Code Review Automation Standards

This document defines Bayat's standards for automating and enhancing the code review process, increasing efficiency while maintaining high code quality.

Introduction

Code review is a critical quality control process that benefits from selective automation. This document outlines standards for implementing code review automation that strikes the right balance between automated and human review.

Goals of Code Review Automation

Increase Efficiency: Automate repetitive checks to let reviewers focus on architectural and logical considerations
Improve Consistency: Apply uniform standards across all code reviews
Accelerate Feedback: Provide immediate feedback on common issues
Prevent Regressions: Automatically enforce quality standards
Support Knowledge Sharing: Surface insights that help developers learn

Principles for Automation

Automate the Objective: Focus automation on checks with clear pass/fail criteria
Preserve Human Judgment: Leave subjective aspects of review to human reviewers
Progressive Enhancement: Start with essential checks and add more sophistication over time
Team Customization: Allow teams to customize rules based on project-specific needs
Transparency: Make all automated rules and their justifications visible to all developers

Automated Checks

The following categories of checks should be automated in all projects:

Code Style and Formatting

Formatting Validation:
- Enforce consistent indentation, spacing, and line length
- Validate against style guides (e.g., Airbnb for JavaScript)
- Ensure code is formatted according to project standards
Implementation:
- Use Prettier or equivalent formatters
- Configure format-on-save in editors when possible
- Run format checks in CI/CD pipeline

Example pre-commit hook configuration:

// .husky/pre-commit
{
  "hooks": {
    "pre-commit": "lint-staged"
  }
}

// package.json
{
  "lint-staged": {
    "*.{js,jsx,ts,tsx}": ["prettier --write", "eslint --fix"],
    "*.{css,scss}": ["prettier --write", "stylelint --fix"],
    "*.{json,md}": ["prettier --write"]
  }
}

Code Quality

Linting Standards:
- Configure appropriate linters for language/framework
- Enforce naming conventions
- Identify code smells and anti-patterns
Implementation:
- Use ESLint for JavaScript/TypeScript
- Use language-specific linters (e.g., Rubocop for Ruby)
- Configure CI to fail on linting errors

Example ESLint configuration:

// .eslintrc.js
module.exports = {
  extends: [
    "eslint:recommended",
    "plugin:@typescript-eslint/recommended",
    "plugin:react/recommended",
    "plugin:react-hooks/recommended"
  ],
  rules: {
    "complexity": ["error", { max: 15 }],
    "max-depth": ["error", { max: 4 }],
    "max-lines-per-function": ["warn", { max: 50 }],
    "no-duplicate-imports": "error"
  }
};

Test Coverage

Coverage Requirements:
- Enforce minimum test coverage thresholds
- Require tests for new functionality
- Flag decreased coverage in pull requests
Implementation:
- Use coverage tools (Jest, Codecov, etc.)
- Configure CI to report coverage metrics
- Compare coverage between branches

Example Jest coverage configuration:

// jest.config.js
module.exports = {
  coverageThreshold: {
    global: {
      branches: 80,
      functions: 80,
      lines: 80,
      statements: 80
    }
  },
  collectCoverageFrom: [
    "src/**/*.{js,jsx,ts,tsx}",
    "!src/**/*.d.ts",
    "!src/test/**",
    "!src/index.tsx"
  ]
};

Static Analysis Integration

Code Quality Tools

Complexity Analysis:
- Configure cyclomatic complexity limits
- Set maximum function/method length
- Identify deeply nested code
Duplication Detection:
- Flag duplicate code blocks
- Report excessive similarity between files
- Suggest refactoring opportunities
Implementation:
- Integrate SonarQube/SonarCloud
- Configure code climate
- Set up analysis in CI/CD pipeline

Example SonarQube configuration:

# sonar-project.properties
sonar.projectKey=org.example:my-project
sonar.projectName=My Project
sonar.sources=src
sonar.tests=test
sonar.coverage.exclusions=**/*.test.js,**/*.spec.js
sonar.javascript.lcov.reportPaths=coverage/lcov.info

# Quality gates
sonar.qualitygate.wait=true

Dependency Analysis

Version Monitoring:
- Detect outdated dependencies
- Identify security vulnerabilities
- Flag breaking changes in dependencies
License Compliance:
- Validate dependency licenses against allowlist
- Flag non-compliant licenses
- Ensure license compatibility
Implementation:
- Integrate Dependabot or equivalent
- Use OWASP Dependency Check
- Configure license scanning

Example Dependabot configuration:

# .github/dependabot.yml
version: 2
updates:
  - package-ecosystem: "npm"
    directory: "/"
    schedule:
      interval: "weekly"
    open-pull-requests-limit: 10
    labels:
      - "dependencies"
    ignore:
      - dependency-name: "lodash"
        versions: ["4.x"]

  - package-ecosystem: "docker"
    directory: "/"
    schedule:
      interval: "monthly"

Code Review Bot Configuration

Platform Integration

GitHub Integration:
- Configure GitHub Actions for CI/CD
- Set up required status checks
- Configure branch protection rules
GitLab Integration:
- Configure GitLab CI/CD
- Set up merge request approval rules
- Configure branch protection
Bitbucket Integration:
- Configure Bitbucket Pipelines
- Set up code insights
- Configure branch restrictions

Example GitHub branch protection configuration:

# .github/workflows/branch-protection.yml
name: Branch Protection

on:
  push:
    branches:
      - main
      - develop

jobs:
  protect:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/github-script@v5
        with:
          github-token: ${{ secrets.ADMIN_TOKEN }}
          script: |
            github.repos.updateBranchProtection({
              owner: context.repo.owner,
              repo: context.repo.repo,
              branch: 'main',
              required_status_checks: {
                strict: true,
                contexts: ['build', 'test', 'lint', 'security-scan']
              },
              enforce_admins: true,
              required_pull_request_reviews: {
                dismissal_restrictions: {},
                dismiss_stale_reviews: true,
                require_code_owner_reviews: true,
                required_approving_review_count: 1
              },
              restrictions: null
            })

Comment Automation

Automated Comments:
- Configure bots to comment on specific issues
- Provide resolution suggestions for common problems
- Format comments consistently
Custom Reviewers:
- Assign specific reviewers based on file types
- Balance review workload across team
- Suggest reviewers based on expertise

Example CODEOWNERS file:

# CODEOWNERS file
# Assign frontend team to review frontend code
/src/components/ @frontend-team
/src/pages/ @frontend-team

# Assign backend team to review backend code
/server/ @backend-team
/database/ @backend-team @dba-team

# Assign security team to review security-related code
/src/auth/ @security-team

Metrics and Standards

Quality Metrics

Code Quality Metrics:
- Maintainability Index
- Cyclomatic Complexity
- Technical Debt Ratio
- Comment Density
Process Metrics:
- Time to First Review
- Review Cycle Time
- Review Throughput
- Defect Detection Rate
Implementation:
- Collect metrics automatically
- Generate trend reports
- Set improvement targets

Example quality metrics dashboard configuration:

# .github/workflows/quality-metrics.yml
name: Quality Metrics

on:
  schedule:
    - cron: '0 0 * * 1' # Weekly on Monday
  workflow_dispatch:

jobs:
  metrics:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v2
      - name: Generate metrics report
        run: |
          npm install -g code-quality-metrics
          generate-metrics --output metrics-report.json
      - name: Upload metrics
        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v2
        with:
          name: quality-metrics
          path: metrics-report.json

Standards Enforcement

Required Checks:
- Define mandatory checks that must pass
- Set required approvals count
- Configure required code owner approvals
Warning Levels:
- Define severity levels for issues
- Configure which levels block merging
- Set thresholds for each level

Example configuration for required checks:

# .github/workflows/required-checks.yml
name: Required Checks

on:
  pull_request:
    branches:
      - main
      - develop

jobs:
  lint:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v2
      - name: Lint Code
        run: npm run lint

  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v2
      - name: Run Tests
        run: npm test

  security:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v2
      - name: Security Scan
        run: npm run security-scan

Workflow Integration

PR Templates

Standardized Templates:
- Create templates for different PR types
- Include sections for context, changes, testing
- Provide checklists for common requirements
Implementation:
- Configure PR templates in repository
- Validate PR descriptions against template
- Provide feedback on incomplete PRs

Example PR template:

<!-- .github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md -->
## Description
<!-- Describe the changes in this PR -->

## Type of Change
- [ ] Bug fix
- [ ] New feature
- [ ] Breaking change
- [ ] Documentation update

## How Has This Been Tested?
<!-- Describe the tests you ran -->
- [ ] Unit tests
- [ ] Integration tests
- [ ] Manual testing

## Checklist
- [ ] My code follows the style guidelines
- [ ] I have performed a self-review
- [ ] I have added tests that prove my fix/feature works
- [ ] New and existing tests pass
- [ ] My changes generate no new warnings

CI/CD Integration

Pipeline Configuration:
- Run automated checks in CI pipeline
- Block PRs that fail critical checks
- Provide detailed error reports
Review Stages:
- Configure review stages in pipeline
- Perform checks in parallel when possible
- Prioritize fast-failing checks

Example GitHub Actions workflow:

# .github/workflows/code-review.yml
name: Code Review

on:
  pull_request:
    branches: [ main ]

jobs:
  formatting:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v2
      - name: Check Formatting
        run: npm run format:check

  linting:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v2
      - name: Run Linters
        run: npm run lint

  testing:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v2
      - name: Run Tests
        run: npm test

  static-analysis:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v2
      - name: Run Static Analysis
        run: npm run analyze

  summary:
    needs: [formatting, linting, testing, static-analysis]
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Generate Review Summary
        run: |
          echo "## Automated Review Summary" > summary.md
          echo "All checks passed!" >> summary.md
      - name: Comment PR
        uses: actions/github-script@v5
        with:
          script: |
            const fs = require('fs');
            const summary = fs.readFileSync('summary.md', 'utf8');
            github.rest.issues.createComment({
              issue_number: context.issue.number,
              owner: context.repo.owner,
              repo: context.repo.repo,
              body: summary
            });

Security Analysis

Automated Security Scanning

SAST Integration:
- Configure Static Application Security Testing
- Scan for common security vulnerabilities
- Flag sensitive data exposure
Dependency Scanning:
- Check dependencies for known vulnerabilities
- Update vulnerable dependencies automatically
- Block PRs with critical security issues
Implementation:
- Integrate tools like Snyk, SonarQube Security
- Configure security scan in CI/CD
- Set security issue severity thresholds

Example security scanning configuration:

# .github/workflows/security-scan.yml
name: Security Scanning

on:
  pull_request:
    branches: [ main ]
  push:
    branches: [ main ]

jobs:
  security:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v2
      
      - name: SAST Scan
        uses: github/codeql-action/analyze@v1
        with:
          languages: javascript, typescript
      
      - name: Dependency Scan
        uses: snyk/actions/node@master
        with:
          args: --severity-threshold=high
        env:
          SNYK_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.SNYK_TOKEN }}
          
      - name: Secret Scanning
        uses: zricethezav/gitleaks-action@master

Secrets Detection

Credential Scanning:
- Detect hardcoded secrets and credentials
- Block commits with sensitive information
- Provide education on secure credential management
Implementation:
- Configure pre-commit hooks for local detection
- Integrate GitLeaks or similar in CI/CD
- Configure real-time alerts for exposed secrets

Example pre-commit hook for secret detection:

#!/bin/sh
# .husky/pre-commit

# Run secret detection
detect-secrets scan --baseline .secrets.baseline
if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
  echo "Error: Secrets detected in code. Please remove them before committing."
  exit 1
fi

Documentation Validation

Automated Documentation Checks

Documentation Requirements:
- Verify README exists and is complete
- Check for API documentation
- Validate code comment coverage
Implementation:
- Configure documentation linters
- Check link validity
- Verify documentation format

Example documentation validation workflow:

# .github/workflows/docs-validation.yml
name: Documentation Validation

on:
  pull_request:
    branches: [ main ]
    paths:
      - '**/*.md'
      - '**/*.rst'
      - 'docs/**'

jobs:
  validate-docs:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v2
      
      - name: Check Markdown Links
        uses: gaurav-nelson/github-action-markdown-link-check@v1
        
      - name: Lint Documentation
        run: |
          npm install -g markdownlint-cli
          markdownlint '**/*.md' --ignore node_modules
          
      - name: Check README Completeness
        run: |
          ./scripts/check-readme-sections.sh

API Documentation

API Documentation Requirements:
- Validate OpenAPI/Swagger specs
- Check for endpoint documentation
- Verify example requests and responses
Implementation:
- Configure OpenAPI linters
- Validate against schema
- Check for required sections

Example OpenAPI validation:

# .github/workflows/api-docs-validation.yml
name: API Documentation Validation

on:
  pull_request:
    paths:
      - 'api/**'
      - 'openapi.yaml'

jobs:
  validate-api-docs:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v2
      
      - name: Validate OpenAPI Specification
        uses: mbowman100/swagger-validator-action@master
        with:
          files: openapi.yaml

Performance Checks

Automated Performance Testing

Bundle Size Monitoring:
- Track JavaScript bundle size
- Set size budgets per component
- Alert on significant increases
Load Time Analysis:
- Measure page load metrics
- Set performance budgets
- Compare against baseline
Implementation:
- Configure bundle analyzers
- Set up Lighthouse CI
- Implement performance testing in pipeline

Example bundle size check:

# .github/workflows/bundle-size.yml
name: Bundle Size

on:
  pull_request:
    paths:
      - 'src/**'
      - 'package.json'

jobs:
  bundle-size:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v2
      
      - name: Build and Analyze Bundle
        run: |
          npm ci
          npm run build
          
      - name: Check Bundle Size
        uses: siddharthkp/bundlesize@v1
        with:
          files: [
            {
              "path": "dist/main.*.js",
              "maxSize": "100 kB"
            },
            {
              "path": "dist/vendor.*.js",
              "maxSize": "250 kB"
            }
          ]
        env:
          BUNDLESIZE_GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

Accessibility Validation

Automated Accessibility Testing

WCAG Compliance Checks:
- Validate against WCAG guidelines
- Check for common accessibility issues
- Enforce accessibility standards
Implementation:
- Integrate axe-core or similar tools
- Configure accessibility testing in CI
- Generate accessibility reports

Example accessibility testing workflow:

# .github/workflows/accessibility.yml
name: Accessibility Testing

on:
  pull_request:
    paths:
      - 'src/**/*.tsx'
      - 'src/**/*.jsx'
      - 'src/**/*.html'

jobs:
  a11y:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v2
      
      - name: Setup Node.js
        uses: actions/setup-node@v2
        with:
          node-version: 14
          
      - name: Install Dependencies
        run: npm ci
        
      - name: Build Project
        run: npm run build
        
      - name: Run Accessibility Tests
        run: |
          npm install -g pa11y-ci
          pa11y-ci --config .pa11yrc.json

AI-Assisted Review

AI Code Review Integration

AI Review Tools:
- Configure AI-powered code review assistants
- Use for initial screening and suggestions
- Complement human review with AI insights
Implementation:
- Integrate tools like DeepCode, CodeGuru
- Configure automated comments from AI
- Use AI suggestions as learning opportunities

Example AI code review configuration:

# .github/workflows/ai-code-review.yml
name: AI Code Review

on:
  pull_request:
    types: [opened, synchronize]

jobs:
  ai-review:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v2
      
      - name: Run AI Code Review
        uses: coderabbitai/ai-code-review@v1
        with:
          github-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
          openai-api-key: ${{ secrets.OPENAI_API_KEY }}
          config-path: .github/code-review-config.yaml

Learning and Improvement

Review Pattern Analysis:
- Track common feedback patterns
- Identify recurring issues
- Create automated rules based on patterns
Implementation:
- Collect review comments and categorize
- Generate reports on common issues
- Automate detection of recurring patterns

Example review pattern analysis:

// scripts/analyze-review-patterns.js
const { Octokit } = require("@octokit/rest");
const octokit = new Octokit({ auth: process.env.GITHUB_TOKEN });

async function analyzeReviewPatterns() {
  // Fetch review comments from last 100 PRs
  const comments = await octokit.pulls.listReviewComments({
    owner: "org-name",
    repo: "repo-name",
    per_page: 100
  });
  
  // Analyze patterns in comments
  const patterns = {};
  comments.data.forEach(comment => {
    // Simple analysis by keywords
    const text = comment.body.toLowerCase();
    if (text.includes("naming")) {
      patterns.naming = (patterns.naming || 0) + 1;
    }
    if (text.includes("test") || text.includes("coverage")) {
      patterns.testing = (patterns.testing || 0) + 1;
    }
    // Add more patterns here
  });
  
  console.log("Review patterns:", patterns);
}

analyzeReviewPatterns();

Developer Experience Optimization

Feedback Loop Optimization

Rapid Feedback:
- Provide immediate feedback in editor when possible
- Run fast checks locally before push
- Optimize CI/CD pipeline for speed
Implementation:
- Configure IDE extensions and plugins
- Set up git hooks for pre-commit checks
- Parallelize CI/CD jobs

Example VS Code settings for team:

// .vscode/settings.json
{
  "editor.formatOnSave": true,
  "editor.codeActionsOnSave": {
    "source.fixAll.eslint": true,
    "source.organizeImports": true
  },
  "eslint.validate": [
    "javascript",
    "typescript",
    "javascriptreact",
    "typescriptreact"
  ],
  "typescript.preferences.importModuleSpecifier": "relative",
  "javascript.preferences.importModuleSpecifier": "relative"
}

Self-Service Tools

Developer Utilities:
- Provide CLI tools for common tasks
- Create self-service automation
- Enable developers to run checks locally
Implementation:
- Create custom scripts
- Document self-service tools
- Package tools for easy installation

Example developer utility script:

#!/bin/bash
# scripts/run-checks.sh

echo "Running pre-PR checks..."

# Run formatting
echo "Checking code formatting..."
npm run format:check

# Run linting
echo "Running linters..."
npm run lint

# Run tests
echo "Running tests..."
npm test

# Run security checks
echo "Running security scan..."
npm run security-scan

# Run bundle analysis
echo "Analyzing bundle size..."
npm run analyze

echo "All checks completed!"

Implementation Checklist

Initial Setup

Configure code formatting and linting tools
Set up CI/CD integration for automated checks
Implement PR templates and CODEOWNERS
Configure branch protection rules
Set up dependency scanning

Quality Enforcement

Define and implement code quality metrics
Configure test coverage requirements
Set up security scanning
Implement documentation validation
Configure accessibility testing

Advanced Automation

Implement AI-assisted code review
Set up pattern analysis for review comments
Create developer self-service tools
Configure performance testing
Implement feedback loop optimization

Files

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