Refactoring Amazon Q Developer Code for Production

Amazon Q-generated CDK code sometimes creates one stack with all resources rather than separating them by lifecycle. Lambda functions can grow large with multiple responsibilities. Generated code may use CDK Level 1 (CfnX) constructs when higher-level constructs (Level 2/3) would be more maintainable

Split CDK infrastructure into separate stacks by environment lifecycle (network, stateful resources, stateless services). Extract Lambda function code into shared layers for common utilities. Replace L1 CDK constructs with L2 equivalents for better defaults and type safety

Not all Amazon Q Developer code needs refactoring. If it works, is secure, and you don't need to modify it, leave it alone. Refactor when: you need to add features and the current structure makes it difficult, bugs keep appearing in the same area of code, or onboarding new developers takes too long because the code is hard to understand.

The golden rule of refactoring: behavior stays the same, structure changes. Before refactoring any code, make sure you have tests covering the current behavior (or add them first). Refactor in small steps — change one thing at a time and verify the app still works. Use version control (git) to commit after each successful change so you can revert if something breaks.

A well-organized project has a predictable structure where anyone can find what they're looking for. Group files by feature (not by type), keep related code together, and use clear naming. Every file should have a single clear purpose. If you can't describe what a file does in one sentence, it's probably doing too much and should be split.