Okuzeka
Software Engineering vocabulary · Code Review and Code Quality

Best practice

Meaning in software engineering, with examples

nounCore term

In software engineering, best practice means: A way of working that experienced people widely agree gives the best results, such as writing tests, reviewing code and never storing passwords in plain text.

In Turkish: en iyi uygulama, doğru yaklaşım, iyi uygulama

How it is used

Often plural: 'follow best practices', 'security best practices', 'it's best practice to…'. In reviews, it gently explains why a change is needed. Be ready to give the reason, because 'best practice' alone can sound like an excuse.

Example sentences

  1. It's best practice to validate input on the server, even if the form already checks it.

  2. We wrote a short guide on API best practices for new team members.

Common collocations

  • follow best practices
  • security best practices
  • industry best practice
  • it's best practice to
  • clean codeCode that is simple, clearly named, well organized and easy for others to read, test and change, rather than code that only works.
  • code reviewThe practice of teammates reading and commenting on each other's code changes before they are merged, to catch problems and share knowledge.
  • design patternA proven, reusable solution to a common design problem in code, such as Singleton, Factory or Observer, described as a general approach rather than finished code.
  • naming conventionAn agreed set of rules for how to name things in code, such as variables, files and branches, so that names look consistent across a project.

More terms: Code Review and Code Quality

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: