Engineering Principles

Engineering Principles Driving AquilaX's Application Security Excellence

1 - Open Source Everything

• Principle: We open-source everything we develop, engineer, or R&D, aside from the intellectual property of the business.

• Application: Share our code, designs, and innovations with the community to foster collaboration and transparency.

2 - Eat Your Own Dog Food

• Principle: We engineer solutions for engineers, therefore we must be the first to use our own products.

• Application: Use our tools and systems in our daily workflows to ensure they meet the highest standards of usability and functionality.

3 - Everyone Writes Code

• Principle: From the CEO to the junior engineer, everyone must write code.

• Application: Maintain a culture where all team members contribute to the codebase, ensuring a deep understanding of our products across all levels.

4 - Keep It Simple, Stupid (KISS)

• Principle: Keep it simple, extremely simple. Compromise functionality for simplicity if ROI is reasonable.

• Application: Design systems and write code that is straightforward and easy to understand, avoiding unnecessary complexity.

5 - Self-Explanatory Code

• Principle: No comments; the code must speak for itself.

• Application: Write clear, readable, and self-documenting code that does not rely on comments to be understood.

6 - No Hacks

• Principle: No hacks in the code. If needed, add an issue to be fixed later.

• Application: Avoid temporary or quick fixes that compromise code quality. Log issues and address them properly.

7 - Individual Coding Styles with Code Reviews

• Principle: No peer-programming. Each engineer has their own style, but we enforce PR (Pull Request) on every change.

• Application: Encourage individual creativity and coding styles while ensuring code quality and consistency through mandatory code reviews.

8 - Iterative Improvement

• Principle: Continuously improve our systems and processes through regular review and iteration.

• Application: Implement iterative testing and feedback loops to enhance the quality and functionality of our products.

9 - Customer Experience First

• Principle: Customer is the aim; we must always keep in line with customer experience in what we build.

• Application: Prioritize the needs and feedback of our customers in all design and development decisions to ensure a positive user experience.

10 - Embrace Latest Technologies

• Principle: We use the latest technologies where possible, including heavy use of AI products to be faster and more efficient.

• Application: Integrate cutting-edge technologies and AI solutions into our workflows to enhance productivity and innovation.