Comprehensive Code Refactoring Lets Online Auction Master Handle Growth and Rising User Demands
Online Auction Master (Onlineauctionmaster.com) is a leading Dutch auction platform that conducts weekly auctions on behalf of the government, entrepreneurs, leasing companies, banks, and trustees. The company auctions a wide range of goods across industries such as agriculture, transportation, construction, manufacturing, and retail.
Online Auction Master approached DAC.digital with a critical challenge: modernizing and maintaining their legacy code. The code that their platform was built on was written several years ago, which limited the platform’s scalability. The outdated codebase made it challenging for developers to implement new features and address bugs, which hindered the platform’s growth and lowered its competitiveness in the online auction market.
To improve platform speed, listing management for sellers, and the bidding process for buyers, Online Auction Master needed experienced developers so we teamed up together to accelerate the project.
The effort focused on three key areas that improved platform performance, developer efficiency, and user experience
This goal of the project was to modernize the platform and support its further growth and it was achieved through several strategic initiatives:
Refactoring legacy code
As the client’s code was written 5-10 years ago, it was challenging to build upon it and introduce updates. DAC.digital developers got on-board to gradually rewrite the code and align with modern industry standards, letting Onlineauctionmaster team focus on ongoing tasks. The transition to TypeScript, a strongly typed superset of JavaScript, significantly improved code reliability and maintainability.
Component standardization
Many components in the legacy code were custom-built and inconsistent, which was contributing to inefficiencies during development. To allow to add new features more quickly, DAC.digital introduced a standardized component library. Now the client’s developers can create reusable and modular elements, saving time and avoiding redundant code.
Streamlined state management
The project involved migrating from Redux, an older state management library, to Redux Toolkit which is better suited for modern applications. Redux Toolkit’s simplicity and reduced boilerplate made the refactored code easier to work with.
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Legacy Code and Language Differences Presented Key Challenges
The legacy codebase was built partially in English and partially in Dutch, which complicated refactoring efforts. On top of that, some backend systems continued to deliver data in Dutch, limiting the scope of standardization to the front-end operations. The mixed-language environment often requires extra effort to accurately interpret and update the code, but DAC.digital’s developers, experienced in navigating international projects, handled it without disruptions.
Adding to those issues, another challenge was the complexity of the outdated existing system. Some parts of the legacy code were poorly documented or built using older, less modular practices. As a result, it was sometimes difficult to trace dependencies. To overcome this, DAC.digital’s developers systematically analyzed the codebase to uncover hidden dependencies and accurately identify areas for refactoring
Initial improvements encouraged the client to extend the modernization effort to the full platform
Through extensive code refactoring, the client has been able to transform their codebase and achieve the following measurable results:
- The refactored sections of the code are now easier to navigate, update, and maintain.
- By introducing component standardization and transitioning to modern technologies, developers have been able to significantly reduce the time needed for implementing features.
- Modern coding practices and tools have prepared the platform to accommodate future growth and evolving user demands.
Over the initial three months of the collaboration between DAC.digital and Online Auction Master, approximately 10% of the platform’s total codebase was successfully refactored. Despite the limited scope of this initial effort, the client recognized the positive impact of code refactoring on improving platform stability and performance. They decided to extend the partnership and scale the effort toward full platform modernization.
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With around 25% of the code already refactored, the collaboration continues
In just a few months, three experts provided by DAC.digital refactored around 25% of the code and they continue to work on the full modernization of the platform’s codebase. Completing the transition will eliminate technical debt, leading to lower maintenance costs and a stronger capacity to support future growth.
This collaboration has shown that code refactoring is a strategic investment for companies facing scalability challenges, increasing user demand, or difficulty in rolling out new features.
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