Code review

Code Review Guidelines

Standards for reviewing code across all projects.

What We Review

• Readability — Is the code clear and understandable?
• Correctness — Does it do what it's supposed to do?
• Performance — Any obvious inefficiencies?
• Security — Vulnerabilities or risky patterns?
• Tests — Adequate coverage for changes?

Code Clarity

Good Code

• Descriptive variable names
• Functions do one thing
• Comments explain "why", not "what"
• Consistent formatting

Common Issues

Issue	Example	Fix
Unclear names	x = y + z	totalPrice = itemCost + tax
Deep nesting	5+ levels of if	Extract functions, use guards
Magic numbers	if (age > 18)	const ADULT_AGE = 18
Long functions	100+ line function	Break into smaller functions
Missing tests	Critical logic without tests	Add comprehensive tests

Performance Red Flags

• N+1 queries (loop with DB calls inside)
• Unnecessary data copies in loops
• Blocking operations on main thread
• Regular expressions without optimization

Security Checklist

• Input validation on user data
• No hardcoded secrets
• SQL queries use parameterized queries
• Auth/authorization checks present
• Error messages don't leak sensitive info
• Dependencies checked for vulnerabilities

Approval Criteria

Approve when:

• ✅ Code meets standards
• ✅ Tests are adequate
• ✅ No security issues
• ✅ Performance acceptable
• ✅ Documentation clear

Request changes when:

• ❌ Readability concerns
• ❌ Missing tests
• ❌ Security issues
• ❌ Performance degradation
• ❌ Breaking changes undocumented