In computer programming jargon, lava flow is an anti-pattern that occurs when computer source code written under sub-optimal conditions is deployed into a production environment and subsequently expanded upon while still in a developmental state.
The term derives from the natural occurrence of lava which, once cooled, solidifies into rock that is difficult to remove.
Similarly, such code becomes difficult to refactor or replace due to dependencies that arise over time, necessitating the maintenance of backward compatibility with the original, incomplete design.
[1] Lava flow can occur due to a variety of reasons within a software development process: Unrefined code that becomes part of the software’s infrastructure increases the complexity of the system and the codebase becomes increasingly difficult to understand and maintain.
It leads to: Development teams often experience the impact of lava flow when team members cycle in and out: Several practices can mitigate the effects of the lava flow anti-pattern: This computer science article is a stub.