I Collapsed My Folder View Because I Was Scared of the Files

This was literally me two years ago. As a new developer, nothing intimidated me more than opening VS Code to see dozens of files scattered across mysterious folders. I'd quickly collapse the file tree, praying I wouldn't need to touch anything outside the one file I was working on. Sound familiar? What I learned: 1. Everyone feels this way at first Even senior developers get overwhelmed when joining complex projects. It's not just you - it's part of the journey. 2. There is no perfect folder structure But some principles make your code more navigable: Group by feature, not file type Keep related code close together Be consistent with your naming conventions 3. Start simple For Node.js projects, I recommend: project/ ├── src/ │ ├── routes/ │ ├── controllers/ │ ├── models/ │ └── utils/ ├── tests/ ├── config/ └── package.json 4. Grow organically As your project evolves, let your folder structure evolve too. Don't overengineer from day one. 5. Document your decisions Add a README explaining your organization choices to help future you (and teammates). The folder structure that terrified me two years ago is now something I build with confidence. That's why I'm building a community for developers who want to level up their project organization skills. Let's discuss! If you've ever collapsed a folder tree out of fear, you're not alone. What's your biggest folder organization challenge? I'm building a community where we tackle these challenges together. Originally shared on Twitter and LinkedIn

May 6, 2025 - 14:59

I Collapsed My Folder View Because I Was Scared of the Files

This was literally me two years ago.

As a new developer, nothing intimidated me more than opening VS Code to see dozens of files scattered across mysterious folders. I'd quickly collapse the file tree, praying I wouldn't need to touch anything outside the one file I was working on.

Sound familiar?

What I learned:

1. Everyone feels this way at first

Even senior developers get overwhelmed when joining complex projects. It's not just you - it's part of the journey.

2. There is no perfect folder structure

But some principles make your code more navigable:

Group by feature, not file type
Keep related code close together
Be consistent with your naming conventions

3. Start simple

For Node.js projects, I recommend:

project/
├── src/
│   ├── routes/
│   ├── controllers/
│   ├── models/
│   └── utils/
├── tests/
├── config/
└── package.json

4. Grow organically

As your project evolves, let your folder structure evolve too. Don't overengineer from day one.

5. Document your decisions

Add a README explaining your organization choices to help future you (and teammates).

The folder structure that terrified me two years ago is now something I build with confidence. That's why I'm building a community for developers who want to level up their project organization skills.

Let's discuss!

If you've ever collapsed a folder tree out of fear, you're not alone. What's your biggest folder organization challenge? I'm building a community where we tackle these challenges together.

Originally shared on Twitter and LinkedIn