What is 'Refactoring'?

Imagine you've built a small shed in your backyard. It works, but it's a bit messy. Refactoring is the process of cleaning up and organizing that shed without changing what it's used for.

In code, it means improving the structure and readability of your work without changing its behavior. It makes the code easier to maintain and less likely to have bugs in the future.

I always tell my students: 'Make it work, then make it right, then make it fast.' Refactoring is the 'making it right' part of the journey.