# When Duplicated Code Is the Better Tradeoff

DevFeed: [When Duplicated Code Is the Better Tradeoff](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/when-to-repeat-yourself-18209.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://newsletter.francofernando.com/p/when-to-repeat-yourself>)

Author: Franco Fernando

Published: 2026-07-04T06:05:31Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [The Polymathic Engineer](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/the-polymathic-engineer.md>)

Topics: [Software Engineering](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/software-engineering.md>), [Code](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/code.md>), [distributed-systems](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/distributed-systems.md>), [Microservice](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/microservice.md>), [Library](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/library.md>)

Tags: [abstraction](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/abstraction.md>), [bugs](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/bugs.md>), [code](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/code.md>), [components](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/components.md>), [distributed](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/distributed.md>), [distributed-systems](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/distributed-systems.md>), [reusable-code](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/reusable-code.md>), [services](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/services.md>), [software](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/software.md>), [software-engineering](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/software-engineering.md>), [teams](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/teams.md>)

## AI overview

This article examines when following the DRY principle creates more cost than value. It argues that duplicated code can be reasonable when abstraction adds coordination overhead, tight coupling, or inflexibility, especially across distributed services and teams whose code may evolve differently.

## Source excerpt

When duplicated code is the better tradeoff.