Coding conventions are guidelines that describe how the code should be written in a specific programming language. It makes the code more readable and easier to maintain. Naming conventions define how variables, methods, and more should be named. Naming is really important, because that helps developers understand the purpose of a certain unit in the program. The layout convention defines how the structure of the source code should look; for example, indenting and the use of spaces. The commenting convention defines how the source code should be commented on. Quite often, it is good to use some standardized ways of commenting, such as Javadoc with Java.

Most of the software development environments and editors offer tools that help you with code conventions. You can also use code formatters, such as Prettier for JavaScript.