When we talk about DevOps, most conversations revolve around CI/CD pipelines, Kubernetes deployments, or monitoring. But one silent risk often goes unnoticed in many teams: dependency analysis.
Two powerful tools exist in the Maven ecosystem for this purpose:
mvn dependency:analyze → checks unused and undeclared dependencies in your project.
OWASP Dependency-Check → identifies known security vulnerabilities (CVEs) in your dependencies.
Yet, despite their importance, these tools are rarely enforced at the build level. Let’s explore why — and why that needs to change.
🔹 The Difference Between the Two
mvn dependency:analyze
Detects dependencies that are declared but unused.
Finds dependencies you use in code but forgot to declare.
Helps keep your pom.xml clean and accurate.
OWASP Dependency-Check
Scans dependencies against public vulnerability databases (NVD, CVE).
Identifies if you’re using libraries with known security issues (e.g., Log4j vulnerability).
Generates detailed HTML/XML/JSON reports.
👉 In short:
dependency:analyze = code hygiene.
OWASP = security hygiene.
🔹 Why DevOps Teams Miss Them
Even though these plugins are critical, many teams don’t integrate them into CI pipelines. Here’s why:
1.Lack of Awareness – Many assume Maven is just for build/compile/package.
2.Not Breaking Builds – By default, these tools report warnings, not errors. Easy to ignore.
3.Time Pressure – Fixing unused or vulnerable dependencies takes time. Deadlines win.
4.Ownership Confusion – Developers, DevOps, or Security? Nobody owns dependency hygiene.
5.Tool Fatigue – Pipelines already run tests, linting, code coverage; dependency checks feel like “extra noise.”
6.False Positives – Tools sometimes flag safe dependencies, frustrating teams.
7.Legacy Projects – Older apps may surface dozens of issues; teams get overwhelmed and ignore them.
8.Security as “Afterthought” – In many orgs, security scanning is done after release, not during build.
9.Missing in Templates – Spring Boot Initializr or company archetypes don’t include these checks by default.
10.Culture – Teams prioritize velocity over quality. Security feels optional, not mandatory.
🔹 Why Dependency Analysis Matters
70–80% of modern Java apps are open-source dependencies.
Vulnerabilities in those libraries are the #1 entry point for attackers.
Example: Log4Shell (CVE-2021-44228) in Log4j. No matter how secure your code was, if you used an affected version, you were exposed.
Dependency analysis ensures:
Clean, minimal pom.xml → faster builds, fewer conflicts.
Secure dependencies → reduced attack surface.
Strong DevSecOps pipeline → security becomes part of “done.”
🔹 How to Fix the Gap
Shift Left Security – Run dependency checks early, as part of the build.
Fail Fast – Configure tools to fail builds on critical vulnerabilities or misdeclared dependencies.
Make It Culture – Treat dependency hygiene like tests: if it fails, the build fails.
Automate Updates – Use tools like Renovate or Dependabot to keep dependencies fresh.
Integrate Across Teams – Developers own clean code, DevOps owns clean pipelines, Security owns vulnerability policies. Together → DevSecOps.
🔹 Final Thoughts
Dependency analysis is not a “nice to have.” It’s a must-have guardrail in modern DevOps.
mvn dependency:analyze keeps your project clean.
OWASP Dependency-Check keeps your project safe.
If your team isn’t already running these checks at the build level, you’re flying blind. It’s time to change that.
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