Independent code audits and code review
You inherited a codebase from a previous vendor, a freelancer who's now unreachable, or a founder-engineer who's left. You don't know whether the security is sound, the architecture is sane, or the problems add up to a cleanup or a rebuild. The vendor pitching the rebuild has a strong opinion. You need an independent one.
What's included in Code audits.
We agree the audit scope in writing, review the codebase against a written checklist (architecture, security, data handling, deploy pipeline, dependency hygiene, bus factor), and deliver a markdown report you can show your CFO, board, or investor, with a severity rating and a recommended fix against each item.
Founders evaluating a rebuild pitch, CFOs evaluating an acquisition target's tech, IT leaders inheriting a codebase from a previous vendor, and engineering leaders preparing for a security audit, fundraising round, or compliance certification.
- 01
Architecture review
Is the system structured to handle next year's load and feature set, or will the next feature require a rewrite? Answered with concrete examples.
- 02
Security review
Auth, authorization, session handling, secrets management, input validation, OWASP Top 10. Findings ranked by severity (critical / high / medium / low / informational).
- 03
Data handling
How is sensitive data stored, transmitted, logged? Are backups working? Is GDPR / DPDP exposure manageable?
- 04
Deploy + ops
How are releases shipped, rolled back, monitored? What breaks at 2am and who gets paged? Is the runbook real or aspirational?
- 05
Dependencies
Outdated packages, abandoned libraries, license risks, transitive vulnerabilities. With a prioritized remediation list.
- 06
Bus factor
Could one engineer leaving cause a six-month freeze? What's documented vs. tribal? What needs to be captured before the next handover.
From an inherited codebase to a clear fix list.
Agree the audit scope
We start with the decision you face, whether a rebuild pitch, an acquisition or a certification, and agree which repositories, environments and concerns are in scope. Read-only repository access is all we need, and nothing in your systems is changed.
Review against the checklist
We work through architecture, security, data handling, deploy and operations, dependencies and bus factor, combining static analysis and dependency scanners with a manual reading of the code. Each finding is written up with evidence and a severity rating.
Deliver the fix list
We deliver a markdown report ordered into a prioritized fix list, with a recommended remedy against every item, and walk your team or board through it. The report is written so any capable team can act on it, including the original vendor.
Questions about Code audits.
- Should we rebuild or fix a codebase inherited from a previous vendor?
- That is the question a code audit answers. When the vendor pitching a rebuild has a strong opinion, you need an independent one. We review the inherited system against a written checklist and rate each finding by severity with a recommended fix, so you can see whether the problems add up to a cleanup or a rebuild. We do not start from either answer.
- What does an independent code audit check?
- Six areas. Architecture, and whether the next feature will force a rewrite. Security: authentication, authorization, session handling, secrets, input validation and the OWASP Top 10. Data handling, including backups and GDPR or DPDP exposure. Deploy and operations: how releases ship, roll back and get monitored. Dependencies, covering outdated packages, abandoned libraries and license risks. And bus factor, meaning whether one engineer leaving could freeze the system.
- What access do you need, and how is a code audit scoped?
- Read-only access to the repository is enough for the review, and we do not change anything in your systems. Before starting, we agree in writing which repositories, environments and concerns are in scope, along with the timeline and fee. The review combines static analysis tools, dependency scanners and manual review, since tools alone miss problems in architecture and business logic.
- What do we receive at the end of a code audit?
- A markdown report you can share with your CFO, board or investor, with a severity rating (critical, high, medium, low or informational) and a recommended fix against every item, ordered into a prioritized fix list. It is written so any competent team can act on it, including the vendor who wrote the code. Teams use it to judge a rebuild pitch, assess an acquisition target, or prepare for a security audit, fundraising round or compliance certification.
Tell us what's slowing you down.
A 30-minute discovery call. We map the process, point out the easy wins, and outline a clear plan (no obligation).