Code Review

Definitions

1. Code Review is the systematic examination of source code by one or more developers other than the author, aimed at finding bugs, improving code quality, ensuring consistency with coding standards, and sharing knowledge across the team. In modern workflows, code review typically happens through pull requests (or merge requests) on platforms like GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket, where reviewers comment on specific lines, request changes, and approve the code before it is merged. Effective code reviews catch logic errors, security vulnerabilities, performance issues, and readability problems that automated tools miss. Beyond bug-finding, code review serves as a knowledge transfer mechanism: reviewers learn about parts of the codebase they did not write, and authors receive feedback that improves their skills. Google's engineering research found that code review is one of the most effective practices for maintaining code quality at scale. Best practices include keeping reviews small (under 400 lines), reviewing promptly (within 24 hours), focusing on substance over style (using linters for formatting), and maintaining a constructive, respectful tone.

   In plain English: Having teammates read and check your code before it goes live, like having someone proofread an important email before you send it.

   Example: "The code review caught a SQL injection vulnerability that would have been catastrophic in production."

Related Terms

• Pull Request
• Merge Conflict
• Bug
• Tag
• Testing
• Feature Branch
• Pre-commit Hook
• Semantic Commit
• CRDTs
• Operational Transform
• Source Control
• Submodule
• Subtree
• Version Control
• Version Control System
• Version Control Culture