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Codebase Review Services.
Inherited an existing platform? Built an app quickly with AI? Taking over from another development team? Our Code Review service gives you an expert view of what you actually have, what needs attention and what it will take to move forward with confidence. We review the code, architecture, security, documentation and build process, then turn our findings into a practical route forward. Where needed, we can stay involved to fix issues, strengthen security and help get the product ready for production.
Services / Code review
Understand your codebase before you build on it.
Software rarely arrives with a complete history.
You might inherit a codebase after an internal development team changes. You might be moving away from an existing supplier. Or you may have turned an idea into a working product using AI and reached the point where it needs experienced engineers behind it.
We combine technical investigation with a practical understanding of the product itself. That means looking beyond individual lines of code to understand how the application works, how easy it is to maintain, where risk exists and what needs to happen next.
The outcome isn't simply a list of problems. It's clarity.
OUR CODE REVIEW PACKAGE
Code Review from unknown codebase to clear next steps.
Understand.
We start with the product rather than the repository.
We establish what the system is designed to do, who uses it, its key journeys and any known issues before technical investigation begins.
We also identify the technology stack and confirm that it sits within an area where our team can provide meaningful support.
Review.
Our engineers examine the codebase for areas that could affect maintainability, reliability or security.
That includes architecture, duplicated or unnecessarily complex code, validation, error handling, authentication, authorisation, configuration and technical debt.
We also check that sensitive credentials and secrets are being handled appropriately rather than stored directly in source code.
Build.
We don't only read the code.
We clone the project into a clean environment and attempt to get it running ourselves.
That allows us to test whether the README and setup documentation are accurate, identify missing dependencies or undocumented steps and understand how straightforward it would be for another engineering team to work with the product.
We then carry out a smoke test across its main features and user journeys.
Secure
We review security-sensitive areas including authentication, authorisation, validation, credential management and third-party integrations.
Where the product or risk profile requires deeper assurance, we can also support additional security assessment and penetration testing.
This is particularly important for AI-built applications moving from prototype to production, where functionality can evolve much faster than the processes around security, testing and deployment.
Improve
A review is most valuable when something happens afterwards.
We prioritise findings according to risk and explain why each issue matters.
From there, Arch can work with your team to address critical concerns, reduce technical debt, improve documentation, strengthen the application and prepare it for its next phase.
That could mean handing a clear roadmap back to your internal team.
Or it could mean Arch continuing as your development partner through remediation, launch and ongoing support.
Understand.
We start with the product rather than the repository.
We establish what the system is designed to do, who uses it, its key journeys and any known issues before technical investigation begins.
We also identify the technology stack and confirm that it sits within an area where our team can provide meaningful support.
Review.
Our engineers examine the codebase for areas that could affect maintainability, reliability or security.
That includes architecture, duplicated or unnecessarily complex code, validation, error handling, authentication, authorisation, configuration and technical debt.
We also check that sensitive credentials and secrets are being handled appropriately rather than stored directly in source code.
Build.
We don't only read the code.
We clone the project into a clean environment and attempt to get it running ourselves.
That allows us to test whether the README and setup documentation are accurate, identify missing dependencies or undocumented steps and understand how straightforward it would be for another engineering team to work with the product.
We then carry out a smoke test across its main features and user journeys.
Secure
We review security-sensitive areas including authentication, authorisation, validation, credential management and third-party integrations.
Where the product or risk profile requires deeper assurance, we can also support additional security assessment and penetration testing.
This is particularly important for AI-built applications moving from prototype to production, where functionality can evolve much faster than the processes around security, testing and deployment.
Improve
A review is most valuable when something happens afterwards.
We prioritise findings according to risk and explain why each issue matters.
From there, Arch can work with your team to address critical concerns, reduce technical debt, improve documentation, strengthen the application and prepare it for its next phase.
That could mean handing a clear roadmap back to your internal team.
Or it could mean Arch continuing as your development partner through remediation, launch and ongoing support.
WHEN TO USE A CODE REVIEW
Different starting points. The same need for confidence.
Your development team has changed.
When people leave or teams restructure, valuable technical knowledge can disappear with them. We can review your existing platform to understand how it works, how well it is documented and where technical risks or knowledge gaps may exist, giving your new or remaining team a clearer, more confident starting point.
You've built an app with AI.
Tools like Lovable, Bolt, Replit, v0, Base44, Cursor and Claude Code can turn an idea into working software incredibly quickly, but working software is not always production-ready software. Before you introduce real users, sensitive data, payments or customer accounts, our engineers can review the code, architecture, authentication, data handling, dependencies and deployment setup, then help strengthen the product, address security concerns and prepare it for a reliable launch.
You're changing development partner.
Moving an existing product from one development team to another can expose years of undocumented decisions, hidden dependencies and technical debt. Our Code Review creates an independent technical baseline, establishing what has been built, how it is deployed, whether the documentation reflects reality and what your new development partner needs to know before taking responsibility for the platform.
You're investing more into an existing product.
Before committing significant budget to a redesign, new functionality or the next stage of growth, it is worth knowing whether the existing foundations are ready to support it. A Code Review gives you a clearer view of the platform's technical health, helping identify risks and technical debt before they become more expensive problems during development.
You're acquiring or taking ownership of software.
If you're buying a digital product, acquiring another business or taking responsibility for an existing platform, the software underneath it can carry risks that are difficult to spot from the interface alone. We can assess the codebase, technical debt, documentation, dependencies and security-sensitive areas to give you a clearer understanding of what you are taking ownership of.
The platform works, but nobody is quite sure how.
A product can appear to work perfectly well while relying on fragile deployments, undocumented processes, recurring bugs or knowledge held by a single person. A Code Review helps surface those hidden dependencies and risks before they become urgent, giving your team a clearer picture of how the platform works and what needs attention.
CODE REVIEW
Look beneath the interface.
Once we understand the product, we get into the code. We look for areas that could make the platform difficult to maintain, insecure, unreliable or unnecessarily expensive to develop further.
Our review can include:
- Code structure and common anti-patterns
- Duplicated or overly complex logic
- Error handling and validation
- Authentication and authorisation
- Secrets and credential management
- Environment configuration
- Logging, monitoring and alerting
- API documentation
- Deployment and recovery documentation
- Known technical debt and limitations
- Development environment setup
- Configuration documentation
- Alignment between documentation and the actual code
This isn't about applying our personal coding preferences to somebody else's work.
It's about determining whether the product can be understood, maintained and extended with confidence.
AI-BUILT SOFTWARE
Vibe coded the first version? We'll help with the next one.
AI has dramatically lowered the barrier to creating software. A founder can describe an idea and have a working interface, authentication and database running before a traditional project has finished writing its specification.
That's a powerful shift. But speed at the prototype stage doesn't remove the need for engineering once real users, real data and real commercial risk enter the picture.
If you've built an application using an AI app builder or coding assistant, we can help assess whether the generated product is ready to move beyond its first version.
We'll look at what the AI has produced, identify fragile or unnecessary complexity and review areas such as authentication, dependencies, data handling, configuration, error handling and deployment.
Then we can help turn a promising prototype into software you can confidently put in front of customers. You don't need to throw away the work you've already done.You need to know which parts are worth keeping.
FAQ
Code Review FAQ.
What is a code review?
A code review is an assessment of an existing software codebase to understand its quality, maintainability, security and readiness for further development.
Our reviews go beyond individual files to consider the wider product, documentation, development environments, integrations and build process.
Can you review an app built using AI or vibe coding?
Yes.
If you've built an application using platforms such as Lovable, Bolt, Replit, v0 or Base44, or developed it with AI coding tools, we can review the resulting codebase and help identify what needs to happen before it moves into production.
That can include code quality, architecture, authentication, data handling, security concerns, testing and deployment readiness.
Do I need to rebuild my AI-generated app from scratch?
Not necessarily.
One of the reasons to carry out a review is to establish what can be kept.
Some applications may only need targeted improvements. Others may have architectural issues that make parts of the platform difficult to scale or secure.
We assess the software first, then recommend the most sensible route forward.
Can Arch fix the issues you find?
Yes.
We can provide the review as a standalone engagement, or continue working with you to remediate issues, improve the architecture, add testing, strengthen security and support deployment.
Can you review software built by another agency?
Yes.
Changing development partner is one of the most common reasons to carry out an independent Code Review.
We can establish a technical baseline before taking over the platform or provide findings for your new internal or external team to work from.
Does a Code Review include penetration testing?
Our standard review considers security-sensitive areas within the codebase, including authentication, authorisation, validation, data handling and credential management.
Where deeper assurance is appropriate, penetration testing can form part of the wider engagement or be scoped alongside the review.
Can Arch review any technology?
We start by identifying the technology stack and confirming that we can provide a meaningful assessment.
If a product sits outside the technologies we can responsibly support, we'd rather establish that at the beginning than give you false confidence.
What do we receive at the end?
You'll receive structured findings that explain each concern, where it occurs, why it matters and the level of risk involved.
We then use those findings to establish recommended next steps and priorities for the product.
Can you take over development after the review?
Yes.
If you need a longer-term development partner, Arch can continue from the review into remediation, future development, deployment and ongoing support.
The benefit is that we begin that relationship with a much clearer understanding of the product we're inheriting.
