clean-code

Clean Code Rules

Naming

• Names reveal intent: remainingRetries not r, fetchActiveUsers() not getData(). If you need a comment to explain what a variable holds, the name is wrong
• Booleans read as questions: isActive, hasPermission, canEdit, shouldRetry. Never active (adjective? noun?) or flag (flag for what?)
• Functions are verbs: fetchUser, calculateTotal, validateInput, parseConfig. Not userData, total, validator
• Avoid abbreviations unless universally understood (URL, ID, HTTP, API). usr, mgr, ctx save keystrokes and cost readability. Exception: loop variables (i, j) and lambda params in short chains
• Don't encode types in names: userList, nameString, isActiveBool — the type system already tells you. Just users, name, isActive

Functions

• One job per function — if you can describe it with "and" it's doing too much. validateAndSaveUser() is two functions
• 3 parameters max. Beyond that, group into an options/config object: createUser({ name, email, role }) not createUser(name, email, role, isAdmin, sendWelcome)
• Return early with guard clauses to avoid nesting: check preconditions at the top, return/throw, then the happy path stays at indent level 1
• Side effects are lies: a function named getUser that also logs analytics and updates a cache is lying about what it does. Name it getOrCacheUser or split it
• Keep functions under 30 lines. If you're scrolling to understand a single function, it's too long. Extract helpers with descriptive names — the function calls become the documentation

Dead Code

• Delete commented-out code immediately — git has the history. Commented code rots: it doesn't compile, doesn't get refactored, and confuses everyone about whether it's needed
• Remove unused imports, variables, functions, and parameters. Every dead symbol is a false signal to the next reader
• Kill feature flags for features that shipped months ago — they add branching complexity with zero value