Highlights:

  • AppMap is making its tools easily available to a broader audience by introducing the Runtime Code Review solution on GitHub.
  • Unlike traditional code analyzers, AppMap compares before and after modifications to detect performance, security, and stability issues, preventing disruptions after updates.

AppMap, a startup specializing in code visualization, has unveiled a new GitHub integration called ‘Runtime Code Review’ for developers. This integration promises to provide unique capabilities to help developers enhance their software.

Appland Inc., known as AppMap, specializes in developing tools that generate visual diagrams for software applications. These visual representations offer interactive, high-level insights into the architecture and behavior of each application. Such information proves valuable for tasks like code review, debugging, code optimization, and documentation.

Software that tracks each user’s interactions with the application and examines the ensuing code execution generates AppMap’s diagrams automatically. They display the connections between the various code components, such as functions, classes, and data structures, as well as the data flow that occurs between them. Moreover, AppMap offers capabilities for scrutinizing and debugging applications, enabling monitoring variable values and examining the call stack during code execution.

The functionalities offered by AppMap prove highly beneficial for developers. Studies referenced by the company indicate that unanticipated code behavior and runtime issues account for up to 40% of all application performance problems and 50% of security-related concerns. Moreover, more than 70% of developers identify code complexity as their primary daily challenge. Therefore, any tool that enhances their ability to comprehend their code swiftly is likely to be warmly received, according to AppMap.

With the introduction of its Runtime Code Review solution in GitHub, AppMap enhances the accessibility of its tools. Within every pull request as comments, developers can now explore interactive visualizations and in-depth assessments, offering valuable insights into the underlying reasons behind any application problems. Diverging from conventional static code analyzers, AppMap excels in comparing pre- and post-modification states, effectively identifying essential concerns related to performance, security, and stability, mitigating potential disruptions following updates.

According to Founder and CEO Elizabeth Lawler, the Runtime Code Review, designed especially for software development organizations, is a logical extension of AppMap’s experience. She said, “Runtime code review detects code quality issues that organizations care about most: breaking changes, slow performance, and hidden application security defects. Runtime code review provides the insight every development team needs to evaluate the impact of code and release with confidence. Human coders or AI coders: runtime analysis works well for both.”

With the integration of its tools with GitHub, AppMap stands to benefit greatly from increased developer interest. With over a million downloads, AppMap is already accessible as a free and open-source code editor extension in the VS Code and  JetBrains marketplaces. This has aided the company in distributing its language-specific libraries to codebases across 160 countries.

AppMap announced that it would formally introduce its Runtime Code Review at the GitHub Universe 2023 Conference, which gets underway in San Francisco on Nov. 8.