Rewriting
Rewriting is a software development methodology that involves completely reimplementing an existing system or component from scratch, often to address technical debt, improve performance, or adopt modern technologies. It contrasts with incremental refactoring by discarding the old codebase entirely and building a new version based on updated requirements and design principles. This approach is typically used when legacy systems become too costly to maintain or when fundamental architectural changes are needed.
Developers should consider rewriting when an existing codebase has accumulated significant technical debt, uses outdated technologies that hinder productivity, or has architectural flaws that cannot be fixed through gradual improvements. Common use cases include migrating monolithic applications to microservices, upgrading from legacy languages like COBOL to modern ones like Java or Python, or when performance bottlenecks require a complete redesign. However, it should be approached cautiously due to high costs and risks of introducing new bugs.