Stepdepends

Stepdepends is a tool designed to manage dependencies between tasks or steps in a workflow. It helps to define the order in which different operations should be executed, ensuring that prerequisite tasks are completed before subsequent ones begin. This is particularly useful in complex systems where tasks have interdependencies, such as in software development pipelines, data processing workflows, or build systems.

The core functionality of stepdepends revolves around creating a directed acyclic graph (DAG) where nodes represent tasks and edges represent dependencies. When a task is executed, stepdepends checks if all its dependencies have been met. If they have, the task can proceed. If not, the task waits until its prerequisites are satisfied. This mechanism prevents errors that might arise from attempting to run tasks out of order.

Stepdepends can be configured to handle various dependency scenarios. It supports simple sequential dependencies, parallel execution of independent tasks, and more intricate conditional dependencies. The tool often integrates with existing task runners or orchestration systems, providing a layer of dependency management on top of them. This allows users to focus on defining the logic of their individual steps without worrying about the complex orchestration required to run them correctly. By automating the dependency checking and execution flow, stepdepends contributes to increased reliability and efficiency in executing multi-step processes.