Code Review Checklist

This checklist serves as a comprehensive guide for code reviews at Axioned. Following these guidelines ensures consistent code quality, maintainable codebase, and efficient collaboration across teams.

This checklist is for both the PR author and the reviewer.

We can adapt this checklist to the needs of the project or our clients.

Pull Request (PR) Standards

• Write clear, descriptive PR titles and descriptions
• Include relevant ticket/issue numbers in the title (e.g. feat: add rate limits (AX-123))
• Description should include:
  • Summary of the changes (if not obvious from the title)
  • Document any breaking changes
  • Add screenshots for UI changes (if applicable)
  • List testing steps and expected outcomes (if applicable)
  • Include notes on any required deployment steps or infrastructure changes (if applicable)

Branch Management

• Create branches from the latest main
• Use consistent branch naming: type/short-description or type/ticket-number-short-description
  • Types: feat, fix, docs, style, refactor, test, chore
• Keep branches up-to-date with main
• Delete branches after merging (configured on GitHub in the repository settings)

Commit Standards

• Write clear, descriptive commit messages.
• Use conventional commit format: type(scope): description
  • Scope is optional
  • Types: feat, fix, docs, style, refactor, test, chore
  • Examples:
    • feat: add rate limits on API endpoints
    • feat(auth): add login functionality
    • fix: handle null values in API response
    • docs: update installation instructions
    • style: improve button styling
    • refactor: extract helper functions
    • test: add test for login component
    • chore(deps): update dependencies
• Keep commits atomic and focused
• Include ticket numbers in commit messages
• Squash commits when appropriate (e.g. if there are multiple commits that don't need to be in the history)

Code Quality

• Follow project coding standards
• Use Prettier/ESLint for consistent formatting
  • Most Axioned repositories use @axioned/prettier-config.
• Remove all console.logs and debug code
• No commented-out code (use TODO: comments if needed)
• Write meaningful comments for complex logic
• All applicable projects have Typescript
• Keep functions small and focused
• Consider using JSDoc for more complex functions and classes
• Follow DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself) principle
• Write clear comments explaining business logic that isn’t self-evident
• Link to references in comments where appropriate (e.g. documentation, stackoverflow, github issues, etc.)

File Management

• Maintain proper .gitignore configuration
• Don't commit:
  • Build artifacts (dist, build)
  • Dependencies (node_modules)
  • Environment files, secret credentials or key files (e.g. .env, .key, .pem, etc.)
  • IDE/editor files (.vscode, .idea)
  • Log files
  • Cache directories

Review Process

• Keep PRs small and focused (e.g. don't mix refactoring with new features)
• Break large features into smaller PRs
• Address review comments promptly
• Ensure CI/CD checks pass (e.g. linting, tests)
• Test changes locally before requesting review
• Update documentation if needed

Security

• Don't commit sensitive data
• Review and regularly update third-party dependencies
• Validate user inputs
• Handle errors appropriately