Inspiration

Software developers often need to modify or refactor existing code, but even a small change can introduce bugs, break existing functionality, or affect important test cases. This inspired us to build Legacy Refactor Guard, a platform designed to make code refactoring safer and more reliable.

Our goal was to create a safety layer that helps developers validate code changes, protect existing tests, identify potential problems, and recover from unsuccessful changes.

What it does

Legacy Refactor Guard combines a Python FastAPI backend with a React-based dashboard to provide a structured refactoring safety workflow.

Key features include:

Python syntax validation using AST-based checks.
Protection against unauthorized modifications to test files.
Repository path validation and security checks.
Snapshot and rollback mechanisms.
Test execution and validation workflows.
Run history, logs, metrics, and dashboard visualizations.
Demo simulation to demonstrate the refactoring workflow.

How we built it

We developed the backend using Python and FastAPI, implementing validation, repository safety checks, testing workflows, and rollback functionality.

The frontend was built using React, TypeScript, and Vite to provide an interactive dashboard. We integrated the frontend with the backend through REST APIs.

We used GitHub for version control and collaboration, Render to deploy the backend, and Vercel to deploy the frontend.

Challenges we faced

One of our main challenges was integrating independently developed frontend and backend components without breaking existing functionality.

We also faced challenges involving repository security, path validation, test protection, API communication, and deployment configuration.

Testing the complete application and resolving integration issues helped us improve the reliability of the system.

What we learned

Through this project, we gained practical experience in full-stack development, API integration, Git collaboration, backend testing, frontend development, cloud deployment, and software safety practices.

We also learned the importance of protecting existing code and validating changes before accepting them.

What's next

Our future goal is to expand the platform with more advanced AI-assisted code analysis, deeper refactoring validation, and a fully integrated live refactoring execution workflow.

Legacy Refactor Guard — Making code refactoring safer, smarter, and more reliable.