8 Tips to Write a Quality Code

Engineering Jun 03, 2020

Poorly written code can be a real disaster. When the mistakes in your code increases, so does the time that it takes to remove the mistakes and maintain it. With growing errors in any code, the project can no longer be maintained and the project will slowly die.

I had the opportunity to work in a lot of software projects and I am quite confident about my potential to write quality code. Before I share some tips with you, let me explain you in my terms what is a quality code?

What is a Quality Code?

A high quality code is a code which is easy to understand and has least bugs.It performs what is expected of it and follows the level of the language it is written in.

Now that you know what I am talking about let's see how we can write a quality code.

Tips to Write a Quality Code

1. Try Linter

Ensure you have a linter in place to ensure consistency in code formatting.

2. Invest in BDD Framework

Invest in automated (recommended BDD frameworks) testing framework, mock third party services and write tests as how you write user stories.

3. Integrate a CI/CD System

Ensure before code is committed, the system verifies that the repo can be built, test are passing and code formatting is correct. CircleCI is a good one.

4. Code Review Process

Incorporate a through code review process, not just for formality sake.

5. Review README file

Ensure README file has sections that gives overview of the project, how to setup and contribute as well how to deploy to production.

6. Enable Review Apps

Enable review apps to verify changes in isolation (must have for frontend applications). Heroku does this almost for free.

7. Do A Weekly Demo

Do a weekly/fortnight demo of the changes within the team. This changes everything. Make it a habit.

8. Add TODO'S In The Code

Add TODO's in the code to track technical debt. Add them to your ticketing system. Address at least one technical debt every sprint. JIRA is good tool for this.

Now that you know you what are you aiming at, for a deeper understanding of a quality code, I highly recommend to read Code Complete and Clean Code.

What’s the biggest thing you’re struggling with right now that we as a technology consulting company can help you with? Feel free to reach out to us at info@jalantechnologies.com. We hope our assistance will help!