Use Early Returns to Reduce Nesting

Problem

Deep nesting of if/else blocks makes code hard to follow — 3+ levels of indentation is a code smell.

Solution

Return early for edge cases and errors at the top of your function. The main logic stays flat at the base level.

Benefit

Reduces nesting from 3-4 levels to 0-1. Each condition is handled and exited immediately — much easier to read.

Code Example

// Bad — deeply nested
function processOrder(order) {
  if (order) {
    if (order.isPaid) {
      if (order.items.length > 0) {
        // Finally, the actual logic
        ship(order);
      }
    }
  }
}

// Good — early returns
function processOrder(order) {
  if (!order) return;
  if (!order.isPaid) return;
  if (order.items.length === 0) return;

  // Main logic, zero nesting
  ship(order);
}