Coupling vs Cohesion

Developers should understand coupling to create systems that are easier to maintain, test, and extend over time meets developers should learn and apply cohesion to create modular, understandable, and maintainable code, especially in large-scale or long-term projects. Here's our take.

Coupling

Nice Pick

Developers should understand coupling to create systems that are easier to maintain, test, and extend over time

Pros

• Low coupling is particularly important in large-scale applications, microservices architectures, and when following SOLID principles, as it reduces the ripple effect of changes and enables independent development of components
• Related to: cohesion, software-architecture

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

Cohesion

Developers should learn and apply cohesion to create modular, understandable, and maintainable code, especially in large-scale or long-term projects

Pros

• It is crucial in object-oriented programming, microservices architecture, and refactoring efforts to reduce complexity and prevent bugs by ensuring each component has a clear, singular purpose
• Related to: coupling, software-design-principles

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

Use Coupling if: You want low coupling is particularly important in large-scale applications, microservices architectures, and when following solid principles, as it reduces the ripple effect of changes and enables independent development of components and can live with specific tradeoffs depend on your use case.

Use Cohesion if: You prioritize it is crucial in object-oriented programming, microservices architecture, and refactoring efforts to reduce complexity and prevent bugs by ensuring each component has a clear, singular purpose over what Coupling offers.

The Bottom Line

Coupling wins

Developers should understand coupling to create systems that are easier to maintain, test, and extend over time