Source Code Review Best Practices in Fintech Projects

Source code review is a practice that every software testing company must do. It helps you find weaknesses in the software development process, leading to effective solutions. Searching through the lines of code can be pretty challenging, though. For this reason, newer software testers and developers might find it difficult to proceed. 

With the right practices, source code review can give you the skills you need to navigate the software development process. This article will tell you why source code reviews are essential and what the best practices are in fintech projects. 

What Is Source Code Review?

Source code reviews in quality assurance are processes that involve looking at the existing code and uncovering flaws that grey-box and black-box testing can’t find. 

Locating these weaknesses in the source code of your software helps correct them, making the program safer. Some of the most common coding flaws discovered through source code review include SQL injection, buffer overflows, and cross-site scripting. 

An app’s source code is carefully analyzed by trained security professionals. Anything that they discover will be documented. The experts will then offer advice on how to solve these problems.

What Are the Benefits of Source Code Review in a Test Automation Company?

At first, you might find it hard to comprehend why source code review is essential. However, it is important to understand why this process can’t miss from a development team’s arsenal. It plays a huge role in keeping software safe and secure. 

Let’s take a look at some reasons why software development teams must take advantage of source code review:

• It Helps Find Vulnerabilities More Easily

Vulnerabilities in software could be very risky. If they are not solved on time, hackers could easily take advantage of them. 

With source code review, teams can locate these weaknesses and solve them before they affect the product. Experts use code analysis tools to perform security checks, strengthening the safety of any app. 

• Code Is Improved

Code must meet certain quality standards, depending on the program you’re working on. With source code reviews, you can ensure that all code meets the regulations. 

What’s good about these reviews is that they are able to identify any vulnerabilities before they develop. This prevents them from getting worse and making the project unusable. 

• It Is Easier to Comply with Industry Standards

In software development, it is critical to follow industry standards. With source code reviews, this is much easier to achieve. This is why teams regularly perform these reviews to keep their projects compliant. 

• The Process Is Cost-Effective

Software developers always worry that the processes they implement might cost too much money without delivering the expected results. With source code review, you can solve this problem. 

This tactic is cost-effective. It ensures code security and quality by detecting potential issues early in the development process. This way, load testing services can save money by preventing problems rather than having to fix them.

• More Productivity Is Ensured

With code reviews, developers can boost their coding skills. This leads to error prevention and better code. Moreover, source code reviews can improve communication between testers and developers, which is crucial for high-quality coding. 

Best Source Code Review Practices for Fintech Projects

Doing regular source code reviews is important during the software development stage. If you work with application testing services, then these reviews are a must. 

Here are some of the best practices you and your team should keep in mind during these reviews:

1. Collaborate with Experts

A source code review should always be performed by experts. Yes, it is a necessary step, but it must also be conducted by someone who knows the ins and outs of this practice. Otherwise, the results will be inconclusive.

A specialist will know the required frameworks, technology, and programming language necessary for a top-notch review. 

This way, it is much easier to identify any weaknesses, errors, and code optimization opportunities. In the end, reviewers can leave feedback for better coding. 

2. Establish Clear Objectives

Before starting your source code review process, you must set clear objectives. Defining the goal of your code review is one of them. Think about what you want to achieve with this review and if you should conduct one or more tests. Then, you will be able to pick the right strategies and tools to reach those goals. 

3. Offer Constructive Feedback

One thing that has a high potential to lead to better results is constructive feedback. This should be offered not only during the program development process but also during the code review. 

Remember that feedback should be very specific and constructive. Through it, developers must learn how to improve their coding tactics. This is a sure way to significantly boost software quality and avoid bugs in the future. 

4. Consider the Peer Review Process

To find bugs and issues very early in the program development cycle, many companies rely on the peer review process. 

This method involves using a developer to review the code of a different developer on the team. It brings a fresh perspective to the project. It also adds new skills to the mix. Moreover, this helps identify problems much earlier when they are easier to fix. Eventually, this improves developer productivity. 

5. Take Advantage of Code Analysis Programs

Code analysis tools can be of great help when you are trying to do a source code review. Many of these tools are automated, so it is a no-brainer for them to find things like common code problems. 

Anything like complex code, security threats, and maintenance issues will be detected on the spot. With the help of code analysis programs, a team can find errors that the human eye will hardly observe. 

What to Do If You Find Problems During Source Code Reviews

After you use different tools and test automation services and find various bugs in your code, it is time to act. It’s not uncommon to find issues, especially when you have a young team that is still learning. 

Here is what you can do once your source code reviews find any problems:

1. Tell your team members about it so you can start taking action. Notifying the employees allows them to understand how serious the problem is. This way, they can analyze the situation and look for solutions. They should also take the feedback into account and implement it. 
2. Prioritize the right problems. Some issues are more severe than others and must be taken care of accordingly. This way, you immediately get rid of the bigger threats that could jeopardize the project. 
3. Find the best solution. Consult your team and choose the ideal response to the issues discovered. 
4. Initiate the solution and test it to see if it will lead to the desired results. 
5. Document your fix. This helps keep track of changes and will let team members act more quickly when a similar issue occurs. 

The Bottom Line

Source code review is a must if you want to keep your code impeccable and avoid software issues. So, next time you are writing new code, make sure to implement a review process. This will help identify potential problems early in the development stage. This way, you can fix them before they wreak havoc on your project