unit testing focuses on verifying the functionality of the smallest testable parts of an application, typically individual functions or methods, ensuring that each component behaves as expected in isolation. This process helps developers identify and fix bugs early in the development cycle, which promotes code quality and reduces overall development time.

By concentrating on individual units, developers can ensure that each piece of the application works correctly before integrating them into larger systems. This targeted approach simplifies debugging and allows for more efficient development, as issues can be resolved in the smaller parts without affecting the larger codebase.