We had just deployed the backend API server for a property management product built with NestJS, JWT authentication, and hosted on DigitalOcean.

Everything worked as expected.

Then a new developer joined the team. During our first technical session together, he reviewed the existing codebase — and started asking some thoughtful questions.

At first, I braced for criticism. But what came next was constructive, practical, and eye-opening.

🛠️ Here’s what he pointed out:

Documentation with JSDoc over Decorators

“Why not use JSDoc for Swagger? It’s cleaner and gives more flexibility.” I had been using NestJS decorators for Swagger, but his suggestion helped us future-proof the docs and simplify maintenance.
Implementing Refresh Tokens

“If you want users to stay logged in longer, consider a refresh token strategy.” We were only using short-lived access tokens. His point made sense — user experience matters too.
Switching to dotenv-flow

“Managing multiple .env files with dotenv-flow can make switching between staging and production smoother.” A simple package, but it solved a very real problem.

😬 My Initial Reaction?

Honestly? Defensive.
My code worked. I had reasons for the decisions I made. But instead of shutting down the discussion, I did something different this time:

I listened.

I asked more questions.

I explored his suggestions — and realized they weren’t just good ideas; they were better than what I had.

🚀 The Result?

We adopted dotenv-flow, implemented a secure refresh token flow, and improved our API documentation setup.
We shipped faster, onboarded new devs more easily, and improved our app’s security posture.

All from one conversation.

💡 Takeaways for Developers:

Working code is good, but collaborative code is better.
Feedback isn’t a threat — it’s a gift.
You can be experienced and still have blind spots.
Ego kills innovation. Curiosity fuels growth.

👋 I’m OSIOBE AJIRI

I’m a software engineer who believes in building solid products and stronger teams.

I write here on Hashnode, post regularly on LinkedIn, and share code on GitHub.
Follow along if you value backend development, real-world engineering stories, and continuous improvement.

What’s a time you got feedback that changed how you write code? I’d love to hear your experience.

"When Code Works, But Feedback Works Better — A Backend Engineering Lesson"