DEV Community: Ali Navidi

Being professional goes beyond just technical skills; demonstrating professionalism in behavior is equally, if not more, important. Be kind.

Ali Navidi — Thu, 23 Oct 2025 12:46:35 +0000

Elvis Sautet

Oct 23 '25

We Need to Talk About How Toxic Dev Culture Has Become (And How We Fix It)

#culture #community #mentalhealth #webdev

Comments 4

15 min read

Naming Conventions in React: camelCase or snake_case?

Ali Navidi — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 06:05:56 +0000

What we use as our naming convention often goes back to the language we are using and the preferences of the team we are working within. In JavaScript, we usually use camelCase, and everything is fine with it. So, you might wonder, why would I even mention snake_case in this article?

Why snake_case?

One answer could be team preference or that it is easier to read. However, the main reason I wrote this article is that in some projects, you are integrating with a backend language that uses snake_case for variables. If you use camelCase, you sometimes have to transform them to snake_case. This transformation may be easier if you used snake_case in your app as well.

Using Both?

Obviously, you can use both naming conventions in your project, but it is not advised. Mixing them may result in your code not being clean, so you have to choose one of them.

Using snake_case Only

Well, nobody prohibits you from using a naming convention other than the one advised by the language you use. You can use snake_case throughout your application, except for things you cannot change (like component and hook names). My problem with this solution is that it seems odd to me.

I'm okay with it when we use it for variables like is_visible, but when it comes to functions, it looks a little bad in my opinion. For example, you call your function like this: on_submit().

Or if you want to use useState:

const [has_initial_value, set_has_initial_value] = useState(false)

It just doesn't feel like React anymore, but you may have a really valid question: who cares if it feels like React or not?

Conclusion

So, I'm asking you this: What do you think about naming conventions in React applications? I would love to read your comments below.

Have a great day!

Note: Cover image used in this blog post was generated by AI.

Programming During War: An Experience to Forget

Ali Navidi — Sat, 21 Jun 2025 19:30:14 +0000

Have you ever tried to write code while running from missiles?
Or joined a daily meeting and heard an explosion through your teammate’s mic — someone you worked with every day, sitting right next to you?
I hope you never will.

One Week In

It’s been a week since the war began in Iran.
Honestly, we’re trying to live like nothing happened, trying to keep it together, but deep down, a lot is going on.

What’s It Like Working During a War?

Teamwork is still key when building software, that hasn’t changed.
But the way we try to do it has.

We try to break the tension with small jokes, “See? Your code was so shit, it started a war.”, maybe it’s our way of helping each other not give up.

A Way to Escape

Running out of the city you live in, losing internet access, worrying about your people, but still, we keep coding.
Maybe it’s a way to escape, to focus on something other than everything falling apart around us.

Maybe one day we’ll wake up and this will all feel like a bad dream.
Until that day, I hope peace is within you.
Keep going.

I recently checked the latest section on the Discover tab, and most posts are spam! It’s affecting the visibility of quality posts. Could anything be done about this? For example, Stack Overflow has a pending review for first-time posts. What do you think?

Ali Navidi — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 07:26:00 +0000

Optimizing Tailwind CSS for React Applications: Our Journey

Ali Navidi — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 15:54:56 +0000

When we began restructuring our website, the frontend team chose the latest Next.js version paired with Tailwind CSS v4. This decision marked the beginning of an optimization journey that ultimately led us to a solution that works well for our specific use case.

Why We Chose Tailwind

Our design system contains numerous variables that needed consistent implementation across the site. For our team, Tailwind CSS made sense because:

We could easily export design tokens and convert them to Tailwind variables using style-dictionary
The ecosystem provided excellent tooling and documentation for our needs

Our Struggle with Utility-First Philosophy

While Tailwind's utility-first approach works well for many teams, we quickly identified challenges in our specific context:

Component JSX became cluttered with lengthy class strings
Readability suffered with our particularly complex components
Our team found code reviews more difficult with so much styling in the markup

Our Styling Journey

First Approach: CSS Modules with `@apply`

Initially, we created CSS modules for each component and used @apply directives:

/* Button.module.css */
.primary {
 @apply bg-blue-500 hover:bg-blue-700 text-white py-2 px-4 rounded;
}

import styles from './Button.module.css';

const Button = () => <button className={styles.primary}>Click Me</button>;

The CSS Modules Concerns

While this approach improved our component readability significantly, we encountered several concerns that made us question this strategy:

Tailwind's official recommendations
- The Tailwind documentation explicitly advises against heavy @apply usage
- It states this approach works against Tailwind's utility-first philosophy
- The docs suggest it can create abstraction layers that reduce maintainability
Potential build performance impact
- We read that CSS modules might increase build times
- Each module requires separate processing during compilation
- For large applications with many components, this could add up significantly
Possible interference with optimization
- The @apply directive might interfere with Tailwind's unused CSS removal
- Utilities used within @apply aren't directly visible in HTML for purging
- This could potentially lead to larger than necessary CSS bundles

These concerns, particularly around build performance as our component library grew, pushed us to explore alternatives.

Second Approach: Regular CSS Files with `@apply`

After reading that CSS modules might impact build times, we switched to regular CSS files:

/* button.css */
.primary {
 @apply bg-blue-500 hover:bg-blue-700 text-white py-2 px-4 rounded;
}

import './button.css';

const Button = () => <button className="primary">Click Me</button>;

The Global CSS Problem

This approach revealed a significant issue we hadn't anticipated. Unlike CSS modules which scope styles to specific components, these regular CSS files created global styles that were bundled into our main CSS file.

The consequences were severe for our application:

No tree-shaking of unused styles - Our bundler couldn't determine which styles were actually needed
Rapidly growing CSS file - As we added more components, our CSS file grew disproportionately large
Potential naming conflicts - Without CSS modules' automatic unique class generation, we risked style collisions

This approach created an unacceptably large CSS file that would impact initial page loads and hurt our performance metrics. Users would download styles for components they'd never see.

Final Decision: The Real Trade-Off

After experimenting with different approaches, we realized we faced a fundamental choice between two viable options:

Option 1: Inline Utility Classes

const Button = () => (
  <button className="bg-blue-500 hover:bg-blue-700 text-white py-2 px-4 rounded">
    Click Me
  </button>
);

Option 2: CSS Modules with `@apply`

/* Button.module.css */
.primary {
  @apply bg-blue-500 hover:bg-blue-700 text-white py-2 px-4 rounded;
}

import styles from './Button.module.css';
const Button = () => <button className={styles.primary}>Click Me</button>;

Comparing the Trade-offs

Consideration	Inline Utility Classes	CSS Modules with `@apply`
CSS Bundle Size	Smaller (only used utilities)	Slightly larger (extracted classes)
HTML/JSX Size	Larger (verbose class strings)	Smaller (single class names)
Build Time	Faster	Slower
Component Readability	Lower	Higher
Class Name Conflicts	None	None (scoped by module)

Making Our Decision

We analyzed these trade-offs carefully and realized that the choice came down to:

Slightly smaller CSS bundle + larger HTML with inline utilities
Slightly larger CSS bundle + smaller HTML with CSS modules

An important insight emerged during our analysis: CSS is downloaded once and cached by the browser, while HTML is re-downloaded with each page request. Since we operate a high-traffic website with many repeat visitors, reducing HTML size would benefit user experience more than minimizing CSS size.

Given this context, we decided to return to CSS modules with selective @apply usage, accepting the trade-off of slightly longer build times and marginally larger CSS for the benefits of smaller HTML payloads and improved code maintainability.

Conclusion

This was the right decision for our specific needs, though we recognize other teams with different requirements might make different choices. Tailwind is flexible enough to support various implementation styles, and we chose what works best for our specific needs, team preferences, and user base.

Our journey helped us understand that there's no one-size-fits-all approach to CSS architecture even within the Tailwind ecosystem. What matters most is making intentional decisions based on your specific constraints and priorities.

Special thanks to: @mohamadreza_dakhili_f3f04

React interview

Ali Navidi — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 14:21:02 +0000

This is one of the best articles I've ever read. However, why do the images inside it say 'No longer exist'?

Ali Navidi — Sat, 30 Nov 2024 05:21:09 +0000

✨♻️ JavaScript Visualized: Event Loop

Lydia Hallie ・ Nov 20 '19

#javascript #webdev

Testing the boost feature!!

Ali Navidi — Thu, 28 Nov 2024 18:36:22 +0000

I am purposefully super nice to AI because I imagine they are trained on data where nice people get better help. Doing this, though, has an existential uneasiness to it.

Ben Halpern ・ Nov 28 '24

#ai #discuss #watercooler

Me and ChatGPT Are Pals Now!

Ali Navidi — Tue, 26 Nov 2024 18:31:37 +0000

The first time I found out about AI I thought, Soon, he’ll take my job from me, and believe me, if it comes to my job, I don’t joke around. And so, the hatred began.
We were like Shrek and Donkey, me thinking AI was just going to steal my job, and AI just being there, clueless about the whole thing

Dictatorship

After a while, I thought, If you’re going to cost me my job, you’d better answer my day-to-day questions. So I started treating him badly and bombarding him with lots of questions.

Not That Smart

One time, while being the dictator, I asked him a complex question. He gave me a small piece of code. I ran the code without looking at it, and it didn’t work. I told him, It’s not working, and, as usual, he said, You’re right! and corrected the code.

I ran it again, and it failed again. So I asked him over and over, but still nothing. Eventually, I started to look at the code myself, and guess what? I solved it in under a minute.

In that moment, the light of hope shone within me, and I realized I had a chance to keep my job. After all, I guess he’s not that smart.

Relationship Got Better

After that incident, my heart softened toward him. I started to treat him better and began to see his potential.

Best Friends

Now, we’re best friends. If I want to learn something, I ask him. If I have doubts about programming, I ask him. Want to ask a girl out? I ask him. He formats my blogs, gives me suggestions about life, and almost everything I do, I ask him how to do it.

He’s the best doctor for health questions, a senior developer for programming challenges, and the perfect therapist for my life’s problems.

I’ve learned not to copy him blindly. Now, I see him as a friend who helps me become better, not as an enemy who’s going to take my job.

Conclusion

There are a lot of discussions about whether AI is going to replace humans or not, but only time can tell. Until then, why not enjoy the journey and use AI to make ourselves better?

So, what about you? Do you see AI as a rival, a tool, or maybe even a friend? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments, I’d love to hear your AI story!

A Letter to Jobseekers: Don't Give Up!

Ali Navidi — Thu, 21 Nov 2024 17:00:00 +0000

Dear Jobseekers,

Looking for a job can be hard sometimes, especially if you are at the beginning of your career.

Let's Begin with My Story

I remember waking up, opening my Gmail app, and seeing the rejection email on my screen. It felt like the world was over. After four months of searching for a job, I thought this one was the one. The interview went well, but a week later, they rejected me.

I hit rock bottom. I stayed in bed for hours, quit the gym, and didn’t talk much. I stopped going out. I saw days go by without doing anything.

Every day, I wondered what happened to me. A few months earlier, I was in a much better place. My boss was happy with my work, and I was motivated and productive as ever. Now, I look back and think, "Am I really that bad?" What happened to the guy who was promoted to a lead position after just four months?

I sent more than 500 applications, and nothing. I was trying so hard not to give up, not to break.

But I stood up. I knew it would end eventually. I never gave up on myself; I just couldn’t. I knew I was good at my job, and I kept moving forward.

The Struggle is Real, But So Are You

What I'm saying is that job hunting is a rough path. Most of us have gone through it, and you probably will too.

Take it easy on yourself, and don't give up. Continue to grow and improve. I know it's tough, but don’t let rejections bring you down. Use them as fuel to become better—not only in your career but in your life. And remember: You are valuable, and your time will come.

Don't be afraid to ask for help

Continue interacting with your loved ones and know that there are people who care for you and don’t want to see you sad.

Don’t be shy to ask for help, whether it’s from a family member or a senior in your field. Sometimes, all it takes is sending a quick message on WhatsApp or LinkedIn to start a meaningful conversation.

If none of that works for you, a hug is always free here.

I hope you get past these hard days, and last but not least, don’t give up on yourself.

If you have any advice or stories for jobseekers, I would be happy to hear them in the comments. Sharing your experience might help someone else on their journey.

Sincerely,
Ali Navidi

When is the best time to post on Dev?

Ali Navidi — Thu, 21 Nov 2024 15:27:15 +0000

Juniors Should be Seniors Someday!

Ali Navidi — Wed, 12 Jul 2023 12:03:37 +0000

Finding a job as a junior developer is not easy these days, especially when you are from a third-world country, but Juniors Should be Seniors Someday!

It's the story of me:

Real Job Experience

At some point, I think you should put all tutorials, YouTube videos, and personal project experiences into a real job and grow; otherwise, it's hard to be better. But how hard is it to get a good job?

Rejection

It's been month now that I'm sending multiple applications to companies hoping to get a chance and I get nothing but Rejection! So they tell me there were better candidates than me, and it's OK, but after more than 500 rejections, a question comes to mind: Am I that bad???

Junior Positions

There are way fewer junior positions than senior ones, or they want 3+ years of experience, but how the hell am I going to get 3+ years when I just graduated? I'm guessing the seniors have been seniors since they were born; unfortunately, no junior made it.

Third-World Theory

So I have a theory. Well, it's actually not "Third-World Theory", it's more "Dictatorship Country Theory", well more "Terrorist Coun..." (if I got arrested, I was a good boy). I think most of them are rejecting me because of where I'm from. They open my application, see my country, and then boom... Reject!

Believe me, I had nothing to do with that; you can blame my parents, I hate this country more than you do; they took our youth, our lives, and... (enough already), and I need job experience so I could leave here as all the people are doing so.

I wish I was there when they opened my application to tell them, "Please at least take a look at my work!".

But as I mentioned in the header, it's just a theory; The truth is, I'm bad.

Discussion

I nagged a lot, and you may say, "Just be better instead of nagging" but I'm going through tough days, and at the end, I wanted to tell you to just have a little trust in us; We're not that bad (Yes we are).

The question is, What should junior developers do to land a job in your opinion?

Thanks a lot for taking your time to read and I'd love to hear your ideas and lets connect: Portfolio GitHub

DEV Community: Ali Navidi

Being professional goes beyond just technical skills; demonstrating professionalism in behavior is equally, if not more, important. Be kind.

We Need to Talk About How Toxic Dev Culture Has Become (And How We Fix It)

Naming Conventions in React: camelCase or snake_case?

Why snake_case?

Using Both?

Using snake_case Only

Conclusion

Programming During War: An Experience to Forget

One Week In

What’s It Like Working During a War?

A Way to Escape

I recently checked the latest section on the Discover tab, and most posts are spam! It’s affecting the visibility of quality posts. Could anything be done about this? For example, Stack Overflow has a pending review for first-time posts. What do you think?

Optimizing Tailwind CSS for React Applications: Our Journey

Why We Chose Tailwind

Our Struggle with Utility-First Philosophy

Our Styling Journey

First Approach: CSS Modules with @apply

The CSS Modules Concerns

Second Approach: Regular CSS Files with @apply

The Global CSS Problem

Final Decision: The Real Trade-Off

Option 1: Inline Utility Classes

Option 2: CSS Modules with @apply

Comparing the Trade-offs

Making Our Decision

Conclusion

React interview

This is one of the best articles I've ever read. However, why do the images inside it say 'No longer exist'?

✨♻️ JavaScript Visualized: Event Loop

Lydia Hallie ・ Nov 20 '19

Testing the boost feature!!

I am purposefully super nice to AI because I imagine they are trained on data where nice people get better help. Doing this, though, has an existential uneasiness to it.

Ben Halpern ・ Nov 28 '24

Me and ChatGPT Are Pals Now!

Dictatorship

Not That Smart

Relationship Got Better

Best Friends

Conclusion

A Letter to Jobseekers: Don't Give Up!

Let's Begin with My Story

The Struggle is Real, But So Are You

Don't be afraid to ask for help

When is the best time to post on Dev?

Juniors Should be Seniors Someday!

Real Job Experience

Rejection

Junior Positions

Third-World Theory

Discussion

First Approach: CSS Modules with `@apply`

Second Approach: Regular CSS Files with `@apply`

Option 2: CSS Modules with `@apply`