Dependency Management

Table of Contents

• Overview
• When to Use
• Quick Start
• Reference Guides
• Best Practices

Overview

Comprehensive dependency management across JavaScript/Node.js, Python, Ruby, Java, and other ecosystems. Covers version control, conflict resolution, security auditing, and best practices for maintaining healthy dependencies.

When to Use

• Installing or updating project dependencies
• Resolving version conflicts
• Auditing security vulnerabilities
• Managing lock files (package-lock.json, Gemfile.lock, etc.)
• Implementing semantic versioning
• Setting up monorepo dependencies
• Optimizing dependency trees
• Managing peer dependencies

Quick Start

Minimal working example:

# Initialize project
npm init -y

# Install dependencies
npm install express
npm install --save-dev jest
npm install --save-exact lodash  # Exact version

# Update dependencies
npm update
npm outdated  # Check for outdated packages

# Audit security
npm audit
npm audit fix

# Clean install from lock file
npm ci  # Use in CI/CD

# View dependency tree
npm list
npm list --depth=0  # Top-level only

Reference Guides

Detailed implementations in the references/ directory:

Guide	Contents
Package Manager Basics	Package Manager Basics
Semantic Versioning (SemVer)	Semantic Versioning (SemVer)
Dependency Lock Files	Dependency Lock Files
Resolving Dependency Conflicts	Resolving Dependency Conflicts
Security Vulnerability Management	Security Vulnerability Management
Monorepo Dependency Management	Monorepo Dependency Management
Peer Dependencies	Peer Dependencies
Performance Optimization	Performance Optimization
CI/CD Best Practices	CI/CD Best Practices
Dependency Update Strategies	Dependency Update Strategies

Best Practices

✅ DO

• Commit lock files to version control
• Use npm ci or equivalent in CI/CD pipelines
• Regular dependency audits (weekly/monthly)
• Keep dependencies up-to-date (automate with Dependabot)
• Use exact versions for critical dependencies
• Document why specific versions are pinned
• Test after updating dependencies
• Use semantic versioning correctly
• Minimize dependency count
• Review dependency licenses

❌ DON'T

• Manually edit lock files
• Mix package managers (npm + yarn in same project)
• Use npm install in CI/CD (use npm ci)
• Ignore security vulnerabilities
• Use wildcards (*) for versions
• Install packages globally when local install is possible
• Commit node_modules to git
• Use latest tag in production
• Blindly run npm audit fix
• Install unnecessary dependencies