Top 10 Automated Code Review Tools

It will cover top tools, importance, and techniques for effective automated code review to help developers identify potential issues and vulnerabilities quickly and efficiently.

Durgesh Gupta
7 min readFeb 20, 2023
code review

Automated code review is becoming a staple of modern software development. With an ever-increasing demand for high-quality software and quick project delivery, the importance of efficient code review has never been higher. Automated code reviews can help developers identify potential issues and vulnerabilities quickly and accurately. As a result, they can fix them before they become more significant issues. This blog post will detail the importance of automated code review and provide an in-depth guide to the top 10 automated code review tools, tips, and techniques to optimize software development. Regardless of experience level, this blog post provides worthwhile insights into the most up-to-date tools and techniques for automated code review to improve the quality of code and streamline the development process.

What is Automate Code Review?

automate code review

Code review using automated tools is a process of evaluating source code with computerized software to identify potential issues and security vulnerabilities. This type of code review utilizes automated programs to scan the codebase and give feedback to developers concerning coding standards, potential bugs, efficiency problems, and security risks. Automated code review can improve the quality of code by finding possible issues during the earlier stages of development, allowing developers to address them before they cause more critical issues.

10 Reasons Why Automate Code Review is Important

10 reasons why code review is important
  • Enhances code quality by identifying potential bugs and vulnerabilities.
  • Saves time by automating time-consuming tasks like syntax checking and code formatting.
  • Reduces costs by identifying problems early in the development process, when they are easier and less expensive to resolve.
  • Boosts security by detecting potential security risks and vulnerabilities in code.
  • Standardizes coding practices while ensuring code consistency and maintainability.
  • Helps to streamline software development processes by automating tasks and allowing developers to focus on more important tasks.
  • Facilitates team collaboration by providing a common platform for code review.
  • Aids in the enforcement of coding standards and best practices across a team or organization.
  • Can aid in the enhancement of software performance by identifying potential bottlenecks and performance issues.
  • Provides feedback on developers’ code, allowing them to continuously improve their skills and knowledge.

Top 10 Tools for Automate Code Review

  1. SonarQube :
SonarQube

SonarQube is an open-source platform that provides automated code review and continuous inspection of code quality. It supports a variety of programming languages, including Java, C#, JavaScript, and Python.

Key Features:

  • It supports multiple programming languages, including Java, C#, JavaScript, and Python.
  • SonarQube provides detailed metrics and visualizations to track code quality and technical debt over time.
  • Easily integrated with popular build tools such as Maven, Gradle, and Ant.
  • Measures the code coverage of unit tests, helping developers ensure that code changes are thoroughly tested.
  • SonarQube enables continuous code quality monitoring and review.

Site Visit: SonarQube

2. CodeBeat :

Codebeat is an automated code review tool that provides code quality, maintainability, and test coverage feedback. It helps developers identify potential issues and improve the overall quality of their codebase. Codebeat supports multiple programming languages, including Java, Python, Ruby, and Swift, and can be easily integrated with popular development tools such as GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket.

Key Features:

  • Code quality analysis
  • Maintainability analysis
  • Test coverage analysis
  • Customizable rules and policies
  • Integration with development tools
  • Visual reports

Site Visit: CodeBeat

3. DeepSource :

DeepSource is an automated code review tool that helps developers identify potential issues and improve the overall quality of their codebase. It provides feedback on code quality, security, performance, and style, and supports multiple programming languages, including Python, Go, and JavaScript.

Key Features:

  • DeepSource performs a static code analysis to identify security vulnerabilities and performance bottlenecks.
  • DeepSource integrates with CI tools such as Travis CI and CircleCI, to analyze code changes automatically.
  • DeepSource enables developers to quickly identify and address potential issues.
  • Analyze code coverage
  • Integrates with popular development tools such as GitHub and GitLab

Site Visit: DeepSource

4. PMD :

PMD is an open-source automated code review tool that analyzes Java code and provides feedback on potential issues and violations of best practices. It uses static analysis to examine code for common programming flaws and poor coding practices, such as inefficient algorithms, unused variables, and code duplication.

Key Features:

  • PMD can be integrated with development tools like Eclipse and IntelliJ and run from the command line.
  • PMD provides a set of default rules to identify potential issues.
  • PMD supports Java 5 and later versions, making it compatible with a wide range of Java projects.
  • PMD is suitable for automated build processes and continuous integration.
  • PMD generates easy-to-read reports that highlight potential issues and provide actionable advice for improving code quality.

Site Visit: PMD

5. CodeClimate :

CodeClimate is a powerful code analysis tool that automates the review process. It can detect potential issues and violations of coding standards in multiple popular programming languages, such as Ruby, JavaScript, and Python. Integration with popular development tools like GitHub, Bitbucket, and GitLab.

Key Features:

  • Customizable code quality checks
  • Integrates with popular development tools such as GitHub, Bitbucket, and GitLab
  • Code coverage analysis
  • Integrates with popular continuous integration (CI) tools such as Travis CI and CircleCI
  • CodeClimate performs security analysis on code changes, looking for potential vulnerabilities and security issues.

Site Visit: CodeClimate

6. CodeSonar :

CodeSonar is a sophisticated static analysis tool for automated code review. Its advanced scanning capabilities detect complex software bugs, security flaws, and other coding deficiencies in a variety of programming languages, such as C, C++, Java, and Python.

Key Features:

  • CodeSonar identifies issues difficult to find using other tools.
  • CodeSonar identifies potential issues across multiple functions or components.
  • Integrates with popular tools like Jenkins, Visual Studio, and Eclipse
  • Customizable rule sets
  • CodeSonar helps developers identify potential issues early in development.

Site Visit: CodeSonar

7. CodeFactor :

CodeFactor is a sophisticated tool that facilitates automated code reviews. It quickly inspects code changes to identify issues and verify adherence to established best practices. CodeFactor is compatible with several programming languages and is designed to be compatible with popular development platforms such as GitHub, Bitbucket, and GitLab.

Key Features:

  • Code quality analysis
  • Integration with development tools like GitHub, Bitbucket, and GitLab
  • Code coverage analysis
  • CodeFactor integrates with popular continuous integration (CI) tools such as Travis CI and CircleCI
  • Security analysis

Site Visit: CodeFactor

8. Codacy :

Key Features:

  • Identify OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities to prevent critical issues.
  • Code standardization
  • Know which standards are being broken and how to address them.
  • Inline annotations and commit suggestions in pull requests.
  • Get notified where it matters to speed up the process.

Site Visit: Codacy

9. Hound :

Hound provides an automated code review solution that streamlines the code review process for developers. Its user-friendly interface enables developers to identify and address coding issues quickly and efficiently, allowing for increased productivity and better-quality results.

Key Features:

  • Reduce the number of decisions that developers need to make when writing code.
  • It also helps prevent areas of the codebase from being “owned” by one person’s unique style vs. the team.
  • Team collaboration.
  • Hound supports a wide range of programming languages, including Ruby, JavaScript, and Go.
  • Integrates with tools like GitHub.

Site Visit: Hound

10. Crucible :

Crucible by Atlassian is a code review tool designed to help teams effectively review code changes and work together on changes. It features a web-based interface to enable developers to review, comment on, and track the progress of code reviews.

Key Features:

  • Integrates with tools like Jira and Bitbucket.
  • Sends notifications when code changes are ready for review or when reviews are complete.
  • Commenting and collaboration.
  • Reports and analytics.
  • Crucible allows teams to create custom workflows that reflect their specific review process.

Site Visit: Crucible

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Durgesh Gupta

Full stack developer | freelancer fueled by coffee and code. Building innovative solutions and bringing ideas to life.