Skip to main content

Code Reviews

This document describes our best practices for leaving effective code reviews.

info

This content is recommended.

Rationale

Code reviews are a crucial part of the development workflow. They ensure code quality, promote knowledge sharing, and improve team collaboration. Adhering to these best practices will make code reviews more effective and efficient.

Checklist

Clarity

✔️ The code makes sense
✔️ The code is succinct and clear

Simplicity

✔️ The code uses the simplest approach possible
✔️ Complicated algorithms are avoided
✔️ Simpler packages or libraries are used

Testing

✔️ The code has sufficient test coverage
✔️ All edge cases are covered

Bugs

✔️ Bugs or issues are identified ahead of time

Logging/Monitoring/Errors

✔️ There is sufficient logging to debug issues
✔️ Errors are handled appropriately

Other things to Consider

Formatting

✔️ Formatting issues are handled by prettier/eslint and addressed by automated checks
✔️ Formatting issues indicate that prettier/eslint needs a config update

Spelling Mistakes

✔️ Spelling mistakes are handled by plugins, but not everyone has them installed
✔️ Fixing spelling mistakes avoids confusion down the line

Documentation / Comments

✔️ Documentation and comments are present where appropriate and useful

Respectfulness

✔️ Be respectful
✔️ Ask questions or provide suggestions, avoid demands
✔️ Don't use aggressive or insulting language
✔️ If feedback threads go on for too long, take things offline by setting up a meeting or talking on Slack/Teams

Reasoning

✔️ Provide reasoning
✔️ Link to sources on why a change might be appropriate

Timelines

✔️ Consider timelines
✔️ Don't add requirements that aren't part of the acceptance criteria

References & Further Reading