Learning to Befriend Someone Else's Code

Reading someone else's code for the first time is almost always stressful. You open a project and see a bunch of folders, an unclear structure, different coding styles. From the outside, it seems like there is a system. You go deeper, and it begins: layers are followed in some places, not in others, some parts are through services, others directly through models. This is a normal state. The problem is not with you. The problem is that you are trying to read the code chaotically. To avoid drowning, you need an algorithm, don't read everything in a row, but follow a specific route.

Start with the entry point, not with models, not with the database. Begin where the system receives a request: controller, handler, endpoint. There is always a beginning there. Then go through the routing: which URL, where it leads, which controller is called. This gives the first context: what the system does on this path. Then see what the controller does. In a good scenario, it calls a service or use-case. In a bad scenario, the logic is right there. An important point, do not try to "fix it in your head" immediately. Your task is to understand how it currently works. Then make notes and identify problems. The basic route: controller - use-case - domain.

The most common mistake is to start evaluating immediately: "this is wrong," "I would do it better." Don't do that. First, understand how it works. You will almost always see chaos, with layers being followed in some places and not in others. This is normal for any active project. If you can't read someone else's code, you won't be able to work in a team. Because 90% of the time, you will be working with code that isn't yours.

I had a breakthrough moment when a strong developer and I sat down, established rules, described the structure, and added examples. Only after that did the code become readable. Because readability is not a talent. It's standardization. Over time, a shift occurs: you stop getting lost and start navigating the system. This is a sign that you have grown.