Runtime Verification

This book provides a hands-on introduction to runtime verification which guides the reader from zero to sufficient practical knowledge required to consider and apply it in industry. It starts with almost no assumptions on the knowledge of the reader and provides exercises throughout the book through which the reader builds their own runtime verification tool. All that is required are basic programming skills and a good working knowledge of the object-oriented paradigm, ideally Java.

To this end, the first six chapters of the book should be read in order, they summarize the necessary foundations and are prerequisites for all the others that follow. Chapters 7-10 can be read independently, since each looks into the use of different specification language requirements: whether automata, regular expressions, linear time temporal logic, or real-time properties. Similarly, Chapters 11-13 are largely independent, focusing on the practical implications and a number of more advanced topics ranging from concerns of efficiency and persistence, to integration with testing and architectural considerations.

The book is written for graduate students specializing in software engineering as well as for industry professionals who need an introduction to the topic of runtime verification. While the book focuses on underlying foundations and practical techniques, it additionally provides for each chapter a reading list in the appendix for the interested reader who would like to deepen their knowledge in a particular area.