What is Code Review? — UK Software Development Guide
Direct Answer
A code review is the systematic examination of code by one or more developers (other than the original author) before it is merged into the main codebase. Code reviews catch bugs, enforce coding standards, identify security vulnerabilities, and facilitate knowledge sharing within teams. In modern development, code reviews are typically conducted via Pull Requests (PRs) or Merge Requests (MRs) on platforms like GitHub or GitLab.
Code-review in the UK
Code review is a fundamental UK software quality practice. UK GDPR Article 32 ("appropriate technical and organisational measures") includes peer review of code handling personal data. Cyber Essentials secure development practices expect code review as a control against insecure code reaching production. ClickMasters requires all production code to pass peer review before merging — with specific security review checkpoints for authentication, access control, and personal data handling. DTAC Domain 3 (HealthTech) expects evidence of development standards including code review.
Related Glossary Terms
Cyber Essentials
Cyber Essentials explained for UK software developers and business owners. Cyber Essentials is a UK government-backed cybersecurity certification scheme developed by NCSC (National Cyber Security... UK context, examples, and related services.
Technical-debt
Technical Debt explained for UK software developers. Technical debt is the implied cost of future rework caused by choosing an easy solution now instead of using a better ap... UK context and related services.
GRAPHQL
GraphQL explained for UK software developers. GraphQL is a query language for APIs and a server-side runtime for executing those queries, developed by Meta (Facebook)... UK context and related services.
Wcag
WCAG 2.1 explained for UK software developers. WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) 2.1 is the international standard for web accessibility published by the W3C... UK context and related services.
Agile
Agile explained for UK software developers. Agile is a set of principles and practices for software development that prioritises iterative delivery, collaboration, ...
Scrum
Scrum explained for UK software developers. Scrum is an agile framework for developing and delivering complex products. It defines three roles (Product Owner, Scrum...
Get Expert Advice on Code-review
Speak with our UK software development experts about Code-review. Free consultation, transparent pricing, no obligation.