Coding Best Practices: Keep It Clean, Keep It Simple

Coding is as much about communicating with people as it is about instructing computers. Your future self (or the next developer) will thank you for writing clean, readable, and maintainable code. Let's explore some essential best practices to level up your skills and keep your code from becoming a tangled mess.

1. Prioritize Human Readability Over Performance

Your code isn’t just for computers—it’s for people too. Strive to write code that’s easy for others (and yourself!) to understand. Optimizing for performance too early can make code unnecessarily complex and harder to debug.

Readable Code Example:

// Calculate the total price of items in the cart
function calculateCartTotal(cart) {
  return cart.reduce((total, item) => total + item.price, 0);
}

Over-Optimized Code Example (Avoid This):

let t = 0, i = 0;
while (i < cart.length) t += cart[i++].price;
return t;

Readable code wins because it’s self-explanatory. You can always optimize later if performance becomes a bottleneck.

2. Comment Sections of Code

Comments are your way of talking to future developers (or yourself in six months). Use them to explain why you’re doing something, not just what you’re doing—your code should already show the "what."

Example:

// Fetch user data and display their profile
async function loadUserProfile(userId) {
  try {
    const response = await fetch(`/api/users/${userId}`);
    const user = await response.json();
    displayUser(user);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error("Failed to load user profile:", error);
  }
}

Avoid over-commenting or restating the obvious:

// Loop through the array
for (let i = 0; i < array.length; i++) {
  // Increment index
}

3. Break Code into Smaller, Reusable Functions

Long, monolithic functions are hard to read, debug, and maintain. Instead, break your code into smaller functions with a single responsibility.

Example:

function fetchUser(userId) {
  return fetch(`/api/users/${userId}`).then(response => response.json());
}

function displayUser(user) {
  console.log(`User: ${user.name}`);
}

async function loadUserProfile(userId) {
  const user = await fetchUser(userId);
  displayUser(user);
}

Smaller functions are easier to test and reuse. Plus, they make your code more modular and organized.

4. Standardize Formatting with Tools

Consistency is key in coding style. Tools like Prettier or ESLint automatically format your code and enforce a consistent style across your project.

Without Prettier:

function sum(a,  b){return a+b;}

With Prettier:

function sum(a, b) {
  return a + b;
}

Prettier ensures all developers on a team use the same formatting, avoiding debates over spaces, tabs, or bracket placement.

5. Avoid Early Optimization

“Premature optimization is the root of all evil.” —Donald Knuth.

Don’t overthink performance early on. Build the simplest version of your feature and profile it only when performance becomes a problem. Over-optimizing can make your code unnecessarily complex and harder to maintain.

Example of Avoiding Early Optimization:

// Simple, readable function for filtering even numbers
function getEvenNumbers(numbers) {
  return numbers.filter(num => num % 2 === 0);
}

// No need to optimize for performance until it's necessary

6. Minimize Complexity

Sometimes, complexity is unavoidable. But where possible, aim for simplicity. Complex code increases development time, makes bugs harder to spot, and adds a mental burden.

Complex Code (Avoid):

function doEverything(data) {
  // Hundreds of lines handling multiple responsibilities
}

Simpler, Modular Code:

function validateData(data) { /* ... */ }
function processData(data) { /* ... */ }
function renderData(data) { /* ... */ }

function handleData(data) {
  validateData(data);
  const processed = processData(data);
  renderData(processed);
}

7. Tools to Help Reduce Complexity

• Linting Tools: ESLint catches code smells and enforces best practices.
• Formatting Tools: Prettier keeps your code consistent.
• Code Review: Peer reviews can spot unnecessary complexity or bad practices.

Why Simplicity Matters

By focusing on readability and simplicity:

• You make your code easier to debug.
• You save future developers (and yourself) time and frustration.
• You write code that’s easier to extend and maintain.

Final Thoughts

Coding best practices are about balance. Write code that’s simple, readable, and maintainable. Use comments wisely, keep your functions small, and lean on tools to help enforce consistency. Remember, your future self (and your teammates) will thank you for writing clean, thoughtful code.

Happy coding! 🎉