Why I Created a Dependency Graph: For Web Developers who Want to Write Efficient Code

How Do You Manage Dependencies?

When you develop, how much attention do you pay to managing module dependencies? Every time you write code, you import and export modules and files. However, surprisingly, many developers don’t pay much attention to this aspect. If imports are not managed properly, It can cause frustrating problems later on.

To prevent these issues, I created a dependency graph library for JavaScript and TypeScript users. Just focusing on managing dependencies can lead to better code. So, let’s explore how you can achieve this and the lessons I learned while building my library.

---

Why Dependency Management Matters

Before talking about the library, let’s discuss the importance of dependency management. Here’s a simple example:

import { Link } from "react-router-dom";

This is a common code. To use an external module, the code imports it. This import statement might be used in many files throughout your project. Now, here’s the problem: what happens if this module changes? Or if the variable name changes?

In the fast-moving world of web development, this isn’t unusual. Libraries are updated constantly, and even small version differences can cause issues. In collaborative projects or larger codebases, you might need to update the library version and, as a result, change all related import statements. Does this mean you’ll have to update all of them?

That would be far too inefficient. So how can we avoid this situation? By wrapping external dependencies with an middle layer. Let’s look at an example.

// router/link.js - Wrapping the external dependency
import { Link } from "react-router-dom";

// CustomLink component
const CustomLink = ({ to, children, ...props }) => {
  return (
    <Link to={to} {...props}>
      {children}
    </Link>
  );
};

export default CustomLink;

Instead of directly importing the external module everywhere, we wrap it with our own interface. This is a practical application of Inversion of Control (IoC).

// pages/Home.js
import CustomLink from "../router/CustomLink";

const Home = () => {
  return (
    <div>
      <h1>Welcome to the Home Page</h1>
      <CustomLink to="/about">Go to About Page</CustomLink>
    </div>
  );
};

export default Home;

Now, the external module is imported only once, and other files depend on the interface you created. This means that if you ever need to modify the external library, you only have to change a single line of code. This is why managing dependencies effectively is critical in projects.

---

Why I Built a Dependency Graph Library

As I mentioned, it is important to manage module dependencies. If you ignore it, you might end up spending a lot of time fixing things later. That’s why I decided to create a dependency graph library.

If an external module is overly dependent on too many internal modules, it can make maintenance challenging. But it is inefficient to manually search through dependencies with Ctrl+F. I realized a visualization tool was necessary.

vectordxy / decode-deps

Debug Tool: a Dependency Graph, visualizing module dependencies in js, jsx, ts, tsx projects.

DecodeDeps is a dev-tool that analyzes and visualizes module dependencies in js, jsx, ts, tsx projects. It identifies modules using import and require statements and generates a graph to illustrate these relationships. By providing a visualization of module dependencies, it offers insights for building a more structured codebase.

🚀 Last Update v.1.2.0 (November 13, 2024)

• Add functionality to distinguish and display external and internal modules
• Update UI for the side menu

🌟 Key Features

• For js, jsx, ts and tsx files: Visualizes module dependencies by analyzing import and require statements, providing a graph view.
• Multiple folders: Make it easy to analyze entire projects or specific subfolders.
• Detect circular dependencies: Automatically identifies circular dependencies within your modules.
• Various Node Color: Node colors vary based on module size, offering a quick visual indication.
• Interactive Graph: Navigate and explore the dependency graph with zoom and pan features, as…

View on GitHub

This library visualizes the relationships between dependencies in JavaScript and TypeScript projects. It distinguishes between external and internal modules and shows the size of each module. The graph helps you not only see how modules are connected but also identify potential issues, such as overly dependent modules, that could cause problems later.

It also makes it easy to detect circular dependencies. For example, if module A depends on Modules B, and B depends on A, it creates a circular dependency that could lead to significant issues during code updates. A dependency graph makes it easier to identify such issues.

Ultimately, this library is not just a tool for displaying dependencies; it’s a powerful way to improve code quality and simplify maintenance. It allows developers to understand the overall structure of their projects clearly, enhancing both code stability and scalability.

If you want to write more efficient code, feel free to give it a try. Feedback and feature suggestions are always welcome!