Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship by Robert Martin
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What is the Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship by Robert Martin?
Clean Code by Robert C. Martin has become a foundational text in software development, arguing that writing readable, maintainable code is a professional responsibility as important as writing functional code. Martin illustrates principles of naming, functions, comments, formatting, error handling, and testing through extensive before-and-after code examples drawn from real-world Java projects. Required reading for software developers at any experience level who want to write code that teammates and future selves can understand and extend.
What are the pros?
- Concrete code examples illustrate principles more clearly than abstract descriptions
- Fundamental principles apply across multiple programming languages
- Industry-standard text widely referenced in professional development culture
What are the cons?
- Java-heavy examples can feel dated for modern polyglot developers
- Some opinionated guidelines generate legitimate debate in the community