Real Dependencies

Real Dependencies refer to the actual, necessary relationships between software components, libraries, or modules that are required for an application to function correctly, as opposed to unused or transitive dependencies. This concept is crucial in software development for managing complexity, ensuring reliability, and optimizing performance. It involves identifying and maintaining only the essential dependencies to reduce bloat, security risks, and maintenance overhead.

Also known as: Essential Dependencies, Direct Dependencies, Core Dependencies, Necessary Dependencies, Primary Dependencies

Why learn Real Dependencies?

Developers should learn about Real Dependencies to build efficient and maintainable software, as it helps in minimizing technical debt and improving build times. This is particularly important in large-scale projects, microservices architectures, or when using package managers like npm or pip, where dependency sprawl can lead to vulnerabilities and deployment issues. Understanding this concept aids in practices such as dependency pruning and audit.

Learning Resources

• docs: Managing Dependencies in Software Development
• docs: npm Dependency Management Best Practices
• docs: Understanding Dependencies in Python with pip
• video: Dependency Hell and How to Avoid It
• book: Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship