Code Smell
A code smell is a code characteristic that hints at deeper design problems — not a bug, but a sign that refactoring is needed.
Purpose
Identify code that needs refactoring, improving maintainability and readability.
Mechanism
Common smells: long method, large class, duplicated code, shotgun surgery, divergent change, data clumps, primitive obsession. Tools: SonarQube and CodeClimate detect them automatically.
Use cases
- Code quality assessment
- Refactoring guidance
- Technical debt