Written by Ishwar Chandra Tiwari, creator of CodeWithIshwar
When a bug appears, most developers immediately start searching through the code.
They check the latest commits, inspect functions, and trace execution paths.
But the real issue often starts before the code was written.
Many bugs originate from earlier decisions.
Common sources include:
Wrong assumptions
Unclear requirements
Missing edge cases
Weak system thinking
By the time the bug appears in the code, the root cause may already exist in the thinking behind the implementation.
Coding Is Often the Final Step
Software development is not just writing code.
Before the first line is written, engineers make many decisions:
What assumptions are we making?
What inputs could break this system?
What happens when the system scales?
What happens if external services fail?
If these questions are not considered early, bugs will eventually appear — even if the code itself is syntactically correct.
A Common Example
Imagine building an API endpoint that processes payments.
The code might work perfectly under normal conditions.
But if the system doesn't account for duplicate requests, a network retry could create multiple payments.
The bug isn't caused by syntax.
It is caused by missing system thinking.
What Experienced Engineers Do Differently
Experienced engineers try to debug their assumptions, not just their code.
They ask questions like:
What assumptions might be wrong?
What edge cases have we missed?
How will this behave under real-world conditions?
This mindset prevents many problems before they reach production.
Final Thought
Code is usually the final step in a chain of decisions.
If the thinking is flawed, the code will eventually fail.
Good engineering starts before the first line of code.
— CodeWithIshwar
by Ishwar Chandra Tiwari
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