Recombinedepends

Recombinedepends is a term used in the context of software packaging to describe a mechanism for recomputing the dependency graph of one or more packages. It is not a formal, universal field in mainstream package formats, but rather a concept that appears in certain packaging workflows and tools to optimize or stabilize dependency resolution.

Overview

The idea behind recombinedepends is to reanalyze and potentially reassemble the set of required and optional dependencies after changes to package metadata, such as updates to versions, new provides, or altered dependency constraints. By re-evaluating dependencies, the tooling aims to produce a coherent and minimized graph that still satisfies all requirements, including transitive dependencies and virtual packages.

How it works

Typically, a recomputation pass starts from the declared dependencies of involved packages, traverses transitive requirements, and then prunes redundancies. It may merge equivalent requirements, resolve virtual provides more aggressively, and apply policy rules (for example, preferring newer versions or co-installable sets). The result is a revised dependency set used to drive installation, build, or image assembly processes.

Contexts and use cases

Recombinedepends can appear in release engineering, container image creation, or multi-package builds whereLarge dependency graphs become unwieldy or unstable across environment changes. It can help achieve consistency across environments and reduce footprint by eliminating duplicate or unnecessary dependencies.

Benefits and caveats

Benefits include potentially simpler dependency graphs, better reuse of shared dependencies, and improved reproducibility. Caveats include the risk of instability if recomputation changes expected dependencies, increased tooling complexity, and the need for clear policy rules to avoid regressions.

See also

Dependency resolution, transitive dependencies, Provides, virtual packages, packaging policy.