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Green Software Engineering Standards

This document outlines the standards and best practices for environmentally sustainable software development at Bayat.

Principles

Core Principles

  • Carbon Efficiency: Emit the least carbon possible
  • Energy Efficiency: Use the least amount of energy possible
  • Carbon Awareness: Do more when the electricity is cleaner
  • Hardware Efficiency: Use the least amount of hardware possible
  • Measurement: What you can't measure, you can't improve

Development Practices

Code Efficiency

  1. Algorithm Optimization:

    • Prefer algorithms with lower computational complexity
    • Reduce unnecessary iterations and operations
    • Use appropriate data structures to minimize processing
    • Implement lazy loading and lazy computation patterns

  2. Resource Management:

    • Implement efficient memory usage patterns
    • Release resources promptly when no longer needed
    • Minimize network calls and data transfers
    • Optimize database queries and data access patterns

  3. Idle Resources:

    • Implement sleep modes for inactive components
    • Scale down or shut down unused services
    • Use event-driven architecture to minimize polling
    • Implement efficient background processing

Application Design

  1. Energy-Aware UX:

    • Design dark mode interfaces by default
    • Minimize animations and transitions on battery-powered devices
    • Implement reduced motion and low-power modes
    • Design interfaces that require fewer interactions to complete tasks

  2. Network Efficiency:

    • Implement effective caching strategies
    • Compress data for transmission
    • Use efficient data formats (JSON vs. XML, Protocol Buffers, etc.)
    • Batch API requests to reduce connection overhead

  3. Sustainable Design Patterns:

    • Implement pagination to limit data processing
    • Use virtualization for large data sets
    • Implement incremental loading patterns
    • Design for offline-first where appropriate

Infrastructure

Cloud Resources

  1. Right-sizing:

    • Guidelines for appropriate instance sizing
    • Auto-scaling configuration best practices
    • Scheduling for non-production environments
    • Serverless vs. container vs. VM selection criteria

  2. Region Selection:

    • Criteria for selecting regions with lower carbon intensity
    • Multi-region strategy considering energy sources
    • Data locality to reduce transmission energy
    • Carbon-aware deployment strategies

Data Management

  1. Data Lifecycle:

    • Data retention policies to minimize storage
    • Tiered storage strategies for energy efficiency
    • Data compression and deduplication requirements
    • Archive guidelines for rarely accessed data

  2. Database Optimization:

    • Index optimization standards
    • Partitioning strategies for efficient queries
    • Connection pooling requirements
    • Read replica usage guidelines

Measurement and Reporting

Carbon Metrics

  • Tools and methodologies for measuring software carbon intensity
  • Required metrics for application carbon footprint
  • Benchmarking standards for energy consumption
  • Dashboard requirements for environmental impact

Reporting Requirements

  • Periodic energy consumption reporting
  • Carbon reduction goal setting
  • Efficiency improvements tracking
  • Environmental impact documentation

Continuous Improvement

Optimization Process

  • Energy profiling requirements
  • Hotspot identification methodology
  • Energy debt tracking (similar to technical debt)
  • Optimization priority framework

Team Practices

  • Green software review checklist
  • Energy efficiency considerations in code reviews
  • Team KPIs for sustainable development
  • Knowledge sharing requirements

Tools and Technologies

Development Tools

  • Recommended profiling tools for energy consumption
  • Static analysis tools for identifying inefficient patterns
  • Performance monitoring tools with energy metrics
  • Carbon-aware development plugins

Deployment Tools

  • Carbon-aware schedulers and deployment tools
  • Energy monitoring and reporting platforms
  • Infrastructure optimization tools
  • Carbon intensity APIs and integrations

Compliance and Standards

Industry Standards

  • Alignment with Green Software Foundation principles
  • Compliance with energy efficiency regulations
  • Sustainable software certification requirements
  • Reporting standards for environmental impact

Internal Requirements

  • Minimum efficiency requirements for production deployment
  • Energy budgets for applications and services
  • Green software maturity model
  • Environmental impact statement guidelines

References