[plicense]

I've discovered that this advice doesn't work for me because I really prefer to see the software being used in a real world scenario than in tests. This is also why I hate writing tests for something I didn't develop.

So instead, I usually try to setup the dev stack and walk through multiple use cases of the product, usually narrowed down to the area I would be working on. I would make sure my stack is so that I can iterate really really fast (I've a few quirks that I tend to use like weird aliases etc etc) and all this while also simultaneously working on small/minor bug fixes. I do this for atleast 3-4 weeks atleast, then I get a feel for the code and where things are. After that, I personally feel confident enough to take on bigger projects on that codebase.

Has worked out well for 3 large codebases at 3 different companies so far.