Why is it important to follow Coding Standards and Coding Conventions?

Andrey Diskin
June 5, 2025

Not once or twice have I heard things like, “Why should I follow this? It works just fine for me,” or, “I know what’s best for this project, why should I follow their conventions?”

It’s easy to ignore coding standards and conventions as unnecessary, especially when everything seems to be working well for you. But here’s the thing: a codebase with consistent styles and patterns isn’t just about personal preferences - it’s about creating an environment that’s easier to work with, understand, and maintain.

So, what’s the difference between coding standards and coding conventions? In simple terms, standards are formal rules that ensure code quality & consistency across projects, while conventions are agreed-upon practices for style and structure of a language or a project. 

For example, a language convention in JavaScript or TypeScript is to use camelCase for variables, so you wouldn’t use kebab-case. On the other hand, a project convention might be to use camelCase for folder names, even though folder naming doesn't have a universal standard, unlike variables or functions. If the project adopts this convention, you should follow it.

An example for coding standards in action is using simple tools like ESLint (a linting tool that analyzes your code and provides feedback as you type) and Prettier (a formatter for consistent style). While these might seem trivial to you, they enforce coding standards and help catching common errors early, and it's much easier to review and maintain code that is formatted and well-organized.

But why does this matter? consistent code isn’t just about aesthetics - it makes the code easier to read & review. Imagine working on a large team where everyone uses their own styles. Reviewing code would become a nightmare, and onboarding new developers would take longer. Tools like linters catch issues early, and formatted code saves precious time during code reviews.

In the end, following coding standards and conventions isn’t about limiting creativity, it’s about making collaboration easier and creating software that’s simpler to maintain and grow. Think of it as a shared language - one that makes sure everyone on the team is speaking the same "dialect". That’s how great software gets built.

Andrey Diskin
June 5, 2025
why-is-it-important-to-follow-coding-standards-and-coding-conventions

Related Articles

TLVTech Won The Manifest Award for the UK’s Most Reviewed Cognitive Computing for 2024!

Read blog post

AI Ethics Is the Key to Fair Tech Development

- AI ethics deal with moral issues arising from Artificial Intelligence use, aiming to promote fairness and prevent bias. - Ethical use of AI fosters trust and reliability and is important in tech development. - AI poses ethical challenges, including ensuring fairness in decision-making and dealing with dilemmas, such as whether to harm a pedestrian or protect a car passenger. - Misuse of AI can infringe on privacy rights and risk job losses. Therefore, transparency and accountability are crucial. - Global bodies, like UNESCO, and corporations, like IBM, guide ethical AI use through standards and guidelines. - AI ethics impact privacy rights, jobs, and human rights. The challenge is to design AI that respects privacy while avoiding bias and erosion of livelihoods. - The future of AI ethics involves bracing for new challenges, including those concerning privacy and bridging the technology-ethics gap. - Notable AI ethics codes include Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics and the Asilomar AI Principles. - There are resources available for understanding AI ethics, developing ethical AI, and understanding the importance of ethical AI code.

Read blog post

The Stack We Use for Fast Backend Delivery (and Why It Works)

We use a battle-tested backend stack—Node.js, NestJS, Postgres, Docker, and GitHub Actions—that helps startups ship fast, stay stable, and scale without technical debt.

Read blog post

Contact us

Contact us today to learn more about how our automation partnership service might assist you in achieving your technology goals.

Thank you for leaving your details

Skip the line and schedule a meeting directly with our CEO
Free consultation call with our CEO
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.