Over-Dependent with External Libraries or Packages: Why You Shouldn't Do That Monthly Meetup March 2024

Hello, i’m Wahyu! ● Udayana University : Information Technology (2018-2022) Education Work Experiences ● 2020 - Present: Freelance SE ● 2022 - 2023: QA Engineer (Djoin) ● 2023 - Present: SE (Taksu Tech)

Today’s Discussion ● The inspiration of this topic ● What is external packages/library ● What could go wrong with “just import it”? ● Why is this “culture” become concerning? ● When is the right time to use one and how to choose the right packages/libraries? ● Conclusion

The inspiration of this topic

Tech bros debate on Twitter 😂

What is external packages/library

Simple explanation (thanks ChatGPT) Third-party code to extend functionality; not part of core software (but sometimes it does lol).

What could go wrong with “just import it”?

Nah, nothing could go wrong, until i add that last 20+ “very-important-and-a -must-have” packages

Quick Quiz

Answer Honestly Imagine yourself being a front-end engineer that given a mission to make this feature possible: Which option suits you the most? a. Discuss with team, estimate the time, make the task card, then code it. b. Discuss with team, estimate the time, make the task card, then npm install react-data-grid

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Why is this “culture” become concerning?

We become overly dependent on someone else's code (and lazy too).

Hiding behind “Don’t reinvent the wheels” statement This is the common strategy that they use to justify their decision for importing packages/libraries *lazy and lame moves tbh

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Bloated project size

Not giving a damn about the maintainability and security when using external packages/libraries.

When is the right time to use one and how to choose the right packages/libraries?

The right time to use external package/library? Before you use one, ask yourself and the team this question: 1. Is this problem too big or too complex for the internal packages or libraries to handle ? 2. Did I word my query correctly when searching on Google to express what I am really looking for? 3. What actions haven't I tried before using an external packages/libraries? Special case: Some services require you to installing external dependencies (example: Inspector)

How to choose the right external packages/libraries Some of many things you need to consider before installing packages/libraries: 1. Package/library published & last updated date 2. Number of open issues 3. The version that's supported with your code 4. Features offered and extra features you might need in the near future 5. Is there any compatibility issues with other libraries you are currently using 6. How much content is readily available (Docs, Stackoverflow, Articles) 7. Who are the people behind the package/library 8. Projected future improvements to the package/library 9. Community support 10. Licensing status

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Conclusion

1. Tech bros debate on Twitter inspire me to make this talk 2. An external package/library is someone else’s code distributed to many people, intended to help solve repetitive problems, not to become an excuse for avoiding writing code. 3. PLEASE avoid relying too heavily on someone else’s code. This will make you lazy and start blabbering some bullsh*t to justify your laziness. 4. Arrange some discussion, question some things, and do research with team before deciding to use external packages/libraries. 5. Meme

“Using external packages/libraries is okay; just don’t overuse them to the point where 90%~ of your project consists of someone else’s code.” - Wahyu

Article Version: Scheduled to be released on 1 April 2024 https://medium.com/@wahyuivan plz follow hehe 🗣🤓

Thank you! Terima kasih! why.u9 @wahyuivan @ivanwahyu195