In 2025, clean code isn’t just preferred—it’s expected. As teams scale and collaboration becomes global, writing code that explains itself is one of the best forms of built-in documentation. It saves time, prevents bugs, and makes onboarding new developers faster and smoother.
Self-documenting code means writing code that’s easy to read and understand without requiring excessive comments. It uses meaningful variable names, clear logic, and modular structure so that anyone can grasp what’s happening at a glance.
Example:
# Bad
x = 5
y = x * 60
# Good
minutes = 5
seconds = minutes * 60
Comments are helpful, but if your code needs a comment to be understood, it probably needs to be rewritten. Prioritize code clarity first, and use comments only for why something is done, not what is being done.
is_authenticated
> x
Even if your code is clear, external documentation is still important for:
Self-documenting code is more than a good habit — it’s a professional standard. Write for the next developer who reads your code. Because that developer might be you, three months from now.