What is Code Review

Code review is a structured process of inspecting source code that is performed by team members before integrating changes into the main project. This practice is aimed at ensuring high software quality, increasing the reliability and security of the program through thorough analysis, exchange of experience, and finding errors.

Contents:

• What is Done During Code Review
• Stages of Code Review
• Why Code Review is Necessary
• When Not to Conduct It
• How to Organize Code Inspection
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What is Done During Code Review

During a code review, developers analyze the written code by examining its structure and compliance with development standards. Reviewers look for errors and shortcomings and leave comments and suggestions for improvement, which helps not only in finding errors but also in facilitating an exchange of experience within the team. This approach allows for:

• Finding errors. A reviewer may identify bugs or logical mistakes that the author overlooked.
• Helping to improve code quality. Comments and suggestions help in making changes that increase the stability of the software.
• Ensuring a unified standard. Through collective review, all team members adhere to the same development approach, which improves the readability and maintainability of the code.
• Exchanging experience. The review process fosters an exchange of knowledge and experience, which is beneficial for both junior and senior developers.

Stages of Code Review

The code review process is divided into several stages:

1. Preparation Stage. The author completes the development of a feature, performs local testing and analysis, and then submits the changes (for example, via a Merge Request or Pull Request) for inspection.
2. Assignment of Reviewers. Specialists with the necessary experience are chosen from the team to perform the review.
3. Conducting the Review. Reviewers analyze the source code, checking its compliance with standards, examining its structure and functionality, and looking for errors. During the review, they leave comments, suggestions, and questions.
4. Making Changes. The code author makes the required modifications based on the received comments and resubmits the code for another review if necessary.
5. Final Approval. Once all critical remarks are addressed, the code is considered ready for integration into the main project.

Why Code Review is Necessary

Code review is essential for ensuring high code quality. This process allows for:

• Improving code quality. By detecting errors and making improvements, code review contributes to increasing the reliability of the software.
• Ensuring security. Code analysis helps in finding potential vulnerabilities and preventing them.
• Enhancing the development process. Regular reviews optimize development, reducing technical debt.
• Facilitating the exchange of experience and knowledge. Code review promotes the sharing of experience within the team, which helps in learning and implementing best practices.
• Ensuring compliance with standards. Every change is reviewed for conformity with project requirements, which maintains a unified code style.



When Not to Perform Code Review

Although code review is a critical stage of development, there are cases when it might be unnecessary or counterproductive:

• If the changes are minor and the review might take more time than simply fixing an error.
• When the project uses automated tools for style checking and static analysis, which can automatically find many errors.
• If the team uses pair programming, where the review happens in real-time and an additional review might slow down the process.
• In cases where the project is very small and all team members have a similar level of experience, reducing the risk of errors without extra review.

How to Organize Code Inspection

To effectively organize code inspection, it is important to set up a process that allows thorough analysis of the software product, facilitates the exchange of experience, and maintains a high standard of development:

• Define the process structure. Develop clear standards and guidelines for code review that every team member will use.
• Select the right tools. Utilize specialized platforms (such as GitHub, GitLab, Upsource, or Bitbucket) that help automate many stages of the analysis and ease the review process.
• Distribute the workload evenly. Assign reviewers from different parts of the team to prevent overloading the same specialists.
• Conduct regular training. Continuous exchange of experience and discussion of comments help improve code quality and refine development approaches.
• Focus on code quality. The main focus should be on detecting errors and enhancing the software's structure, rather than on minor issues that can be fixed automatically.
• Ensure constructive feedback. Reviewers should provide specific comments and suggestions that allow for improvements and modifications according to best practices.

Thus, a well-organized code review process not only helps in finding errors and improving code quality but also facilitates an exchange of experience within the team, ultimately increasing the efficiency of software development.

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