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Software Engineering vocabulary · Code Review and Code Quality

Maintainable

Meaning in software engineering, with examples

/meɪnˈteɪnəbl/adjectiveCommon term

In software engineering, maintainable means: Easy to understand, fix and extend over a long time, even by developers who did not write the original code.

In Turkish: bakımı kolay, sürdürülebilir, bakım yapılabilir

How it is used

A key goal in architecture and code review: 'Is this maintainable?' The noun is maintainability. Code with tests, a clear structure and few hidden dependencies is more maintainable. The opposite, 'unmaintainable', is a strong criticism.

Example sentences

  1. It works, but it isn't maintainable: nobody else will understand these regex rules.

  2. We chose the boring framework because it keeps the code more maintainable.

Common collocations

  • maintainable code
  • more maintainable
  • long-term maintainability
  • hard to maintain
  • readableEasy for another person to read and understand quickly, thanks to clear names, a simple structure and short functions.
  • clean codeCode that is simple, clearly named, well organized and easy for others to read, test and change, rather than code that only works.
  • technical debtThe future cost of shortcuts taken in code today: quick solutions that save time now but make later changes slower and riskier.
  • modularBuilt from separate, independent parts with clear boundaries, so each part can be understood, tested, changed or replaced without touching the others.

More terms: Code Review and Code Quality

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