When I first started out in this profession, I would often come across certain terms and acronyms in code reviews and team discussions, and I always wondered what they meant. If you’re new to software development or just want a refresher, here’s a handy list that might help you navigate those conversations more confidently.
Common Terms and Acronyms
WIP (Work In Progress): Indicates that the work or pull request is not finished yet and is not ready for a full review.
LGTM (Looks Good To Me): The proposed code looks correct and can be merged.
NIT (Nitpick): A minor suggestion or remark, often about style or readability, with no functional impact.
ACK (Acknowledge): Confirms that a comment has been read and considered.
PTAL (Please Take A Look): A request to review or re-review the code.
RFC (Request For Comments): An invitation for feedback or opinions on a proposal or change.
IMO/IMHO (In My [Humble] Opinion): Indicates that what follows is a personal opinion.
Blocking: A comment or issue that must be addressed before the code can be merged.
Non-blocking: A suggestion or remark that does not prevent the code from being merged.
Ship It: Informal way of saying the code is ready to be delivered or merged.
Stale: A review or pull request that hasn’t seen activity in a long time.
Self-review: Reviewing your own code before submitting it to others.
Refactor: Rewriting code to improve its structure or readability without changing its functionality.
Patch: A software fix or update.
Hotfix: A quick fix for a critical bug, usually deployed urgently.
DRY (Don’t Repeat Yourself): Principle to avoid code duplication.
Bump: To increase or update a version number, or to make a small improvement or fix.
Chore: A technical or maintenance task that doesn’t add a new user-facing feature, but is necessary for the health of the project (e.g., code cleanup, updating dependencies, configuring tools).
FYI (For Your Information): Sharing information without expecting an immediate response or action.
TBR (To Be Reviewed): Indicates that a piece of code or change is waiting for review.
Dead code: Unused or obsolete code that should be removed.
Needs Rebase: The branch needs to be updated to resolve conflicts or incorporate the latest changes from the main branch.
Outdated: A comment made on an older version of the code, often after a rebase or new commit.
TBD (To Be Determined/Defined): Something that still needs to be specified or decided.
If you know more terms or acronyms that are commonly used in code reviews, feel free to share them in the comments! This list is not exhaustive, and your input can help others in the community.
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