Clean Code

If you feel the need to write clean code, you most likely reached the stage when you are tired from quick-and-dirty solutions. You want to build something to step on and grow. For this, the code must be maintainable from day one and also after several years. You need robust implementations and reliable processes. This will require a set of principles.

Following the clean code guidelines will let you manage those hurdles and excel in building great applications.

This guide is not a finite set of principles to solve every issue you might face.

Clean code is not just about memorizing some rules, it is about really internalizing them. The path is divided into steps called degrees. Each degree has a color. Master each degree to get closer to your goal. None of the degrees is more or less important than the others. Developers focusing on different degrees are not of different quality - they all aim for building better software by writing clean code.

The black degree is for everyone who wants to start learning more about clean code. The black degree indicates your interest. The upcoming degrees will demand time and practice.

The red degree represents the start of the journey to learn more about how to write clean code. This grade explains the bare essentials of clean code to lay a foundation.

When the foundation for clean code is built, it is time for the orange degree and to look at source code conventions and to automate processes. Automation will help you to check your code for correctness.

The yellow degree focuses on how to build testable code and how to automate that testing. This will help you to identify issues early in the process

The focus of the green degree is on how to keep code maintainable.

The blue degree is about software architecture and design.

The final degree is the white degree in which all other degrees flow together. When you reach this degree, you will have internalized all the preceding principles. This makes it clear that only advanced software developers with several years of experience can work at this high level.

It is recommended to pause for a while and then start again with the red degree to really internalize the knowledge.

This guide is inspired by the Clean Code Developer initiative, but it is not a copy of it. I think that some principles could be described and explained in a better way. That's why I wrote this guide.