How can I quickly understand a new codebase?

Another great way to familiarize yourself with a new codebase is to dive into it by fixing a bug or adding a small feature. This hands-on experience can shed light on how the different parts connect.

Interestingly, using a language model can really help in understanding complex codebases. I know some people are skeptical, but if you paste the code into a decent LLM, it can guide you through what's happening in the code.

One solid approach is to read through the code and summarize your findings as you go. Start at the main entry point and follow the execution path. It might seem tedious and slow, but this method will help you grasp what the code does fairly quickly, and you'll end up with useful notes you can refer back to later.

The strategy really depends on the codebase, but I’d recommend looking for comments and tracking down the most frequently used functions or methods. Make some notes on what you learn from the code structure to help you remember the important parts.

Don't underestimate the power of debugging! Running the code and stepping through it can give you a real-time understanding of how everything works together.