How to Understand a Large Project Codebase Like a Pro

Proven Strategies to Navigate, Analyze, and Master Any Complex Codebase with Confidence and Clarity

Developers spend a significant amount of time on projects before they push commits. It is a nightmare for the developers who have just landed on the codebase. At first glance, it may be hard to understand how all the files are working together without knowing some more context.

---

1. Read the Project Documentation

The first step I take when starting a new project is to read its documentation or README files. This allows me to get familiar with the project’s setup and codebase. The documentation gives you a high-level understanding of the project’s purpose, goals, and functionalities.

---

2. Read the Code

Run the project and use the debugger to follow the execution of the code. Check for unit, integration, or functional tests in your project. Try to understand the logic of the project and the code itself. But don’t spend so much time, you will go deep after you start writing code. For now, what is important is to understand the structure of the project and how everything is organized.

It’s always a good practice to start with the basics and understand the architecture before diving into the codebase.