Magento 2 Clean Code Principles for Extension Development: Hyvä First

Magento 2 developers and agencies working with Hyvä must follow stricter clean code principles than ever before. Hyvä’s performance-focused frontend leaves no room for bloated or outdated extension logic. This guide outlines best practices for building lightweight, maintainable, and scalable Magento 2 modules that integrate seamlessly into modern Hyvä storefronts.

1. Respect Magento’s Coding Standards

Every module should strictly follow Magento 2 coding standards: PSR-12, service contracts, dependency injection, proper separation of concerns, and clean folder structure. Avoid tightly coupled logic, overuse of plugins/observers, and direct use of Object Manager. These patterns make your code predictable, testable, and upgrade-safe.

2. Hyvä = JavaScript Minimalism

Hyvä eliminates legacy JS frameworks like KnockoutJS and RequireJS. If your extension relies on them - it breaks Hyvä. Stick to Alpine.js or vanilla JS. Avoid injecting scripts globally. Keep your logic modular, scoped, and non-blocking. Any JS added by your module should load lazily and follow Hyvä component patterns.

3. Use Hyvä UI Components and Tailwind

Don’t override Hyvä templates unnecessarily. Instead, extend using Hyvä UI building blocks and follow its Tailwind-based styling conventions. This ensures visual consistency, fast rendering, and simplified theme upgrades. Extensions that rely on external CSS frameworks or hardcoded styles are guaranteed to cause conflicts or performance loss.

4. No Frontend Bloat - Ever

Don’t load libraries or assets unless absolutely necessary. Avoid inline CSS/JS. Don’t register JS modules globally. Don’t ship default .phtml files that replicate core templates. Extensions for Hyvä must respect its core principle: render only what’s needed, only when needed.

5. Performance-Safe Defaults

Default extension settings should prioritize speed. Lazy loading enabled. Debug modes off. Schema or meta tags rendered server-side. Avoid frontend mutation. This ensures good Core Web Vitals scores from the first install - especially critical in Hyvä storefronts.

6. Configuration That’s Lean and Logical

Keep admin configuration focused and purposeful. Group settings logically, provide sensible defaults, and avoid 20+ toggles for minor variations. Admin users (and developers maintaining your code) will thank you for keeping things clean.

7. Developer-Friendly Structure

Your module should be readable and intuitive: clear namespaces, well-documented service classes, meaningful file names, and consistent naming. If a dev opens your codebase, they should be able to navigate it without needing a manual. Include CLI commands if applicable, and unit tests for service logic.

8. Play Well with Other Modules

Respect Magento's event system. Don’t override core blocks unless you must. Use view models, layout XML, and declarative schema changes. Extensions should be drop-in safe - especially for Hyvä where even minor frontend conflicts can degrade the entire UX.

9. Keep Your Scope Focused

One module = one purpose. Avoid bloated “kitchen sink” extensions. Small, focused, single-responsibility modules are easier to debug, maintain, and scale. For example, if you're building a URL manager, don’t include unrelated SEO logic in the same package - keep it separate and composable.

Conclusion

Building clean, Hyvä-compatible extensions for Magento 2 in 2025 isn’t just about following code style - it’s about understanding how frontend performance, Core Web Vitals, and developer experience intersect.

At qoliber, we follow these exact principles across every module we release. Our Magento 2 extensions are built with clean architecture, Hyvä UI compatibility, and performance-first defaults - ready for dev teams who care about quality.