What Is Clean Code and Why Should You Care?

If you are new to PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP) and software development in general, there’s a good chance you haven’t come across clean code yet. We all began here; everybody must be aware of this. Clean code is more than just a set of rules. It is a real mindset—a way of thinking about what you are creating.

We often come across developers that have been in information technology (IT) for many years, even decades, and never had to worry about clean code. This may be for several reasons for this: working alone on a project for many years or developing on a legacy code base are a few of many reasons “clean code” did not reach their ears or wasn’t one of their concerns.

Become aware of clean code—the earlier the better. As with many other habits, once you have adopted a way of working with code, it is difficult to change this. It may be because you are not convinced at all about what clean code is about, you are not sure it applies to you, or you may just be lazy about applying new “rules” because yours are already working for you (be assured that everyone’s been through this). But if you care about it and you are taking note—well, you’ve already done the hardest part, because this means that you are ready to change your habits. Don’t misunderstand us—the point is not to change everything you’ve learned up to now; it’s more a case of improving the skills you already have.

You may not be aware of this, but it is pretty certain that you already have some habits that totally suit clean-code principles and that are natural to you and completely new to other developers. You should note that the goal of clean-code principles is not to be controversial at all.

The main topics we’ll cover in this chapter are listed here:

• What this book will cover
• Understanding what clean code is
• The importance of clean code in teams
• The importance of clean code in personal projects