dependenciesremains

Dependenciesremains is a term used in software engineering to describe the residual artifacts and obligations that endure after a dependency is removed from a project. The concept covers code and configuration references, build and deployment scripts, data migrations, license and security obligations, test scaffolding, and organizational knowledge that continue to shape maintenance or risk even after the dependency's removal.

Origin and scope: The term has gained usage in industry discussions as a way to analyze why removing a dependency does not immediately simplify a project. It draws attention to the non-obvious costs of deprecation, including leftover API calls, stale documentation, transitive constraints, and hidden dependencies in downstream systems.

Manifestations: Examples include dead code paths that still import the removed library, obsolete API wrappers, outdated unit tests, lingering configuration flags, and license notices embedded in artifacts. Residual security advisories may continue to apply if transitive components were part of the removed dependency. Shared data models or schemas may require reconciliation with the removed dependency.

Measurement and management: There is no universal metric for dependenciesremains, but teams commonly assess the fraction of source files referencing the removed dependency, the number of tests or docs that require updates, and the amount of license or security obligations that persist. Mitigation involves thorough dependency audits, phased deprecation, automated search-and-remove tooling, and explicit deprecation timelines that include removal of all remnants.

See also: dependency management, software maintenance, license compliance, deprecation, software archaeology.