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Software Engineering vocabulary · Code Review and Code Quality

Code smell

Meaning in software engineering, with examples

/ˈkoʊd smel/nounAdvanced term

In software engineering, code smell means: A sign in code that suggests a deeper design problem, such as a very long function, duplicated logic or too many parameters, even if the code works.

In Turkish: kod kokusu

How it is used

Used in reviews and refactoring discussions: 'This is a code smell', 'Long parameter lists are a classic smell.' A smell is not always a bug; it is a reason to look more closely.

Example sentences

  1. Copying the same validation into five files is a code smell. Let's extract it.

  2. A class with 40 methods is usually a code smell, not a design choice.

Common collocations

  • a classic code smell
  • spot a code smell
  • code smells in
  • refactor away a code smell
  • refactorTo improve the structure of existing code, making it cleaner or easier to change, without changing what it does for the user.
  • technical debtThe future cost of shortcuts taken in code today: quick solutions that save time now but make later changes slower and riskier.
  • 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.
  • hard-codedWritten directly into the source code instead of coming from settings, a database or user input, so it cannot change without editing the code.

More terms: Code Review and Code Quality

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