You Aren't Gonna Need It

Introduction

YAGNI is a software development principle that advises developers to resist the temptation to add features or functionality to a system that are not currently needed. The idea behind YAGNI is that it is often difficult to predict which features or functionality will be needed in the future and adding unnecessary features or functionality can make the system more complex and harder to maintain.

Instead of trying to anticipate future needs, YAGNI suggests that developers should focus on building only what is needed at present. This can help to keep the system simple and focused and make it easier to modify and extend as the needs of the system change.

Example

Here's an example of how YAGNI might be applied in a software development project:

Imagine you are building a web application that allows users to create and share simple text documents. At the start of the project, you decide to focus on building the core functionality of the application: allowing users to create and edit documents and share them with other users.

As the project progresses, you might be tempted to add additional features or functionality that you think might be useful in the future, such as the ability to import and export documents in different file formats, or to apply formatting and styling to the text. However, following the YAGNI principle, you decide to resist this temptation and focus on building only what is needed at present.

As a result, you can complete the core functionality of the application quickly and efficiently, and you can add new features or functionality as they are needed, rather than trying to anticipate future needs. This can help to keep the system simple and focused and make it easier to modify and extend as the needs of the system change.