App refactoring, i.e. the process of rewriting a given app’s component(s), has gained immense traction lately, especially ever since public cloud services emerged on the scene. It is useful for extending the life of the application while improving the performance, adding needed new functionality, strengthening security, or adding support for mobile platforms such as iOS and Android. This helps expand the application’s reach through the app stores across new platforms.
The development teams often take the application refactoring approach to increase the code modularity while making the code easier to read, update, and maintain. These code modules become available for use, either directly incorporated or as part of a cloud-native application that utilizes microservices and APIs to stitch together multiple modules.
This is not without reason, of course; app refactoring brings forth a world of benefits, including:
- Better performance: One of the most sought-after benefits of app refactoring is the enhanced performance and overall execution speed for different app functions.
- Support new technologies: Another notable benefit one gains with app refactoring is the support for newer technologies that may not have been available at the time of the app’s initial development process.
- Improved consistency: A critical and rather popular benefit that app refactoring brings to the table is the high level of consistency it ensures for the code while also doing away wit
- h substandard coding methods such as spaghetti code which renders modifications unnecessarily challenging.
While app refactoring offers plenty of benefits, it is also important to understand its limitations, such as the ones listed below:
- Learning curve: A key challenge companies must contend with when it comes to app refactoring is the steep learning curve involved. This can translate into delays, coding errors, etc. as the team wraps its head around the new platforms, tools, programming languages, etc.
- Scope issues: Often, teams may find themselves struggling with scope; i.e. despite the most in-depth plans, some refactoring projects can extend beyond the intended scope, thus resulting in delays.
- App dependencies: Yet another crucial issue you can face in this context is unknown app dependencies which can crop up during the refactoring process. Be warned that such dependencies can prolong work or even cause the project to fail to deliver its objective.
Finally, let us also see when you should opt for app refactoring:
- To fix design problems: One of the primary reasons why you should opt for app refactoring is for addressing design-related issues. You see, app refactoring is instrumental in fixing design, and implementation problems, a.k.a. code smells, including complex code segments, redundancy, etc.
- To ensure consistency of code: If you want to achieve code consistency, look no further than app refactoring which helps achieve said consistency in myriad ways, including leveraging reusable code segments and external APIs, and standardization of variable naming conventions, etc.
- Clean up code: While app refactoring is great for new and enhanced functionality and features, it can also contribute immense value if you are looking to ensure a cleaner code for your app and make the code efficient and easier to change. All in all, if you want better-performing code, app refactoring is a good way to go about it.
There you have it ladies and gentlemen, a quick but handy guide about app refactoring. As you can see, the process delivers several crucial benefits for any app development project, rendering it a must if you are looking to build a high-quality solution for your business. So, if you too are looking to enhance the readability of your app’s code, leverage native cloud services, etc., you now need to start working on putting together a robust Azure migration strategy. And if you need help, you can always engage the services of an expert service provider.
