selfcontain

Self-contained is an adjective describing something that contains all necessary components to operate or function independently, without requiring external parts or systems. The term is used across several fields to indicate completeness, portability, or independence.

In housing and accommodations, a self-contained unit has its own kitchen and bathroom and does not rely on shared facilities. This is common for apartments, vacation rentals, or caravan accommodations, where the unit provides privacy and full living amenities within a single space.

In software and computing, a self-contained or standalone application includes all required dependencies and runtime components, allowing it to run on a target system without installing additional libraries or frameworks. Portable apps and self-contained installers exemplify this approach. Self-contained builds improve portability and reproducibility, especially for embedded systems or isolated environments, though they can produce larger executables due to bundled dependencies.

In other contexts, self-contained may describe systems designed to operate without external input or support, such as autonomous modules, energy-efficient units, or self-contained ecosystems. The concept is often contrasted with modular, dependent, or networked configurations that rely on external parts or services.

Note on terminology: the term selfcontain without a hyphen is uncommon in standard usage and may appear as a typographical variant or brand name. In technical and formal writing, self-contained is the preferred form.