What Are the Top 7 Most Common Errors in Programming?

July 21, 2020
T.J. Kidder

To say that being a full-time web developer can be challenging would be a comical understatement. In addition to the inherent complexities of designing and maintaining a modern website, every developer needs to wrestle with various errors or bugs daily.

Dealing with errors is an integral part of any web development process, to the point where seasoned coders eventually become experts at navigating and fixing the bugs they create. The famed computer scientist Edsger W. Dijkstra summed it up well when he said: “if debugging is the process of removing bugs, then programming must be the process of putting them in.”

The following article will describe 7 different types of programming errors that web developers face regularly. We’ll also tell you where in San Diego you can find a remote coding bootcamp that can teach you how to deal with these errors. Read on.

Table of Contents:

Here are the 7 most commonly encountered programming errors:

What are considered common programming errors?

Back in the old days, long before our understanding of coding became what it is today, programming errors could be truly disastrous. Luckily for us all, modern coding approaches and debugging systems make it a lot easier to fix these mistakes.

The 7 most commonly encountered programming errors are:

1. Runtime errors

These bugs occur when the code “won’t play nice” with another computer, even if it worked perfectly fine on the developer’s own computer. These errors are especially frustrating because they directly impact the end user and make the application appear unreliable or even completely broken.

2. Logic errors

These errors can be extremely frustrating to deal with because nothing is inherently wrong with the code: the developer just didn’t program the computer to do the correct thing. In fact, a logic error caused by miscalculations between American and English units caused NASA to lose a spacecraft in 1999.

3. Compilation errors

Compilation is the process of converting a high-level coding language into a lower-level language that can be better understood by the computer. Compilation errors occur when the compiler isn’t able to properly transform the high-level code into the lower-level one. This prevents the software from being launched or tested.

4. Syntax errors

Computer languages have their own specialized grammar rules. When these rules aren’t followed (for example, the developer omits the parentheses while writing code), a syntax error prevents the application from running.

5. Interface errors

These bugs typically happen when the inputs the software receives do not conform to the accepted standards. When handled incorrectly, these errors can look like errors on your side even when they’re on the caller’s side, and vice versa.

6. Resource errors

Sometimes, a program can force the computer it’s running on to attempt to allocate more resources (processor power, random access memory, disk space, etc.) than it has. This results in the program becoming bugged or even causes the entire system to crash.

7. Arithmetic errors

These errors are just like logic errors, but with mathematics. For example, a division equation may require the computer to divide by zero. Since this is mathematically impossible, it results in an error that prevents the software from working correctly.

Where can I find the most reliable remote coding bootcamp in San Diego?

Understanding the common programming errors and learning how to deal with them is an essential skill that every web developer should have. At Learn Academy, we can teach you how to do just that, and much more, in one of our intensive coding bootcamps.

But what if you don’t want to leave your home due to the coronavirus pandemic? No worries! Our online coding bootcamps are available to all students regardless of whether they live in the Linda Vista neighborhood of San Diego, or in another state entirely. Contact us today.