10 Coding Hacks to Remember in 2023

Coding hacks are techniques, tools, or practices that help you write better and code efficiently. They can range from simple best practices, like adding comments to your code, to more advanced techniques, like test-driven development or code optimization.

Let’s take a look at some of the best coding hacks to remember in the new year.

10 Best Coding Hacks That You Should Know In 2023

1. Code review

   
   

Code review is a process where other developers review your code to identify any mistakes or improvements that can be made. This can be done through peer review or a more formal code review process. Further, code review can help catch bugs, improve code quality, and promote knowledge sharing within a team.

Code review practices can be categorized as mentioned below:

• Pair programming

• Formal code review

• Lightweight code review

  
  

2. Test-driven development (TDD)

TDD is a software development process where you write tests for your code before writing it. This helps ensure that your code is correct and meets the requirements. By writing tests first, you can identify gaps in your understanding of the requirements and ensure they are addressed before the code is written.

Take a look at the steps to understand the working of a TDD test:

• Add a test.

• Run your tests to check if a new test fails.

• Write code.

• Run tests.

• Refactor code.

• Repeat.

  
  

3. Refactoring

   
   

Refactoring means transforming the code into a clean code. It improves the design of existing code without changing its functionality. You can make the code more readable, maintainable, and efficient. Regularly refactoring your code allows you to avoid technical debt and improve the overall quality of your codebase.

Here are some benefits of clean code:

• No duplication

• Less maintenance

• Easy for other programmers to understand

  
  

4. Pair programming

   
   

Pair programming is a software development technique where two developers work on the same codebase simultaneously, with one acting as the "driver" and the other as the "observer". This can be an effective way to catch bugs, share knowledge, and improve code quality.

Benefits of pair programming:

• Less coding mistakes.

• Less effort.

• Increased resiliency.

  
  

5. Debugging

   
   

Debugging is the process of identifying and fixing errors in your code. Many tools and techniques can help you debug your code, including debugging tools, print statements, and logging.

Steps of debugging:

• Identify errors in the code.
• Trace error location.
• Analyze errors.
• Write automated tests for areas (having errors).
• Make sure all unit tests pass.
• Fix them and validate accordingly.

Further, the most popular debugging tools are:

• Radare2

• Valgrind

• WinDbg

  
  

6. Version control

   
   

Version control is a system that tracks changes to a codebase over time and allows multiple developers to work on the same codebase simultaneously. A version control system like Git can help you keep track of your code, collaborate with others, and roll back changes if necessary.

Benefits of version control system

• Branching and merging

• Work simultaneously

• Traceability

  
  

7. Code formatting

   
   

Code formatting is the process of formatting your code consistently. This can help make your code more readable and easier to understand and can also prevent style-related conflicts when working on a team.

Some of the important aspects of code formatting are mentioned below:

• Use and style of comments.

• Naming conventions.

• White space and indentation.

  
  

8. Code documentation

   
   

Code documentation is adding comments and documentation to your code to explain what it does and how it works. Proper code documentation can help others understand your code more efficiently and help you remember how it works when you return to it later.

Here are some additional tips:

• Try writing test cases.

• Write a git commit message.

• Try compiling clean code.

• Do not forget to add comments to the code.

  
  

9. Code optimization

   
   

Code Optimization is improving your code's performance by making it run faster or using fewer resources. You can use many techniques to optimize your code, including choosing efficient algorithms, minimizing memory usage, and parallelizing computations.

Optimization is categorized into two types:

• Machine-Independent

• Machine-Dependent

  
  

10. Continuous integration (CI)

    
    

Continuous integration is a software development practice where code changes are automatically built and tested whenever they are committed. This can help you catch errors and bugs early in the development process and ensure that your code is always in a deployable state.

Some impressive benefits of CI are:

• Better communication
• High product quality
• Less waiting time
• Lesser risk

Conclusion

These coding hacks can help you write better, more efficient, and maintainable code. By incorporating them into your workflow, you can improve the quality of your code and make your development process more efficient.

I hope these coding hacks help you improve your coding skills. Leave a comment below telling which hack resonated with you the most!

Adios!