Code smell is a term used to describe a surface-level indication of a deeper problem in a codebase. It was first coined by Kent Beck while helping Martin Fowler with his book on refactoring, and refers to something that's quick to spot - like a long method or a class with too many responsibilities.

How to use it in a sentence

• "I was doing a code review for the new guy and noticed a major code smell - a 500 line JavaScript function that was trying to do everything from validating user input to calling three different microservices. I told him to break it up before the stench made me pass out."

• "We were rushing to get the new feature out before the Facebook acquisition and started noticing code smells cropping up everywhere. I warned the team that we'd pay for it later, but hey, at least we'll be able to cry into our piles of Meta money."

If you actually want to learn more...

• Refactoring Guide: Refactoring is the disciplined technique of restructuring code without changing its external behavior. This guide covers various refactoring workflows and techniques that can help keep your codebase clean and maintainable.

• Is High Quality Software Worth the Cost? There's often a debate between focusing on software quality vs shipping new features faster. This article argues that higher internal quality can actually reduce costs in the long run by making the codebase easier to enhance.

• Code Smell: For a deeper dive into code smells, check out this article by Martin Fowler. It covers the origin of the term, examples of common smells, and how identifying smells can be a useful practice even for inexperienced developers.

Note: the Developer Dictionary is in Beta. Please direct feedback to skye@statsig.com.