Greta would be a good developer
Tags: webdev, programming, tutorial, productivity
Published: 2023-01-27 18:09:04

Sometimes I listen to some podcasts or conferences and I got the idea that a good developer can save the world from global warming.

I give you explanation with some examples:

As you know, code that takes a long time to load or process data, consumes a lot of CPU power, and this also needs cooling. All process produces carbon dioxide (CO2).
On average, 0.37 kg of CO2 is generated per 1 kWh, but this number is different for different countries and how energy is generated. But, do not forget that beside carbon dioxide, heat is also generated and all these are not good for environment.

A good developer doesn't means how small code he writes, or how complex and ordered is the code. Sometimes it's nonsense if you don't know what happens behind the curtains and here are few examples:

**Node JS**
`app.listen(3000, '0.0.0.0');`
or
`app.listen(3000);`
or
`...start --port 3000`

When you listen to a port without host specifying, it listens to all interface and as you guess that's expensive.

**PHP**

As everyone knows PHP is most used language for web development, but there are many deprecated methods or many old websites are still not updated to new version of the language and at this point you know what slow methods means.

This is not just for about php, but updating versions you get free speed, and if speed increase by 50%, this means usage of electricity and price you have to pay reduces by 50% :))  


![php 2023](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/snd3cbcuohfurhvgduwp.png)



**Data**
Despite all these deprecated methods and slow code, even if your code will be fast, that's not enough. The most important is your data structures, that can be issue of sending many requests and many other things. I will give you one very popular example that I found online.

Only one server request is used to load this one image, it is used to load preview of a movie on different timestamps when you hover mouse to a timeline this image will split by client side code depending what time you choose to preview.

![Movie Preview](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/cqonk2ux2i0bkxasjxgn.png)

Also there are very good `file in folder` structures, `product option` structures and many other interesting things in internet.
Please make a good research before you start new project.

**Some Advices**
1. Optimize your code for performance: Make sure your code is running as efficiently as possible. This can include things like reducing the number of loops, using appropriate data structures, and minimizing the number of function calls.

2. Use serverless architecture: This allows you to run your code without having to maintain and power servers, which can greatly reduce energy consumption.

3. Use cloud providers (a.k.a Green Providers) that use renewable energy: Many cloud providers are now using renewable energy sources to power their data centers. Consider using one of these providers to host your code.

4. Use energy-efficient hardware: When choosing hardware for your projects, consider energy efficiency as a factor.


5. Monitor and measure: Use tools to monitor the performance and resource usage of your code and measure the impact of any changes you make.

6. Be part of the community: Eco-friendly coding is a shared responsibility, joining a community of developers and companies to share best practices and contribute to the development of standards and tools. 

7. Minimize data transfers: When working with data, try to minimize the amount of data that needs to be transferred over the network. This can include things like compressing data before sending it, or only sending the data that is actually needed.

8. Use caching: Caching can greatly reduce the amount of computation required by your code. Consider caching frequently used data or results of computations to avoid recalculating them.

9. Document your efforts: Document your efforts to make your code more eco-friendly so that others can learn from your experience and replicate your success.