A closed programming question can be a signpost

Why Stack Overflow closes questions instead of answering them

Stack Overflow is built as a searchable library of solutions, not just a place to get help with a problem. That changes what counts as a useful question: it needs enough detail for other people to understand the situation and for an answer to remain useful after the original asker has moved on.

When a question is too broad, unclear, or missing key details, people may disagree about what problem it is actually asking them to solve. A question about a bug, for example, is hard to answer without the relevant code, the observed behavior, and what the asker expected instead. Closing pauses answers while the post is improved—or points the asker toward an existing question that already covers the problem.

A duplicate closure is meant to redirect, not dismiss

A duplicate is a question that has already been answered elsewhere on the site. Linking to that answer can be more useful than creating a second, scattered version of the same solution. But the match may not be obvious to a newcomer: two problems can look different on the surface while sharing the same underlying cause. If the linked answer does not address the specific case, the asker can explain what is different and revise the post.

Other closures often reflect a mismatch between the question and the site’s format. A request for a general recommendation, for instance, may not have one verifiable answer; a question missing essential details may invite incompatible guesses. Those constraints are intended to keep the archive answerable, though terse feedback can make them feel like a judgment of the person asking.

Closure can be a first step, not the last word

A closed question is not necessarily deleted or permanently rejected. The asker can edit it to clarify the problem, add a minimal example, or show what they have already tried. The revised version may then be considered for reopening.

For a junior developer, the useful distinction is between “this is a bad question” and “this post does not yet give strangers enough to answer reliably.” Closure may be frustrating, but its practical purpose is to make the problem legible to people who cannot see the asker’s screen, codebase, or assumptions.