Can I read a sample for free?
Of course! Many chapters are available to read online.
Washing your code
A book on clean code for frontend developers
About the book
We read code much more often than we write it — often to make a one-line change you have to read and understand hundreds of lines of code scattered among dozens of files. That’s why code readability is so important.
On dozens of examples, based on production code, I’ll show you how to make your code more readable and maintainable, and how to avoid hard-to-track bugs. I’ll show you code smells and antipatterns I often see during code reviews (and I review lots of code every day!) and will walk you through the refactoring process to make your code better.
These techniques help me every day to write code that my colleagues will have no problems working with. All book’s examples are written in JavaScript with a bit of TypeScript, React, CSS, and HTML.
What’s inside?
- PDF and EPUB formats
- 20 years of experience packed into 350 pages
- 3700 lines of unit-tested code examples
- Based on production code
- Up to date: ECMAScript 2024
- No bullshit approach
Table of contents
Iterating over collections and why traditional loops like `for` and `while` may not be the best approach
Writing good conditions and simplifying the code by removing unnecessary ones
Improving code readability by making it easier to understand what variables are doing and how they are used in the code
Why mutation is hindering code readability and what can we do about it
Writing useful comments, when to write them and when not
How clear names make it easier to understand the code, and how to improve naming in our apps
Divide and conquer, or merge and relax
Splitting code into functions and modules, when is the right time to introduce an abstraction, and when it’s better to wait
Don’t make me think
All the different ways programmers like to write clever code, and why we should avoid it as much as possible
Code style
Which code styles are actually improving readability and which are just opinions that don’t matter much
Lint your code
How linters can help us maintain consistent and modern codebase, and promote some of the techniques discussed in the previous chapters
Autoformat your code
How tools can make our lives much easier by formatting code for us
Learn your code editor
Different techniques for editing code and customizing our environment to make our work more efficient and less tiring
Other techniques
Make impossible states impossible
Don’t try to predict the future
Become a code scout
Write testable code
Write greppable code
Avoid not invented here syndrome
Avoid cargo cult programming
Debug code with emojis
Go for a walk or talk to a rubber duck
What readers are saying?
I’ve been following the author’s blog for quite some time to grab an advice or to catch up on best engineering practices. I was excited to find out there’s a whole dedicated book he was working on 🙌 I’m into several chapters now and already got enlightened on some topics I thought I knew well 🙂 I really like a mix of theory and clear practical examples that are up to a point. It’s never a dry reading so can highly recommend it 👍
Artem skillfully highlights common code smells and anti-patterns that I also frequently encounter when reviewing code. Each chapter offers actionable insights on refactoring and improving code readability, which are critical whether you’re just starting out or are a longtime developer looking to polish your skills. I already “felt” the lessons but hadn't really internalized them. Reading them from someone else sort of fixed them in my understanding of code and how to work with it.
Frequently asked questions
Is the book complete?
Almost! I’m planning to finish the book by the end of summer 2024.
Will the book be updated over time?
Yes, I’m planning to keep the book as a living snapshot of my programming knowledge, and also update the example with the latest JavaScript features. Subscribe to my newsletter to know about major updates.
Do I need to know JavaScript?
Not necessarily, though it will certainly help. However, even if you’re working with other languages, you could still find the book useful.
Is the book available to buy on Amazon?
Not yet, but I’m planning to publish the book on Amazon as soon I finish writing the book.
Is the book available on paper?
Not yet, but I’m planning to publish the dead tree version as soon I finish writing the book.
Do you have a money-back guarantee policy?
Yes, LeanPub has 60-day money back.
Can I buy multiple copies for my team at a reduced price?
Yes, write me at artem@sapegin.ru.
Do you offer purchasing power parity or student discounts?
Write me at artem@sapegin.ru, and we’ll think of something.
About the author
Hola! I’m Artem.
I’m a software engineer with 20 years of experience in small startups and large corporations, like Wayfair, Mail.ru, Here Technologies, Omio, Stage+, and Badoo. I created React Styleguidist (a tool to create React components and share them with your team), among many other open source projects.
I’ve been blogging about frontend development for almost as many years. My favorite topics are component-driven development, testing, and accessibility.
Have a question?
Drop me a line at artem@sapegin.ru, @sapegin@mastodon.cloud, @iamsapegin, or open an issue.