Clean Code Principles: 10 Best Practices for Writing Maintainable and Scalable Code

Let’s face it: writing code that works is relatively easy. But writing code that’s clean, maintainable, and scalable? It’s the kind of thing that separates the pros from the amateurs — especially in a system design interview where messy code is a giant red flag. Interviewers don’t just want code that gets the job done. They want code that is readable, understandable, and future-proof.

Clean code isn’t just about aesthetics (although pretty code makes us all feel good). It’s about ensuring that your codebase can grow and adapt over time without becoming a spaghetti mess of tangled logic and arcane comments. Whether you’re a junior developer looking to break into the industry or a seasoned pro preparing for a system design interview, mastering clean code principles is a game-changer. This blog will give you some of the best practices to keep your code clean.

1. Keep It Simple, Stupid (KISS)

Let’s kick things off with one of the golden rules: Keep It Simple, Stupid. The idea here is to avoid overcomplicating things when simple solutions exist. Sounds obvious, right? You’d be surprised how often this gets overlooked in real-world projects. Simplicity is underrated but crucial for maintaining clean code.