First, it’s important to understand how code can age and mutate into spaghetti code. Whether due to time pressure, lack of experience, or unclear instructions, programming code can lead to a loss of functionality as a result of unnecessarily complicated commands. A code deteriorates increasingly, the faster and more complex an area of application is.
Spaghetti code refers to confusing, unreadable source code that can only be interpreted by programmers with great difficulty. Simple examples of confusing code include superfluous jump commands (GOTO) that instruct the program to skip back and forth in the source code, or unnecessary for/while loops and if commands.
Projects involving many software developers are particularly susceptible to unclear source code. When code passes through many hands and if the original already contains some weak points, a growing mess resulting from “workaround solutions” can hardly be avoided, necessitating a costly code review. In severe cases, spaghetti code can jeopardize the entire development of software. If the problem gets that far, it may even be too late for code refactoring.
Code smells and code rot are not quite so disastrous. Over time, a code can start to smell – metaphorically – with all its inelegant sections. Difficult-to-understand parts become worse as other programmers intervene or add new strings. If refactoring is not performed at the first signs of code smell, the source code will gradually lose functionality as a result of code rot.