Why do we need coding standards?
Many beginner developers ask me why they should worry about coding standards when their code works as expected.
Here are a few important points. 👇
1. Consistency
Using similar coding styles throughout the codebase is a win for everyone on the team. It reduces the time to think & to decide how to name a variable/class/function or how to structure code. Every developer who codes doesn't have to spend time thinking.
2. Maintainability
Codebases are mostly contributed by a lot of developers and that keeps changing. Maintaining a constant standard throughout makes it easy for anyone to get started and contribute without friction. Having a set standard helps to keep code complexity in check.
3. Clean code
The code looks clean. Imagine opening a codebase just to find code written haphazardly. It would be a nightmare to work on such a codebase. This eventually becomes tech debt.
Coding standards that are enforced, have a cleaner codebase than others.
4. Developer sanity
If every developer follows their own standards, the codebase would be a mess. It would be very frustrating for another developer to fix bugs or complete features started by others, because of different coding styles.
5. Reduced development time
When there is a consistent standard, the code is readable and familiar, which saves a lot of time. Developers can start coding right away.
Reviewing Pull Requests becomes easier as well.
Top comments (0)