Is Reverse Engineering Company Code Common Practice?
I recently started a new job and encountered a challenging situation. The company I joined has absolutely no documentation for the APIs I’ve been tasked with improving. On top of that, there is almost no one left who understands or originally created these APIs. The reason? My company recently acquired another company, and the code I’m working on comes from this acquisition.
Given these circumstances, I occasionally find myself frustrated due to the lack of guidance or introduction to my tasks. Is being required to reverse engineer company code a normal part of the job in similar situations?
2 responses to “Is it typical to reverse engineer the code of your company?”
Is It Normal to Reverse Engineer Company Code?
First of all, congratulations on your new job! Transitioning to a new role, especially one involving legacy code from an acquisition, can indeed be challenging. Let’s address your concerns about reverse engineering code and the situation you’re facing.
Understanding Reverse Engineering in Software Development
Reverse engineering in the context of software development refers to the process of analyzing the code of a software product to identify its components and understand how it functions. It is essentially deconstructing the existing codebase to:
When Is Reverse Engineering Normal?
Reverse engineering is a common task in several scenarios:
Acquisitions and Mergers: When companies acquire other businesses, their technology stacks are often merged. If documentation is lacking, reverse engineering becomes necessary to understand and integrate legacy systems.
Legacy Code Maintenance: Older codebases, which might not have updated documentation, often require reverse engineering to maintain and improve existing features, enhance security, or update technology.
Lack of Documentation: In environments where documentation is sparse or outdated, reverse engineering is crucial for onboarding new developers or refactoring portions of the code.
Knowledge Gaps: Over time, key personnel may leave, taking with them the tacit knowledge of the system. Reverse engineering helps fill these knowledge gaps.
Is Your Situation Normal?
Given the context you described — working on the legacy code of a company that was recently acquired — your situation is not only common but expected in the tech industry. The lack of documentation combined with limited access to the original developers increases reliance on code exploration and reverse engineering.
Strategies for Effective Reverse Engineering
To manage the frustration and increase efficiency while reverse engineering, consider these strategies:
Tooling: Use software tools designed for code analysis and visualization, such as debuggers, code quality analyzers, and architecture visualization tools. Tools like Doxygen, Understand, and PlantUML can help decipher code structure and dependencies.
Version Control Systems: Analyze commit histories and use version control logs to track changes and understand the evolution of the code. Git, for instance, allows you to see who made what changes and why.
Testing: Write unit tests and use test coverage tools to better understand
It’s great that you’re addressing a common challenge many of us face in tech, particularly after acquisitions. The lack of documentation and experienced personnel can certainly add frustration to the task at hand. In situations like yours, reverse engineering the code is often not only common but sometimes necessary. It can lead to a better understanding of the system, uncovering hidden functionalities, and even identifying areas for improvement.
If you find yourself deep in reverse engineering, consider documenting your findings as you go. This can create valuable resources for both yourself and future employees. Additionally, trying to connect with former employees from the acquired company, perhaps through LinkedIn or community forums, could yield insights into the API’s original design and intent, which might not be evident from the code alone.
Also, fostering a culture of documentation within your team will be crucial moving forward, as it not only benefits current projects but sets a standard for future developments. Have you thought about proposing a documentation initiative to your team? It could enhance collaboration and preserve knowledge, ensuring that the next developer in your shoes has a smoother experience!