How do you read a large codebase?

Let’s take a look at a few ways in which you can start to grasp a monolithic codebase.

1. Read the Documentation. The first place I start with a new project is reading over any available documentation or README files.
2. Read the Commit Messages.
3. Pairing.
4. Read the Tests.
5. Start with the Smallest Part.
6. Dive In.

How do you read someone’s code?

What’s the best way to read and understand someone else’s code?

1. Find one thing you know the code does, and trace those actions backward, starting at the end. Say, for example, you know that the code you’re viewing ultimately creates a file with a list of movie titles.
2. Rinse and repeat.

How long does it take to understand a codebase?

Depends on the code base, documentation, developer skills and knowledge and some other factors but I would say that a typical time frame is between three and six months. Generally speaking you expect people to be at full speed in six months in any normal project. In highly advanced projects the time can be much longer.

How do you read Java code?

4 Tips to effectively understand Java programming language

1. Java terminologies. The best way to learn Java is by mastering the basics.
2. Practice simple programs. Look for simple applications and start practising online.
3. Ignore negative comments.
4. It’s not easy to master Java in a short time.

How long does it take to get used to a codebase?

Yep. To become completely familiar with it, like you wrote it yourself, should be at least 6 months. But a few weeks to be pretty comfortable fixing bugs. Some bugs take days and even weeks to fix even when you already know the codebase!

How do you understand codebase at a new job?

The fact is simple: to understand what the code in your codebase is doing, you are going to have to read it. Read everything — unit tests, documentation, and the code itself. Read it slowly, line by line, and figure out what it’s doing. Read as much of it as you can, as often as you can.