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Code Audit & Refactoring

Find out what's actually
wrong with the code.

A full audit of complexity, duplication, and risk — then an incremental refactor that fixes it, module by module, without freezing feature work or betting on a rewrite.

2012Building production software
IncrementalNo risky full rewrites
Top RatedUpwork, 100% Job Success
What's included

A report you can act on, not just a diagnosis

Every audit ends in a prioritized plan — what to fix first, why it matters, and roughly how long it takes.

Complexity & hotspot mapping

Cyclomatic complexity and change-frequency data cross-referenced to find where debt actually costs the most.

Duplication & dead code

Repeated logic and unused code identified so consolidation removes weight without changing behavior.

Dependency & security risk

Outdated or vulnerable packages flagged with an upgrade path that doesn't break the app.

Test coverage gaps

Untested modules identified, with characterization tests added before they're touched during refactor.

Performance bottlenecks

N+1 queries, missing indexes, and slow endpoints traced back to the exact lines causing them.

Prioritized refactor plan

A sequenced list of fixes, scoped so feature work can continue alongside the cleanup.

Coverage

Audited across the stacks most codebases run on

Tooling matched to the language — static analysis, complexity scoring, and dependency scanning for each.

PHP / Laravel WordPress JavaScript / TypeScript React / Next.js Node.js PHPStan / Psalm ESLint PHPUnit / Jest Composer / npm audit MySQL / PostgreSQL
Process

Four stages, in this order, every time

Refactoring never starts before the audit is done — fixing the wrong thing first is how technical debt gets worse, not better.

01

Audit the codebase

Run complexity, duplication, dependency, and coverage analysis across the full repo.

02

Prioritize by impact

Rank issues by how often the affected code changes and how much risk it currently carries.

03

Refactor behind tests

Add characterization tests, then refactor module by module without changing external behavior.

04

Verify & hand off

Confirm test coverage and performance improved, then document what changed and why.

Who this is for

Built for codebases that got harder to change

Teams inheriting a legacy codebase

A new team or hire taking over code they didn't write, with no map of where the risk lives.

Products slowing down to ship

Features that used to take days now take weeks, with no clear reason why.

Pre-acquisition or pre-funding review

Due diligence on a codebase's health before it changes hands or gets a valuation.

Teams considering a full rewrite

Before committing to a rewrite, an audit shows whether incremental fixes get there cheaper.

Engagement

Three ways to work together

Exact pricing depends on codebase size and how deep the refactor needs to go — scoped after a short discovery call.

Fixed scope

Codebase audit

A standalone audit and prioritized report, delivered as a fixed-price engagement. Good as a first step.

  • Full report + prioritized plan
  • Fixed price, single deliverable
Most flexible

Hourly refactoring work

Ongoing refactor work sized to the audit's plan, adjusted as priorities shift alongside feature work.

  • Weekly progress + working demos
  • Scope adjusts as you learn
Ongoing

Code health retainer

Monthly reserved capacity to keep working through the backlog and prevent debt from creeping back in.

  • Recurring complexity re-scan
  • Monthly capacity reserved
FAQ

Common questions

Cyclomatic complexity hotspots, duplicated logic, outdated or vulnerable dependencies, test coverage gaps, N+1 queries, and architectural inconsistencies. The output is a prioritized report, not just a list of complaints.

No. Refactoring is done incrementally behind tests, module by module, so the application keeps working and shipping features throughout. A full rewrite is only recommended when the audit shows it's genuinely cheaper than incremental fixes.

By cross-referencing complexity and change-frequency data — the files that are both hard to understand and edited most often are fixed first, since that's where technical debt costs the most time.

Yes. Refactoring is typically scoped as its own workstream with clear module boundaries, so it runs in parallel with feature work instead of blocking it, and changes are reviewed through the team's existing PR process.

Most audits cover PHP/Laravel, JavaScript/TypeScript (React, Next.js, Node), and WordPress codebases, since those make up the majority of client stacks. Other stacks can be assessed on request.

Yes, where it's missing. Characterization tests are added around a module before it's touched, so the refactor has a safety net and coverage improves as a byproduct of the work rather than a separate initiative.

Not sure how bad it actually is?

Send over repo access and a short description of what's slow or fragile. A prioritized audit follows from there.