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What does "scalable" mean in programming?
scalable is one of the most common terms in software development. This guide explains what it means, how it is used in practice, and why it matters, with real examples from the developer world.
Definition
Describes a system or piece of code that can handle increased load or growing data by adding resources, without requiring a redesign. The adjective form of scalability. Used in code reviews to praise or warn about future growth.
Example
"This approach is not scalable — a full table scan will time out once the table reaches 10 million rows."
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