10 Software Development Best Practice – every Programmer should know

1. Use an Application Framework

One of the software development best practices every programmer should know is to use an application framework instead of developing software by hand. Application frameworks are collections of reusable software components put together to ease development. These frameworks provide much more than reusable components used to create software — they also include tools that eliminate the tedious tasks often required in development such as changing file formats or managing database changes.

You’ll save time if you use components, frameworks, and libraries because you will not have to write software to handle all of the tasks that are common to development. Using an application framework usually means that you can concentrate on writing code instead of spending hours on file format conversions, database management, or similar engineering activities.

Choose the Right Language and Framework

The languages, platforms, and architecture are things that are hard to modify later on. This is why you should be selective about what you use early on.

For example, you can produce a game in Python, but doing so will most likely restrict you considerably when compared to C#/Unity. However, changing it later may be likened to starting from scratch because of how large and interrelated the codebase is.

Being pragmatic about which language, framework, and platform to use upfront is important for your efficiency.

Furthermore, using an application framework will also minimize errors that you encounter later on. Frameworks provide a skeleton for your application, which you fill in with your own code. This can save you from having to write basic functionality from scratch and helps ensure compatibility across different platforms.

Style Guides to Consider for Python Devs

Using a style guide is important for code efficiency and readability. For example, PEP 8 is a guide for Python coding style. Following a style guide will make your code more consistent and easier to read for other developers.

Pycodestyle is another tool that can help you check your code against a set of style rules.

Use meaningful variable and function names. When you are reading someone else’s code, it’s helpful to be able to understand what a variable or function does from its name. This is especially important when you are working with someone else’s codebase.

Be consistent with your coding style. This includes things like using spaces or tabs, bracket placement, and naming conventions. Consistency makes your code more readable and easier to follow.