diff --git a/examples/tutorials/bdd.md b/examples/tutorials/bdd.md
index f2bd516ef..51fbff4d1 100644
--- a/examples/tutorials/bdd.md
+++ b/examples/tutorials/bdd.md
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 ---
-last_modified: 2026-02-03
+last_modified: 2026-05-13
 title: "Behavior-Driven Development (BDD)"
 description: "Implementing Behavior-Driven Development with Deno's Standard Library's BDD module. Create readable, well organised tests with effective assertions."
 url: /examples/bdd_tutorial/
@@ -262,35 +262,80 @@ These hooks are useful for:
 - Setting up and tearing down database connections
 - Creating and cleaning up shared resources
 
-Here's an example of how you might use `beforeAll` and `afterAll`:
-
-```ts
-describe("Database operations", () => {
-  let db: Database;
-
-  beforeAll(async () => {
-    // Connect to the database once before all tests
-    db = await Database.connect(TEST_CONNECTION_STRING);
-    await db.migrate();
+Here's a runnable example that tests a small HTTP service. Spinning a server up
+and down for every single test would be wasteful — and slow, once you have a
+handful of cases — so the server starts once in `beforeAll` and shuts down once
+in `afterAll`:
+
+```ts title="user_api_test.ts"
+import { afterAll, beforeAll, describe, it } from "jsr:@std/testing/bdd";
+import { assertEquals } from "jsr:@std/assert";
+
+describe("User API", () => {
+  let server: Deno.HttpServer;
+  let baseUrl: string;
+
+  beforeAll(() => {
+    // Start the test server once before any test runs. Port 0 asks the
+    // OS for a free port, so parallel test files don't collide.
+    server = Deno.serve({ port: 0, onListen() {} }, (req) => {
+      const { pathname } = new URL(req.url);
+      if (pathname === "/users/1") {
+        return Response.json({ id: 1, name: "Ada" });
+      }
+      return new Response("Not Found", { status: 404 });
+    });
+    const { port } = server.addr as Deno.NetAddr;
+    baseUrl = `http://localhost:${port}`;
   });
 
   afterAll(async () => {
-    // Disconnect after all tests are complete
-    await db.close();
+    // Shut the server down once, after every test has run. Without
+    // this, `deno test` would report a resource leak.
+    await server.shutdown();
   });
 
-  it("should insert a record", async () => {
-    const result = await db.insert({ name: "Test" });
-    assertEquals(result.success, true);
+  it("returns a known user", async () => {
+    const res = await fetch(`${baseUrl}/users/1`);
+    assertEquals(res.status, 200);
+    assertEquals(await res.json(), { id: 1, name: "Ada" });
   });
 
-  it("should retrieve a record", async () => {
-    const record = await db.findById(1);
-    assertEquals(record.name, "Test");
+  it("returns 404 for unknown users", async () => {
+    const res = await fetch(`${baseUrl}/users/999`);
+    assertEquals(res.status, 404);
+    await res.body?.cancel();
   });
 });
 ```
 
+The server binds to a local port, so the test needs network permission to reach
+itself:
+
+```sh
+deno test --allow-net=0.0.0.0,localhost user_api_test.ts
+```
+
+```console
+running 1 test from ./user_api_test.ts
+User API ...
+  returns a known user ... ok (4ms)
+  returns 404 for unknown users ... ok (1ms)
+User API ... ok (6ms)
+
+ok | 1 passed (2 steps) | 0 failed (11ms)
+```
+
+:::caution
+
+Anything you create in `beforeAll` is shared by every test in the block. If one
+test mutates that shared state — adds a row, changes a field, leaves a handler
+registered — the next test starts from the changed state, not the original. When
+tests need a clean slate, set up the cheap, per-test state in `beforeEach` and
+leave only the expensive, read-mostly setup in `beforeAll`.
+
+:::
+
 ## Gherkin vs. JavaScript-style BDD
 
 If you're familiar with Cucumber or other BDD frameworks, you might be expecting
diff --git a/runtime/getting_started/first_project.md b/runtime/getting_started/first_project.md
index c00a58380..0ec4f9f46 100644
--- a/runtime/getting_started/first_project.md
+++ b/runtime/getting_started/first_project.md
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 ---
-last_modified: 2025-03-10
+last_modified: 2026-05-14
 title: Making a Deno project
 description: "Step-by-step guide to creating your first Deno project. Learn how to initialize a project, understand the basic file structure, run TypeScript code, and execute tests using Deno's built-in test runner."
 oldUrl: /runtime/manual/getting_started/first_steps/
@@ -35,21 +35,72 @@ my_project
 
 A `deno.json` file is created to
 [configure your project](/runtime/fundamentals/configuration/), and two
-TypeScript files are created; `main.ts` and `main_test.ts`. The `main.ts` file
-is where you'll write your application code, on initial creation it will contain
-a simple program which adds two numbers together. The `main_test.ts` file is
-where you can write tests, initially it will contain a test for your addition
-program.
+TypeScript files are created: `main.ts` and `main_test.ts`. Let's look at what
+`deno init` put in each of them, so the rest of this guide makes sense.
+
+`main.ts` exports an `add` function and, when run as the entry point, prints the
+result of calling it. The `import.meta.main` guard means this top-level call
+only runs when you execute the file directly — not when another module imports
+the `add` function from it:
+
+```ts title="main.ts"
+export function add(a: number, b: number): number {
+  return a + b;
+}
+
+// Learn more at https://docs.deno.com/runtime/manual/examples/module_metadata#concepts
+if (import.meta.main) {
+  console.log("Add 2 + 3 =", add(2, 3));
+}
+```
+
+`main_test.ts` imports the `add` function and asserts it returns the expected
+result. `Deno.test` is built into the runtime, so there's no test framework to
+install:
+
+```ts title="main_test.ts"
+import { assertEquals } from "@std/assert";
+import { add } from "./main.ts";
+
+Deno.test(function addTest() {
+  assertEquals(add(2, 3), 5);
+});
+```
+
+`deno.json` is the project's
+[configuration file](/runtime/fundamentals/configuration/). The generated one
+declares a `dev` task that re-runs `main.ts` whenever a file changes, and pins
+`@std/assert` from [JSR](https://jsr.io/@std/assert) so the test above can
+resolve it:
+
+```json title="deno.json"
+{
+  "tasks": {
+    "dev": "deno run --watch main.ts"
+  },
+  "imports": {
+    "@std/assert": "jsr:@std/assert@1"
+  }
+}
+```
 
 ## Run your project
 
-You can run this program with the following command:
+`cd` into the new directory and run `main.ts` with `deno run`:
 
 ```bash
-$ deno main.ts
+$ cd my_project
+$ deno run main.ts
 Add 2 + 3 = 5
 ```
 
+For an iterative workflow, use the generated `dev` task instead. It runs the
+program in watch mode, restarting it every time you save a file:
+
+```bash
+deno task dev
+```
+
 ## Run your tests
 
 Deno has a [built in test runner](/runtime/fundamentals/testing/). You can write