safe-refactor-checklist

name	safe-refactor-checklist
description	Checklist for safe code refactoring without breaking changes
license	MIT

Safe Refactor Checklist

When to Use

• Refactoring existing code
• Improving code structure
• Reducing technical debt
• Optimizing performance

Pre-Refactor Checklist

• All existing tests pass
• Test coverage is adequate (>80%)
• Understand the code's current behavior
• Identify all consumers of the code
• Document the refactoring goal

During Refactor

1. Make Small Changes

• One refactoring at a time
• Run tests after each change
• Commit frequently

2. Preserve Behavior

• Don't change public interfaces
• Keep the same inputs/outputs
• Maintain backward compatibility

3. Update Tests

• Update tests if behavior changes
• Add tests for new code paths
• Remove obsolete tests

Post-Refactor Checklist

• All tests pass
• No new lint errors
• No TypeScript errors
• Test coverage maintained or improved
• Documentation updated
• No breaking changes to public API

Common Refactoring Patterns

Extract Method

// Before
function process(data) {
  // validation logic
  // processing logic
  // formatting logic
}

// After
function process(data) {
  validate(data);
  const result = processData(data);
  return formatResult(result);
}

Rename Variable

• Use IDE refactoring tools
• Update all references
• Run tests to verify

Move Method

• Update imports
• Check for circular dependencies
• Verify all callers updated