What is the DRY Software Development Principle and How Did It Start?
So, what exactly is DRY software development? Sure, we know a lot of drys, dry briskets, and dry towels, but dry software? This seems a tad odd. This is because dry here doesn’t refer to a state, as it does with other tangibles. DRY software development is an acronym for “Don’t Repeat Yourself,”, which is a major and essential principle for software developers. Let us start with the origin of such a term. The DRY principle originated and emerged sometime in 1999. It was demonstrated in the programming book “The Pragmatic Programmer.” Andrew Hunt and David Thomas are two well-known authors and programmers who wrote this book. The two programmers came up with this principle after much research and experience with it, and they were also inspired by the experience of other programmers and software developers. They demonstrated not only the principle but also techniques and tools that help improve it. This book is what paved the way for this principle, along with many others that we will explore later in the article. Since then, the implementation of this principle has been a fundamental task for many software developers. The main purpose of the principle of DRY software development is that every single logic in the software should have a single representation. This means that clean code should be written for each function or place rather than duplicating a single code everywhere in the software.Advantages of the DRY principle
The DRY (Don’t Repeat Yourself) principle is a fundamental concept in software development that encourages the avoidance of repetition and redundancy within code. Embracing the DRY principle offers several advantages:Maintainability
Since only one location of the code needs to be updated, the DRY code is simpler to keep up to date. This decreases the likelihood of overlooking modifications across numerous lines of code and makes modifications more efficient.Readability
More straightforward, more concise code is often the result of redundancy elimination. This improves the readability and understandability of the codebase for any future developers who may need to make improvements to it.Reduced Error Rates
Errors can occur when code is duplicated in different places and one is updated without correspondingly updating the others. With DRY, you only need to remember one set of rules, which greatly reduces the chances of making mistakes and causing bugs.
Consistency
The DRY principle helps to ensure that the codebase is consistent. You may verify that the same function is applied consistently throughout different parts of the program by reusing the same code in each of those areas.Scalability
When it comes to writing code, adhering to the DRY principle often results in an improvement in scalability. Reusing components or functions rather than duplicating them makes it easier to maintain control over the system’s complexity.Time and Cost Efficiency
Since DRY coding necessitates the development of elements and codes that may be reused, it may take extra effort to get started. In the long run, however, it saves time and effort in codebase maintenance, updates, and enhancements, which in turn lowers overall development expenses.
How Does the DRY Principle Work and How to Implement It?
As we previously mentioned, the main purpose that developers should extensively focus on in the DRY software principle is to create clear and reusable codes for different places in the software. These components or codes can then be used in places with common functionality or logic. This opposes a major mistake or a wrongful strategy that developers usually follow, which is duplicating codes everywhere in the software. This is nowhere near the idea of reusing code, as it only includes copying and pasting the code in different places. Many developers follow this technique because they see it as much easier. The way that the DRY principle works and gets implemented is very similar, as the process of implementation explains how the whole thing goes.Identify Code
The first step of this process is identifying duplicate code. This includes analyzing all the codes present in the functions in your software and pinpointing repetitive ones.
