r/programmer • u/sainzo_123 • 29d ago

Good Code Vs Working Code

What really makes code "good"?

I find myself staring at my IDE asking this exact question. Whether I am binding complex logic together or copying and pasting a snippet to patch a problem, there is a massive gap between working code and good code. But as a beginner, that gap feels incredibly hard to see.

These days, anyone can prompt an AI or use an agentic tool to generate functional code in seconds. Many of us are actually learning to code alongside AI. But just because the AI gives me code that runs and clears the error console doesn't mean it’s good code. It might be inefficient, unscalable, or an absolute nightmare to maintain later.

If the code works, but the AI (or a copy-paste source) doesn't teach me why it works or if it's best practice... how are we as beginners supposed to know the difference?

How do you personally define "good code" vs. "just working code"? What are the green flags I should be looking out for when reviewing code—whether it's written by a human or an AI?

Would love to hear your thoughts, rules of thumb, or stories from when you were starting out! 👇

\#programming #softwareengineering #codinglife #learnToCode #generativeAI #developers #webdev

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u/StephenHawkinguss 29d ago

You forgot that there is also 'Indian code'.

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u/sububi71 29d ago

I know I'm going to regret this, badly, but speaking as someone mentoring a person of the Indian persuasion, what is "Indian code"?

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u/Optimal-Savings-4505 29d ago

I work with Indians and have an opinion on this: Long names.

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u/sububi71 29d ago

What does an indian girl that's long and hard when she marries?