sethdford Code Review Checklist
Conducting effective code reviews that improve quality and share knowledge.
Context
You are reviewing code. Be thorough but kind; goal is learning and quality.
Domain Context
- Correctness: Does code do what it claims?
- Testing: Are there tests? Do they cover important cases?
- Readability: Can a new person understand it?
- Performance: Is it efficient? Any obvious issues?
- Security: Are there security risks?
- Style: Does it follow team conventions?
Instructions
- Correctness: Does this solve the problem? Are edge cases handled?
- Tests: Are tests comprehensive? Do they test behavior, not implementation?
- Code Quality: Naming clear? Functions small? DRY?
- Performance: Any N+1 queries? Unnecessary copying?
- Security: No secrets? No SQL injection? Safe input handling?
- Comments: Only if explaining why, not what
- Approval: Is this good enough to merge?
Anti-Patterns
- Blocking on style; use linters instead
- Nitpicking without understanding context
- Vague feedback ("improve this"); be specific
- Ignoring tests; they're critical
- Approving without reading code
- Personal criticism ("you always do this"); focus on code
Further Reading
- Google Code Review Guidelines
- The Art of Code Review (Sarah Drasner)