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ENGINEERING · CODE AUDIT

Code audit services

Code audit services give you an independent review of your codebase by senior engineers: security, architecture, tests and delivery risk, ranked by what to fix first. Startups run one before a raise; established teams after a handover.

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Led by Thanos GkanasCo-Founder, engineering

The drawing shows a codebase as a map of modules and, under it, each module's worst finding and how often it changes, with the riskiest, most-changed module marked.

A code audit tells you what you actually own: what is solid, what is fragile and what will break first as you grow. We run the scanners, then read the code ourselves, and write the findings in plain language for your developers and your board. The scope is fixed before we start, so you know what you are getting.

01SOUND FAMILIAR?

Signs your codebase needs an audit

  • SYMPTOM 01

    Every release breaks something we did not touch

    Usually means: Hidden coupling and thin test coverage, so changes ripple in ways nobody can predict.

  • SYMPTOM 02

    Our original developers have left

    Usually means: The knowledge walked out the door, and nobody can say which parts of the code are safe to change.

  • SYMPTOM 03

    We are about to raise and nobody has ever reviewed the code

    Usually means: An investor's reviewer will find the issues first unless you find and rank them yourself.

  • SYMPTOM 04

    Features take twice as long as they used to

    Usually means: Technical debt is charging interest on every change, and nobody has measured how much.

  • SYMPTOM 05

    We built fast with AI tools and are not sure what is underneath

    Usually means: Generated code often works on the happy path and fails on security, errors and edge cases.

Led by Thanos GkanasCo-Founder, engineering

Not sure an audit is the right step? Tell us what worries you about the codebase and get a straight answer.

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02WHAT WE DO

What our code audit services cover

Every software code audit covers the same six areas, weighted to what your product does. As with most software audit services, automated scanners run first. Then senior engineers read the code, because the problems that cost the most are the ones tools cannot see.

  • Source code audit

    We read the code that matters most: sign-in, payments, data access and the paths your users hit every day. We look for logic errors, unsafe patterns and code that only one person understands.

  • Code security audit

    We check authentication and authorization, input handling, secrets, vulnerable dependencies and how personal data is stored and logged. The checks follow the OWASP Top 10 and the security guidance for your stack.

  • Architecture and maintainability

    We map the modules, their dependencies and the places where one change forces ten others. You see where the structure will slow you down as the team grows, and what it would take to fix.

  • Tests and delivery pipeline

    We measure what the tests actually protect, how long a release takes and how a bad deploy gets rolled back. Gaps here are often why releases break things nobody touched.

  • Dependencies and supply chain

    We list outdated and abandoned packages, known vulnerabilities and install scripts with more access than they need. We check this on every audit, and our update on the npm supply chain attack wave of 2026 explains why.

  • The ranked fix list

    Every finding is ranked HIGH, MED or LOW by likelihood and impact, with the fix, the effort and the order to do it in. Nothing is padded: if an area is in good shape, we say so.

Illustration of audit findings sorted into a ranked fix list

03IN BRIEF

What to audit before you scale

A code audit before app scaling checks the code that fails under load or under attack: queries and indexes, background jobs, caching, authentication and untested error paths. It looks for problems that are cheap to fix at ten customers and expensive at ten thousand.

Start with data access, because slow queries and missing indexes are a frequent cause of trouble in young codebases. Then look at anything that runs on a schedule or a queue, since retries and duplicate work multiply with traffic. Check how the app handles a failed payment, a timeout from a third party or a user doing something unexpected. Finally, measure the technical debt that slows every change and decide what to pay down first. Our guide on how to reduce technical debt covers that last step in detail.

What an audit looks for at each stage

Code audit services for startups change focus with the stage. At pre-seed, the question is whether the prototype can become the product or needs a rebuild. At seed, it is whether the codebase can take a growing team without slowing down. At Series A and later, it is whether the system will hold up under an investor's review and enterprise customers. Established teams ask the same question after a merger or a vendor change.

Series A is where a code audit meets technical due diligence. An investor's review looks at the code, but also at the team, the architecture, the roadmap and the risks to the business plan. Running your own audit first means you see the findings before anyone else does, fix the serious ones and explain the rest on your own terms. It also turns the review from an exam into a conversation, because you arrive with the list already ranked and partly done.

Reading a code audit without a technical background

If you are not technical, read a code audit from the top: the summary, then the HIGH findings, then the plan. A good report tells you in plain words what could hurt the business, how likely it is and what fixing it costs, before it shows any code.

Each finding should answer four questions. What is wrong? What happens if nobody fixes it? How much effort does the fix take? What should be done first? If a report cannot answer those for its top items, it is a list of tool output, not an audit. Ask the auditor to walk you through the HIGH items on a call and to separate real risks from matters of style. You should come away knowing which problems block your next milestone, which can wait and which you can accept. Then you can plan the work with your developers instead of guessing.

04STEP BY STEP

How a code audit works

  1. 01

    Audit

    We agree the scope, get read-only access to the repository and run the scanners. Then senior engineers read the code, the pipeline and the infrastructure behind it.

  2. 02

    Build

    We write up the ranked fix list with effort estimates. If you want, we then start on the HIGH items ourselves, in your repository and through your review process.

  3. 03

    Ship

    We walk your team through every finding, answer questions and leave the report and the fix plan with you. On request, a follow-up check confirms the HIGH items are closed.

05ENGAGEMENT OPTIONS

Ways to work with us on a code audit

  • Audit and report

    The full audit, delivered as a written report and a walkthrough.

    You get

    • Ranked findings with fixes and effort
    • A summary for founders and investors
    • A walkthrough call with your team

    Typical shape

    Thanos and a senior engineer, to a fixed scope

    Quoted after a short call

    Ask for a quote

  • Audit and fix

    The audit, then we fix the HIGH items alongside your developers.

    You get

    • Everything in the audit and report
    • Fixes for the HIGH findings as reviewed pull requests
    • Tests that prove each fix holds

    Typical shape

    The audit, then the fixes

    Quoted after a short call

    Ask for a quote

  • Audit, then embed

    A senior engineer stays with your team to work through the plan.

    You get

    • Everything in the audit and report
    • A senior engineer in your stand-ups and reviews
    • Monthly progress against the fix plan

    Typical shape

    Part time or full time, reviewed monthly

    Quoted after a short call

    Ask for a quote

06WHO IT IS FOR

Who a code audit is for

  • Founders who inherited a codebase

    You took over code from an agency, a freelancer or a departed co-founder and need to know what you have.

  • Teams preparing to raise or sell

    You want to find and rank the issues before an investor's or a buyer's reviewer does.

  • Products built quickly with AI tools

    The app works, but nobody has checked what the generated code does under pressure.

Thanos Gkanas

07LED BY

Who audits your code

Every code audit is led by Thanos Gkanas, our Head of Engineering. He reads the critical paths himself and signs off every finding before it reaches you.

I rank every finding by what breaks first, not by how clever the fix is. You should know what to fix on Monday morning.

Thanos GkanasCO-FOUNDER · ENGINEERING
Thanos Gkanas
Co-Founder & Head of Engineering
Thanos's profileLinkedIn

08

Related services

For apps built with AI tools, an AI code audit adds checks for the patterns those tools tend to produce. Investors and acquirers usually need technical due diligence services, which cover the team and the roadmap as well as the code. If the product is already failing in production, start with software project rescue. Audits are part of our custom software development for startups practice.

  • AI code fixes

    Senior review and repair for apps built with AI coding tools: security, data and scale problems found, ranked and fixed.

    Thanos

  • Technical due diligence

    Code, architecture, security, team and scale risk, reviewed for investors and founders before a round or an acquisition.

    Thanos

  • Crisis response

    Senior help when production is down, a release failed or a vendor vanished: stabilize first, then fix the cause.

    Thanos

  • Product and engineering

    Need product decisions alongside the code? See custom software product development with both founders.

    Roger and Thanos

09

Insights on code quality and security

  • AI CODE FIXINGGUIDE

    How to measure and reduce technical debt

    How to measure technical debt, the types that hurt startups most, and a step-by-step way to reduce technical debt while you keep shipping features.

    Thanos Gkanas

  • AI code risk check

    Ten questions that show where an AI-built app is most likely to break: security, data, payments or operations.

    10 QUESTIONS · ABOUT 2 MIN

10FAQ

Code audit questions

What do code audit services include?

Code audit services include a review of security, architecture, code quality, tests, dependencies and the delivery pipeline, combining automated scanning with senior engineers reading the code. The result is a ranked list of findings, each with its impact, the fix and the effort, plus a summary written for founders and investors.

How much does a code audit cost?

The cost depends on the size of the codebase, the number of services and integrations, and how deep the security review goes. A single small application is a much smaller job than a platform with several services. We quote each audit after a short call, in writing, before it starts, so the cost does not grow during the work.

What is the difference between a manual and an automated code audit?

An automated audit runs scanners that quickly find known vulnerabilities, outdated packages and style problems. A manual audit has experienced engineers read the code to find logic errors, design flaws and risks no tool can recognize. Automated scans are a starting point; the findings that cost money usually come from the manual review.

When should a startup get a third-party code audit?

Get one before a funding round or an acquisition, or after taking over code from an agency or a departed developer. It also pays before scaling or entering a regulated market, and whenever releases keep breaking things. A third party sees the code without the history and habits that make problems invisible to the people who wrote it.

How long does a code audit take?

It depends on the size and complexity of the codebase. A focused audit of a single application is a much shorter job than a review of a platform with many services and integrations. We confirm the timeline when we agree the scope, after a first look at the repository and the architecture.

What do we receive at the end of a code audit?

You receive a written report with a summary, every finding ranked HIGH, MED or LOW with its impact, fix and effort, and a recommended order of work. We also walk your team through the findings on a call, so developers and founders come away with the same understanding of what to do next.

Do I need a code audit or technical due diligence?

Choose a code audit if you want to know the state of your code and what to fix. Choose technical due diligence if someone is deciding whether to invest in or buy the company, because it also covers the team, architecture, roadmap and scale risk. An audit is often a sensible first step towards due diligence.

Led by Thanos GkanasCo-Founder, engineering

Talk to Thanos about a code audit

20-minute intro call

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NEXT STEP

Get the fix list

Book a 20-minute call and tell us what the product does, how big the codebase is and what worries you. We will tell you whether an audit is the right step and what it would cover.

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