Maintenability
Maintainability refers to how easy it is to understand, modify, and extend source code over time, especially as the project grows or / and requirements change.
A maintainable codebase is:
- Readable: code is well-structured, uses meaningful names, and follows consistent formatting
- Modular: functions, classes, and files are logically organized and decoupled
- Documented: clear comments and documentation explain complex logic and intent
- Testable: unit and integration tests ensure changes don’t break existing functionality
- Debuggable: errors and logs are clear, and debugging is straightforward
- Up-to-date: code adheres to modern PHP standards and avoids deprecated features.