This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Daniel | Frontend developer
Everyone talks about learning to code.
But barely anyone talks about learning to read code.
And honestly? Reading code — especially code you didn’t write — is often harder than writing it. 
This hit me the first time I had to contribute to someone else’s project. Suddenly, I wasn’t solving clean tutorial problems. I was scrolling through dozens of files, trying to understand what the heck utils.ts was doing and why half the functions were named things like handleThing.
Let’s talk about it. 
Why It Feels So Hard 
Writing code (especially when you’re learning) usually follows this path:
Problem → Plan → Write → Done
But reading someone else’s code feels more like:
??? → Click around → Try to follow → Get confused → Hope something makes sense → Repeat
It’s because when you read code:
- You’re decoding decisions without context
- You don’t know what to ignore or focus on
- You might not understand the naming conventions or folder structure
- You can’t just rewrite everything to match your brain
It’s like walking into a halfway-built house and being asked to fix the plumbing. Where even is the plumbing? 
Why This Skill Matters 
If you’re working on a team — or ever want to — reading code is the thing you’ll do the most:
- Fix bugs in old features? You’ll need to read the original dev’s logic.
- Add a new feature? You’ll need to figure out where it fits.
- Review a pull request? Yep — more reading.
And when you can read code confidently, you level up as a developer — fast.
How to Get Better at Reading Code 
Some tips that actually help:
- Trace the data — Follow how data flows, rather than trying to understand everything at once.
- Read open source — Pick small projects, explore the structure, and explain it to yourself.
- Ask “why” — Why did they write it this way? What problem does this solve?
- Refactor — Take old code and clean it up. It’ll force you to understand it first.
- Code reviews — Even reading other people’s PRs will train your eyes and brain.
Final Thought 
Being good at reading code doesn’t mean understanding everything instantly.
It means knowing how to ask the right questions, follow the trail, and stay curious.
Writing is creative. Reading is detective work.
Both make you a better engineer. 
Enjoyed this? I write about dev skills, freelancing, and real-world lessons.
Follow me on Twitter for more threads and posts!
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Daniel | Frontend developer