Which principles that all software developers should know

Question

What are the most important principles that all software developers should know?

Deepika Sawant · Answer

1. Write Code for Humans First, Machines Second Prioritize readability and clarity over cleverness. Use meaningful variable names, consistent formatting, and comments where necessary. Think of your future self (or teammate) trying to debug at 2 AM. 2. DRY: Don’t Repeat Yourself Avoid duplication by abstracting reusable logic into functions, classes, or modules. Reduces bugs and makes updates easier. 3. KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid Simplicity leads to maintainability. Don’t over-engineer—solve the problem at hand with the least complexity. 4. YAGNI: You Aren’t Gonna Need It Resist the urge to build features “just in case.” Focus on current requirements; premature optimization is a trap. 5. Fail Fast, Fail Loud Catch errors early and surface them clearly. Use assertions, logging, and exceptions to make failures informative. Design & Architecture Principles 6. SOLID Principles These five principles help create scalable, maintainable object-oriented systems: S ingle Responsibility: Each class should do one thing. O pen/Closed: Open for extension, closed for modification. L iskov Substitution: Subtypes must be substitutable for their base types. I nterface Segregation: Prefer many small interfaces over one large one. D ependency Inversion: Depend on abstractions, not concrete implementations. 7. Separation of Concerns Divide responsibilities across layers (UI, business logic, data access). Keeps code modular and testable. 8. Encapsulation Hide internal details and expose only what’s necessary. Promotes robustness and reduces unintended side effects. Practical Development Habits 9. Version Control Mastery Use Git effectively: branching, merging, rebasing, and writing good commit messages. It’s your safety net and collaboration tool. 10. Test-Driven Development (TDD) Write tests before code to clarify requirements and catch regressions. Even if not strict TDD, unit tests and integration tests are essential. 11. Continuous Learning Stay curious: explore new languages, frameworks, and paradigms. Read code, write code, and reflect on what works and what doesn’t. Broader Mindset Principles 12. Accessibility & Inclusivity Build with diverse users in mind: semantic HTML, ARIA roles, keyboard navigation. It’s not just ethical—it’s strategic. 13. Performance Awareness Understand time and space complexity. Profile and optimize only when needed, but know where bottlenecks hide. 14. Security by Design Validate inputs, sanitize outputs, and follow least privilege principles. Security isn’t a feature—it’s a mindset. Communication & Collaboration Write clear documentation and commit messages. Ask questions, give feedback, and mentor others. Code is a team sport—even when you’re solo.

Sam Hobbs · Answer

One important principle is to never try to make other programmers behave the way you think they should. A company or other organization can define standards that their employees must follow but other than that, we cannot force other programmers to comply with our principles. I think that importance is highly subjective. Someone might think something is important, another person might think it is foolish.

Which principles that all software developers should know

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