Refactor Instead of Rewriting a Messy Startup CodebaseRefactor Instead of Rewriting a Messy Startup Codebase
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Yaroslav's avatar
Yaroslav Dykyi
pro
• 5h
Every founder hits the same moment around month 6: "the codebase is a mess, we should rewrite it from scratch."
Almost always, that's the wrong call 🚫
A rewrite means 3-6 months of zero new features, while your competitors keep shipping. And the new codebase picks up its own mess by month 12, because the habits that created the first mess didn't change.
What works instead: → Fix the 20% of the code causing 80% of the bugs → Add tests around the parts you're scared to touch → Refactor while shipping features, not instead of them
Rewrites feel like a fresh start. Most of the time they're just an expensive way to avoid fixing the habits
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