How to Work With Legacy Code Without Contempt

Legacy is evidence of survival — read it before you rewrite it.

[ essay ]

Legacy code kept the business alive. Approach it with archaeology, not contempt.

Before refactor, characterize behavior: tests, logs, user flows. Understand why the strange branch exists — often a production fire you never saw.

Not every ghost needs exorcism. Stable, low-churn modules can rest.

When you change legacy, leave breadcrumbs: comments, ADRs, migration notes.

Someday your code will haunt someone else. Write the kind of legacy you wish you inherited.

— JV · Dark Heart Labs.