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deepmind.google·6d ago
AI Engineering
Lobsters·25d ago·5 min read
Package Management as Org Chart
TL;DR
Dependency management in software development reflects organizational communication structures, as highlighted by Conway's Law. Various strategies, such as monorepos and Bazel, illustrate how teams manage dependencies and collaboration.
✦ Why It Matters
Evaluate your team's dependency management strategy today to improve collaboration and reduce confusion in your projects.
Key Takeaways
- Consider adopting a monorepo for unified dependency management.
- Implement Bazel for explicit dependency tracking.
- Establish a migration team for large-scale upgrades.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of Git submodules in your workflow.
Full Summary
Conway's Law posits that organizations create systems mirroring their communication structures, which is evident in dependency management tools. Different approaches to package management include monorepos with a single version policy, where all packages must agree on dependency versions, and Git submodules, which require manual updates.
Bazel, a build tool, enforces explicit dependency declarations in BUILD files, addressing the confusion that arises as organizations grow. These strategies reflect varying levels of collaboration and coordination among teams.
For instance, monorepos can simplify dependency management but require a dedicated migration team to ensure compliance. In contrast, Bazel's explicitness helps maintain clarity in large projects.
Understanding these methods can help engineers choose the right approach for their organizational structure.