Anti-Pattern
ELI5 — The Vibe Check
Anti-Pattern is the opposite of a design pattern — it's a commonly used approach that looks like it solves a problem but actually makes things worse. Someone named it and documented it so others could recognize and avoid it. 'If it looks like a God Object, it probably is.'
Real Talk
An Anti-Pattern is a common response to a recurring problem that is usually ineffective and risks being counterproductive. Unlike Design Patterns (solutions), Anti-Patterns document pitfalls to avoid. Examples: God Object, Spaghetti Code, Golden Hammer, Cargo Culting, Premature Optimization.
When You'll Hear This
"Using a Singleton for everything is an anti-pattern." / "That's the classic God Object anti-pattern — split it up."
Related Terms
Big Ball of Mud
Big Ball of Mud is the ultimate architectural anti-pattern — a system with no recognizable structure at all.
Code Smell
Code that works but feels... wrong. Like when food smells slightly off — it might be fine, but something isn't right.
Design Pattern
Design patterns are like recipe cards for solving common coding problems.
God Object
A god object is a class that knows everything, does everything, and has way too much power — like a single manager running every department of a company.
Spaghetti Code
Spaghetti code is code so tangled and messy that following the logic feels like untangling earphones that have been in your pocket for a week.