The Art of Code Review

Building better software through thoughtful and constructive code reviews.

Code review is one of those things every dev talks about but very few actually do well. Most teams treat it like a rubber stamp. "Looks good," "Ship it," click approve, and move on. But if that’s all you’re doing, you’re leaving a massive amount of value on the table. Done right, code review is less about nitpicking semicolons and more about building better engineers and better systems.

Why Code Review Matters

Think about it. Every pull request is a conversation. Not just about the code, it’s about how we think, how we design, and how we communicate. A code review is where we transmit culture. It’s where we make sure the way we build today won’t bite us six months down the road.

A good review helps you:

Catch issues early before they turn into production incidents.
Spread knowledge across the team (because nobody should be the “only person who knows X”).
Grow engineers, junior or senior, by exposing them to different approaches.
Build trust, because clean, thoughtful feedback makes everyone feel their work is respected.

It’s not about "you wrote bad code" it’s "let’s raise the bar together."

The Pitfalls of Bad Code Reviews

Let’s be real. Most code reviews suck. Here’s why:

Nitpicking the trivial – Arguing about variable names instead of discussing architecture. If your team is wasting brainpower on tabs vs spaces, you’re doing it wrong. Automate style checks and move on.
Drive-by approvals – That quick thumbs-up with zero context? Useless. If you didn’t read the code, don’t pretend you did.
Gatekeeping vibes – Reviews that feel like a wall instead of a bridge. If your feedback kills momentum or makes devs afraid to push changes, you’re burning morale.
The “senior knows best” trap – Seniors swoop in and rewrite PRs in their own style, instead of teaching or collaborating. That’s not leadership, that’s ego.

What Great Code Review Looks Like

So what does artful code review look like? It’s a mix of mindset and mechanics.

Be clear on intent – Start by asking: what problem is this code solving? Before you review the "how," align on the "why."
Focus on the important stuff – Architecture, maintainability, performance, correctness. Leave formatting to linters.
Ask questions, don’t dictate – “Could we make this more testable by…” lands better than “Do it my way.”
Think about the future – How will this code age? Will the next dev understand it, extend it, or curse your name?
Be kind, be concise – Feedback is not a personality test. Attack the code, not the coder.

Code Review as a Growth Engine

Here’s the secret: the best code reviews aren’t even about the code. They’re about leveling up people.

When you review code thoughtfully, you’re teaching patterns, surfacing tradeoffs, and making invisible knowledge visible. Over time, the whole team levels up. That’s the real ROI. Not fewer bugs, but better engineers.

And guess what? Better engineers build better systems. That’s the flywheel.

Wrapping Up

The art of code review is about treating every pull request as an opportunity. Not just to catch bugs, but to shape culture, sharpen skills, and build software we can actually be proud of.

So next time you hit that "Review changes" button, don’t think of it as a chore. Think of it as one of the most powerful tools you have for building a great engineering team.

Code review isn’t bureaucracy. It’s craft.