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A '''big ball of mud''' is a [[software system]] that lacks a perceivable [[software architecture]].

== Description ==

Although undesirable from a software engineering point of view, such systems are common in practice due to business pressures, developer turnover, and [[software entropy]].

They are a type of [[design anti-pattern]].

[[Joel Moses]] has been credited with coining the phrase in the 1970s.

== See also ==

* [[Design pattern]]
* [[Software entroph]]
* [[Software architecture]]
* [[Software system]]
* [[Spaghetti code]]
* [[Technical debt]]

== External links ==

* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_ball_of_mud Big ball of mud] @ Wikipedia



[[Category:Anti-patterns]]
[[Category:Software engineering terminology]]