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  • About
  • You Aren't Gonna Need It (YAGNI) Principle
  • Keep it Simple, Stupid (KISS) Principle
  • Don't Repeat Yourself (DRY) Principle
  • SOLID
    • S : The Single Responsibility Principle
    • O : The Open/Closed Principle
    • L : The Liskov Substitution Principle
    • I : The Interface Segregation Principle
    • D : Dependency Inversion
  • Class Design
    • Class Design
  • Design pattern
    • Design pattern
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  • Key Benefits of YAGNI
  • When to Avoid YAGNI
  • References

You Aren't Gonna Need It (YAGNI) Principle

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Last updated 3 months ago

"Always implement things when you actually need them, never when you just foresee that you might need them."

This principle is about avoiding over-engineering and focusing strictly on the present requirements. By adding unnecessary features or over-engineering solutions, we incur additional complexity, which slow down development, increase the likelihood of bugs, and make the codebase harder to maintain.

Key Benefits of YAGNI

  1. Reduced waste: By only implementing what's necessary, you avoid wasting time and effort on unnecessary code.

  2. Simplified codebase: YAGNI promotes a lean and simple codebase, making it easier to maintain and update.

  3. Faster development: A laser focus on immediate needs as not bogged down by potential "what ifs".

When to Avoid YAGNI

Like any principle, YAGNI shouldn't be rigidly applied in every situation.

  • Well-Known Requirements: If you know with high certainty a feature is coming soon, building some basic support upfront might be wise.

  • Performance-Critical Areas: Sometimes, a less-than-optimal but more general solution is necessary initially to ensure performance targets are met.

References

The YAGNI Principle