Definition: spaghetti code

Program code written without a coherent structure. The program logic moves from routine to routine without returning to a base point, making it hard to follow. Spaghetti code implies excessive use of the GOTO instruction, which directs the computer to branch to another part of the program without a guarantee of returning.

Although there are always ways around it, structured programming attempts to eliminate spaghetti code by using functions that, after being called and executed, return the computer to the instruction following the one that called it. See lasagna code, ravioli code, structured programming and spaghetti development.

Spaghetti Code

There are tons of spaghetti code lurking in the millions of applications written over the years. Spaghetti code is often the result of being in a rush to make a change in the program or fix a serious bug.