What are the best practices for preventing reintroduction of bugs into your codebase?
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Bugs are inevitable in software development, but they can be costly and frustrating to fix, especially if they reappear after being resolved. How can you prevent reintroduction of bugs into your codebase and ensure that your software meets quality standards and user expectations? Here are some best practices that can help you avoid this common problem.
Version control is a system that tracks and manages changes to your codebase over time. It allows you to create, merge, and revert branches, compare and review code, and collaborate with other developers. By using version control, you can avoid overwriting or losing code, resolve conflicts, and restore previous versions if something goes wrong. You can also use version control to tag and document your releases, so you know which version of your code is deployed and tested.
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Nick Romanishyn
Software Developer @ OTC FLOW | Problem solver I React, TypeScript, Mendix
Version control isn’t just a safety net, it's a time machine. It’s saved me when I’ve merged a bug into production. Git lets me revert to the last known 'good state' with ease, making it simple to track changes and avoid the déjà vu of recurring bugs.
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Sandeep Gokhale
Entrepreneur, Founder, Mentor. Also runs a Registered NGO.
A skill every engineer should have is knowing "how to properly use version control". This becomes crucial when working in a team set up with folks across the globe. The worse thing that can happen is, a recurring bug. It's never a good feeling where the last code push you did missed the changes by your team which had critical bug fixes. The simplest way to overcome this is by having a good technical process. - Ensure your code changes are made on top of the latest/greatest code. - Use git commands to understand where you branch stands with respect to its base. - Test thoroughly and ensure everything is working as desired.
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Automated tests are scripts that run your code and check if it produces the expected output or behavior. They can help you detect and fix bugs before they reach production, and also verify that your code meets the requirements and specifications. You can write different types of automated tests, such as unit tests, integration tests, and end-to-end tests, depending on the level and scope of your code. You can also use test frameworks and tools to run your tests, generate reports, and measure coverage.
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Nick Romanishyn
Software Developer @ OTC FLOW | Problem solver I React, TypeScript, Mendix
Automated tests are my silent guardians. Once, a single line of code passed through manual testing but broke in production. Now, I pen tests for every feature, and they catch regressions before deployment. It's not just about catching bugs - it's about peace of mind.
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Mhamad El-Itawi
Senior Software Engineer|MBA|x2 K8S|x3 AWS & Community Builder|PSM|Tech Lead
I remember when i read a book about "working with legacy code" a definition that shock me: A legacy code is a code with no automated test. He was simply right. Because these tests will make sure that all business requirements, and conditions are covered. it will never become legacy. In addition to that it will allow you to add features safely
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Code reviews are the process of examining and evaluating your code by yourself or by other developers. They can help you improve your code quality, readability, and maintainability, as well as identify and eliminate bugs, errors, and vulnerabilities. You can implement code reviews by using tools and platforms that allow you to comment, suggest, and approve changes to your code, such as GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket. You can also follow some best practices for code reviews, such as defining clear goals and standards, providing constructive feedback, and resolving issues promptly.
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Kornel Dubieniecki
Technical Lead at Macromo 🧬 | Let’s learn Tech & DNA together! 🚀
Implement code reviews to enhance your code's quality and security. - Objective: Improve code standards, readability, and maintainability. - Detection: Identify bugs, errors, and security loopholes. - Tools: Utilize platforms like GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket for peer reviews. - Practices: Establish explicit review criteria and encourage constructive feedback. - Resolution: Address feedback and resolve issues efficiently. Effective code reviews are integral for maintaining high-quality, secure codebases.
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Nick Romanishyn
Software Developer @ OTC FLOW | Problem solver I React, TypeScript, Mendix
Code reviews are not just about finding bugs - they’re about learning and growth. I've made it a practice to review every pull request, no matter how small. It turns out, the devil is in the details. This habit not only catches issues early but also fosters a culture of collective code ownership.
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Bug tracking tools are applications that help you record, manage, and resolve bugs in your software. They allow you to create, assign, and prioritize bug tickets, track their status and progress, and communicate with your team and stakeholders. By using bug tracking tools, you can organize and document your bug fixing process, avoid duplication and confusion, and ensure accountability and transparency. Some examples of bug tracking tools are Jira, Bugzilla, or Trello.
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Jon Peck
Senior Director of Engineering at Insider, Inc.
A bug is a mistake in code that leads to unexpected behavior. Bugs result from coding errors like typos, logic problems, or incorrect assumptions. For example, a bug could be caused by a developer accidentally using the wrong variable name, which leads to incorrect calculations. A defect is when the software deviates from the intended requirements or specifications. Even if the code is free of bugs, it may still contain defects if it fails to meet the specifications fully. For example, a form that is supposed only to accept phone numbers but also allows email addresses would be considered a defect, even if the code contains no bugs.
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Fotie M. Constant
Software Engineer I Front-End Developer I JavaScript Engineer and Mentor I Open source Enthusiast
In addition to this, another great way is to follow a bug tracking circle, A bug lifecycle is a series of stages that a bug goes through from the moment it is reported until it is resolved. It can help you track and manage the progress and status of your bug fixing process, as well as communicate with your team and stakeholders. You should follow a bug lifecycle that suits your project and workflow, such as open, assigned, fixed, tested, verified, closed, or reopened.
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Refactoring is the process of improving your code without changing its functionality. It can help you make your code more readable, understandable, and reusable, as well as reduce complexity and redundancy. By refactoring your code, you can also prevent or fix bugs that are caused by poor design, bad practices, or technical debt. You can refactor your code by applying some common techniques, such as renaming variables, extracting methods, or simplifying conditions.
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Raviraj Achar
Staff Software Engineer at Meta | Writing the "Techlead mentor" newsletter
I would rephrase it to say - Simplify your code. That makes it easy for other engineers to update it and avoid introducing bugs. Code simplification could mean - introducing the right abstraction and sometimes removing unnecessary layers. Another side benefit is this helps making your code testable, thereby reducing the chances of bugs.
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Anjali Reddy
Advanced CS Master's candidate at Northumbria University | Ex-TCS Software Developer | Author x2 | Udemy Instructor | Content Creator | Ployglot
Based on my experience, I always make an effort to incorporate refactoring in all of my development projects. This practice helps me to analyze and modify the code, while also ensuring that I avoid any trivial errors that may lead to a bug. I believe that it is a good practice to assign meaningful names and provide comments wherever necessary, as it can enhance the readability and maintainability of the code.
Learning from your bugs is the process of analyzing and understanding the root causes and consequences of your bugs, and applying the lessons learned to prevent them from happening again. It can help you improve your skills, knowledge, and processes, as well as avoid repeating the same mistakes or introducing new ones. You can learn from your bugs by using some methods, such as post-mortem reviews, root cause analysis, or feedback loops.
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Raviraj Achar
Staff Software Engineer at Meta | Writing the "Techlead mentor" newsletter
Past issues are best way to learn what you missed and how you can prevent them. A thorough post-mortem will tell you what kind of tests to add, how to detect the issue before it goes to production, how to mitigate if it actually were to happen and what process change you need to make to avoid occurrences of such issues. Even better post-mortem will prevent broader categories of such issues.
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Meennu Jaiswal ⚡
Java Architect | Backend Development Trainer | Spring | Microservices | AWS | Helping Software engineers become experts in Java to enhance their work and upskill in the right direction through learn, do and teach model.
Most of the time software developers fail to understand or do not understand the business behind the implementations entirely. So before starting to code, it is necessary to understand the requirements and their business impact. This will help us consider all scenarios, code appropriately and reduce the chance of bugs to a great extent.
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Amir Boroumand
Principal Software Engineer | Java | React | AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional
The most effective way to avoid recurring bugs is to write automated tests. This will allow your team to know early in development cycle if a change has re-introduced the issue.
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