Code Review and Best Practices Flashcards
What is code review, and why is it important?
Code review is the process of systematically examining code to identify and fix issues, ensure quality, and share knowledge among team members.
Name some benefits of performing regular code reviews.
Improved code quality, knowledge sharing, catching bugs early, consistent coding standards, and fostering collaboration.
Explain the “Single Responsibility Principle” and why it’s important.
The SRP states that a class or module should have only one reason to change. This promotes maintainability and reduces the impact of changes.
What is the “Don’t Repeat Yourself” (DRY) principle?
DRY emphasizes not duplicating code in a codebase to avoid maintenance challenges and ensure consistency.
How can you ensure consistent coding style within a development team?
By using coding guidelines, style analyzers, and tools like EditorConfig.
Why is it important to handle exceptions appropriately in your code?
Proper exception handling enhances the robustness of your application and improves error reporting
What is the purpose of using version control systems like Git in code development?
Version control enables tracking changes, collaboration, and reverting to previous states.
How do you handle sensitive data like connection strings and API keys in your application?
Store sensitive data in environment variables or configuration files outside the source code.
Explain the concept of “Code Smells.” Provide examples.
Code smells are indicators of poor code quality. Examples include long methods, excessive parameters, and duplicated code.
What is the SOLID principle? Briefly explain each letter.
SOLID is an acronym for Single Responsibility, Open-Closed, Liskov Substitution, Interface Segregation, and Dependency Inversion principles.
Define refactoring. Why is it important?
Refactoring is the process of restructuring existing code without changing its external behavior. It improves code readability and maintainability.
Give an example of a scenario where refactoring is needed.
An example could be splitting a monolithic method into smaller, more focused methods to enhance readability and reusability.
What is the difference between “Extract Method” and “Extract Class” refactoring?
“Extract Method” involves breaking a portion of code into a new method, while “Extract Class” moves a group of related methods and fields into a new class.
When refactoring, what role do unit tests play?
Unit tests help ensure that code changes made during refactoring do not introduce bugs or break existing functionality.
Explain the concept of “code smell” and how it relates to refactoring.
Code smells are indications of problematic code that might require refactoring to improve its quality and maintainability.
What is the purpose of using design patterns during refactoring?
Design patterns provide proven solutions to common design problems and can guide refactoring efforts to achieve cleaner and more maintainable code.
Give an example of the “Replace Magic Number with Symbolic Constant” refactoring.
Replacing a literal value (magic number) in code with a named constant to improve code readability and maintainability.
How can you ensure that refactoring doesn’t introduce new bugs?
Thorough testing, including running unit tests and performing manual testing, can help identify issues introduced during refactoring.
Explain the “Rename Method” refactoring and why it’s important.
Renaming a method to better reflect its purpose improves code readability and can clarify its usage for other developers.
What steps would you take before starting a large-scale refactoring of a codebase?
Understand the existing code, document the goals of the refactoring, and ensure you have proper tests in place.
Why is maintainability important for a software application?
Maintainability ensures that the codebase remains easy to understand, modify, and extend as the project evolves.
Explain the concept of “Technical Debt” and how it affects maintainability.
Technical debt refers to the cost of taking shortcuts or making compromises in code quality, which can lead to difficulties in maintaining or enhancing the codebase over time.
What practices can help reduce technical debt in a software project?
Regular refactoring, writing clean code, and addressing code smells promptly can help minimize technical debt.
Name some tools or techniques that can aid in measuring code maintainability.
Static code analysis tools, code metrics, and code review processes can help assess and improve code maintainability.
Explain the N+1 query problem in database access. How can you mitigate it?
The N+1 query problem occurs when an application issues N+1 queries to retrieve related data. It can be mitigated using techniques like eager loading or using joins.
What is lazy loading, and how can it impact application performance?
Lazy loading is a technique where data is loaded only when it’s accessed. It can improve performance by reducing initial load times but might introduce additional queries
How can caching be used to improve application performance?
Caching involves storing frequently used data in memory to avoid repetitive calculations or database queries, leading to faster response times.
Explain the importance of indexing in database optimization.
Indexes speed up database query performance by allowing the database engine to quickly locate the rows that satisfy a query’s conditions.
What is connection pooling, and how does it benefit application performance?
Connection pooling reuses database connections, reducing the overhead of creating and closing connections for every database interaction.
Describe the differences between synchronous and asynchronous programming in terms of performance.
Synchronous programming blocks the execution until a task is completed, potentially causing performance bottlenecks. Asynchronous programming allows tasks to execute concurrently, improving responsiveness.
