Dependency Resolver

Dependency Resolver

Analyze, manage, and resolve software dependencies to ensure safe and successful deployments. Identifies conflicts, security vulnerabilities, version mismatches, and missing dependencies.

Core Capabilities

1. Dependency Analysis

Examine project dependencies:

• Direct dependencies - Packages explicitly required
• Transitive dependencies - Dependencies of dependencies
• Dev dependencies - Development-only packages
• Peer dependencies - Required by packages but not auto-installed
• Optional dependencies - Non-critical packages

2. Conflict Detection

Identify dependency issues:

• Version conflicts - Multiple versions of same package
• Missing dependencies - Required but not installed
• Incompatible versions - Version constraints that can't be satisfied
• Circular dependencies - Packages depending on each other
• Platform incompatibility - OS or architecture mismatches

3. Security Auditing

Check for vulnerabilities:

• Known CVEs - Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures
• Outdated packages - Old versions with security patches available
• Malicious packages - Typosquatting or compromised packages
• License issues - Incompatible or restrictive licenses

4. Dependency Resolution

Provide solutions:

• Version pinning - Lock compatible versions
• Conflict resolution - Strategies to resolve version conflicts
• Dependency updates - Safe upgrade paths
• Alternative packages - Replacement suggestions
• Minimal installations - Remove unnecessary dependencies

Dependency Resolution Workflow

Step 1: Identify Package Manager

Detect which dependency system is in use:

Package manager files:

npm/yarn:     package.json, package-lock.json, yarn.lock
pip:          requirements.txt, Pipfile, setup.py, pyproject.toml
maven:        pom.xml
gradle:       build.gradle, build.gradle.kts
cargo:        Cargo.toml, Cargo.lock
go:           go.mod, go.sum
composer:     composer.json, composer.lock
bundler:      Gemfile, Gemfile.lock
nuget:        *.csproj, packages.config

Step 2: Parse Dependency Manifest

Read and understand dependency declarations:

npm (package.json):

{
  "dependencies": {
    "express": "^4.18.0",
    "lodash": "~4.17.21"
  },
  "devDependencies": {
    "jest": "^29.0.0"
  },
  "peerDependencies": {
    "react": ">=16.0.0"
  }
}

Python (requirements.txt):

django>=4.0,<5.0
requests==2.28.1
numpy>=1.20.0
pytest  # No version specified

Maven (pom.xml):

<dependencies>
  <dependency>
    <groupId>org.springframework</groupId>
    <artifactId>spring-core</artifactId>
    <version>5.3.23</version>
  </dependency>
</dependencies>

Step 3: Analyze Dependency Tree

Build complete dependency graph:

my-app
├── express@4.18.2
│   ├── body-parser@1.20.1
│   │   └── bytes@3.1.2
│   ├── cookie@0.5.0
│   └── debug@2.6.9
│       └── ms@2.0.0
└── lodash@4.17.21

Check for:

• Multiple versions of same package
• Deeply nested dependencies
• Large dependency trees
• Unmaintained packages

Step 4: Detect Issues

Identify problems:

Version conflicts:

app requires:
  - package-a@1.0.0 (depends on shared@^1.0.0)
  - package-b@2.0.0 (depends on shared@^2.0.0)

Conflict: shared@1.x vs shared@2.x

Missing dependencies:

Error: Cannot find module 'missing-package'
Cause: Listed in package.json but not installed

Security vulnerabilities:

lodash@4.17.20 has known vulnerability CVE-2020-8203
Severity: High
Fix available: Upgrade to lodash@4.17.21

Step 5: Propose Solutions

Recommend fixes:

For version conflicts:

• Use compatible versions
• Update conflicting packages
• Use resolutions/overrides
• Consider alternatives

For missing dependencies:

• Install missing packages
• Add to manifest file
• Check for typos

For security issues:

• Update vulnerable packages
• Apply security patches
• Replace with secure alternatives

Dependency Management Patterns

Pattern 1: Version Conflict Resolution

Issue:

// package.json
{
  "dependencies": {
    "package-a": "^1.0.0",  // requires lodash@^3.0.0
    "package-b": "^2.0.0"   // requires lodash@^4.0.0
  }
}

Analysis:

Dependency tree:
├── package-a@1.0.0
│   └── lodash@3.10.1
└── package-b@2.0.0
    └── lodash@4.17.21

Conflict: Two versions of lodash (3.10.1 and 4.17.21)

Solution 1: Update package-a

{
  "dependencies": {
    "package-a": "^2.0.0",  // Updated version uses lodash@^4.0.0
    "package-b": "^2.0.0"
  }
}

Solution 2: Use resolutions (npm/yarn)

{
  "dependencies": {
    "package-a": "^1.0.0",
    "package-b": "^2.0.0"
  },
  "resolutions": {
    "lodash": "^4.17.21"
  }
}

Solution 3: Find alternative

{
  "dependencies": {
    "alternative-package-a": "^1.0.0",  // Doesn't depend on lodash
    "package-b": "^2.0.0"
  }
}

Pattern 2: Security Vulnerability Fix

Audit result:

$ npm audit

found 3 vulnerabilities (1 moderate, 2 high)

High: Prototype Pollution
Package: lodash
Dependency of: express
Path: express > lodash
More info: https://npmjs.com/advisories/1065

Solution:

# Check if update fixes it
npm audit fix

# Force update if needed
npm audit fix --force

# Or manually update
npm install lodash@latest

Verify fix:

npm audit
# 0 vulnerabilities

Pattern 3: Missing Peer Dependency

Error:

npm WARN package-b@1.0.0 requires a peer of react@>=16.0.0 but none is installed.

Analysis:

// package-b requires react but doesn't install it
{
  "peerDependencies": {
    "react": ">=16.0.0"
  }
}

Solution:

npm install react@^18.0.0

Update package.json:

{
  "dependencies": {
    "react": "^18.0.0",
    "package-b": "^1.0.0"
  }
}

Pattern 4: Outdated Dependencies

Check for updates:

npm outdated

Package    Current  Wanted  Latest  Location
express    4.17.1   4.18.2  4.18.2  my-app
lodash     4.17.20  4.17.21 4.17.21 my-app
react      17.0.2   17.0.2  18.2.0  my-app

Analysis:

• Current: Installed version
• Wanted: Max version satisfying semver
• Latest: Newest version available

Solution strategy:

# Safe: Update to wanted versions
npm update

# Major updates (breaking changes)
npm install react@latest  # Review changelog first

# Pin specific version
npm install express@4.18.2 --save-exact

Pattern 5: Circular Dependencies

Detection:

Circular dependency detected:
  package-a → package-b → package-c → package-a

Analysis:

// package-a/index.js
const b = require('./package-b');

// package-b/index.js
const c = require('./package-c');

// package-c/index.js
const a = require('./package-a');  // Circular!

Solution:

// Restructure to break cycle
// 1. Extract shared code to new package
// 2. Use dependency injection
// 3. Lazy loading

// Option 1: Extract shared functionality
// package-shared/index.js
module.exports = { sharedFunction };

// package-a/index.js
const shared = require('./package-shared');

// package-c/index.js
const shared = require('./package-shared');

Pattern 6: Platform-Specific Dependencies

Issue:

{
  "dependencies": {
    "fsevents": "^2.3.2"  // macOS only
  }
}

Error on Linux:

npm ERR! notsup Unsupported platform for fsevents@2.3.2

Solution:

{
  "dependencies": {
    "chokidar": "^3.5.3"  // Cross-platform alternative
  },
  "optionalDependencies": {
    "fsevents": "^2.3.2"  // macOS optimization
  }
}

Pattern 7: Dependency Bloat

Analysis:

# Check installed package sizes
npm ls --all --depth=0
du -sh node_modules/

# Result: 500MB for small app!

Identify large packages:

npx cost-of-modules

┌────────────────────────┬───────────┬────────────┐
│ name                   │ size      │ dependencies│
├────────────────────────┼───────────┼────────────┤
│ @babel/core            │ 45 MB     │ 234        │
│ webpack                │ 38 MB     │ 189        │
│ lodash                 │ 1.5 MB    │ 0          │
└────────────────────────┴───────────┴────────────┘

Solutions:

// Use lighter alternatives
{
  "dependencies": {
    "lodash.debounce": "^4.0.8",  // Instead of full lodash
    "date-fns": "^2.29.3"         // Instead of moment.js
  }
}

// Remove unused dependencies
// Use: npm prune
// Or: yarn autoclean

Version Constraint Syntax

npm/JavaScript (Semver)

^1.2.3   - Compatible with 1.2.3 (>=1.2.3 <2.0.0)
~1.2.3   - Approximately 1.2.3 (>=1.2.3 <1.3.0)
1.2.x    - 1.2.0, 1.2.1, etc. (>=1.2.0 <1.3.0)
*        - Any version
latest   - Latest version
1.2.3    - Exact version
>=1.2.3  - Greater than or equal
<2.0.0   - Less than
1.2.3 - 2.3.4  - Range

Python (PEP 440)

==1.2.3      - Exact version
>=1.2.3      - Minimum version
>=1.2,<2.0   - Range
~=1.2.3      - Compatible release (>=1.2.3, ==1.2.*)
!=1.2.3      - Exclude version
package      - Any version

Maven/Java

<version>1.2.3</version>           <!-- Exact -->
<version>[1.2.3]</version>         <!-- Exact (hard) -->
<version>[1.0,2.0)</version>       <!-- Range: 1.0 <= x < 2.0 -->
<version>[1.0,)</version>          <!-- Minimum 1.0 -->
<version>(,2.0)</version>          <!-- Maximum < 2.0 -->

Cargo/Rust

[dependencies]
package = "1.2.3"        # Exact: =1.2.3
package = "^1.2.3"       # Caret: >=1.2.3, <2.0.0
package = "~1.2.3"       # Tilde: >=1.2.3, <1.3.0
package = ">= 1.2.3"     # Inequality
package = "*"            # Any version

Dependency Commands Reference

npm/yarn

# Install dependencies
npm install
yarn install

# Add dependency
npm install package-name
yarn add package-name

# Add dev dependency
npm install --save-dev package-name
yarn add --dev package-name

# Update dependencies
npm update
yarn upgrade

# Check for outdated
npm outdated
yarn outdated

# Security audit
npm audit
yarn audit

# Fix vulnerabilities
npm audit fix
yarn audit fix

# List dependencies
npm ls
yarn list

# Remove unused
npm prune
yarn autoclean

# Lock file
npm ci  # Clean install from lock file
yarn install --frozen-lockfile

Python (pip)

# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Install package
pip install package-name

# Install specific version
pip install package-name==1.2.3

# Upgrade package
pip install --upgrade package-name

# List installed
pip list

# Show outdated
pip list --outdated

# Security check
pip-audit  # Requires pip-audit package

# Freeze dependencies
pip freeze > requirements.txt

# Uninstall
pip uninstall package-name

Maven

# Install dependencies
mvn install

# Update dependencies
mvn versions:update-properties

# Dependency tree
mvn dependency:tree

# Analyze dependencies
mvn dependency:analyze

# Check for updates
mvn versions:display-dependency-updates

# Security check (with OWASP plugin)
mvn dependency-check:check

Go

# Install dependencies
go mod download

# Add dependency
go get package-name

# Update dependencies
go get -u ./...

# Tidy dependencies
go mod tidy

# Verify dependencies
go mod verify

# List dependencies
go list -m all

# Dependency graph
go mod graph

# Security check
go list -json -m all | nancy sleuth

Pre-Deployment Checklist

1. Dependency Installation

# Verify all dependencies install successfully
npm ci  # or equivalent for your package manager

# Check for installation errors
echo $?  # Should be 0

2. Security Audit

# Run security audit
npm audit

# Check for high/critical vulnerabilities
# Fix if found
npm audit fix

3. License Compliance

# Check licenses
npx license-checker --summary

# Verify no GPL or incompatible licenses
npx license-checker --excludeLicenses "GPL,AGPL"

4. Dependency Tree Analysis

# Check for duplicate packages
npm dedupe

# Verify no circular dependencies
npm ls

# Check tree depth
npm ls --depth=5

5. Platform Compatibility

# Test on target platform
# Verify OS-specific dependencies work
# Check architecture compatibility (x64, arm64)

6. Lock File Consistency

# Ensure lock file is committed
git ls-files package-lock.json

# Verify lock file is up to date
npm ci

7. Size Check

# Check total size
du -sh node_modules/

# Identify large packages
npx cost-of-modules

# Remove dev dependencies for production
npm prune --production

Common Issues and Solutions

Issue 1: "Cannot find module"

Error:

Error: Cannot find module 'express'

Causes:

• Dependency not installed
• Not listed in package.json
• Wrong import path

Solutions:

# Install missing package
npm install express

# Add to package.json
npm install express --save

# Reinstall all dependencies
rm -rf node_modules
npm install

Issue 2: Version Conflict

Error:

npm ERR! peer dep missing: react@>=16.0.0

Solution:

# Check peer dependencies
npm info package-name peerDependencies

# Install required peer dependency
npm install react@^16.0.0

Issue 3: Lock File Out of Sync

Error:

npm ERR! package-lock.json lockfileVersion mismatch

Solution:

# Delete and regenerate
rm package-lock.json
npm install

# Or use correct npm version
nvm use 16
npm install

Issue 4: Network/Registry Errors

Error:

npm ERR! network timeout

Solution:

# Increase timeout
npm config set timeout 60000

# Try different registry
npm config set registry https://registry.npmjs.org/

# Clear cache
npm cache clean --force

Issue 5: Post-Install Script Failures

Error:

npm ERR! postinstall script failed

Solution:

# Check node/npm version
node --version
npm --version

# Update build tools
npm install -g node-gyp

# Install system dependencies (example for Ubuntu)
sudo apt-get install build-essential python3

Best Practices

1. Use lock files - Commit package-lock.json, yarn.lock, Cargo.lock
2. Pin major versions - Avoid wildcards in production
3. Regular updates - Keep dependencies current, not cutting-edge
4. Security audits - Run before every deployment
5. Minimal dependencies - Only include what you need
6. Review licenses - Ensure compatibility with your project
7. Test after updates - Run full test suite
8. Document decisions - Note why specific versions are used
9. Use semantic versioning - Understand version implications
10. Monitor size - Keep bundle size reasonable

Ecosystem-Specific Guides

For detailed ecosystem-specific information:

• JavaScript/Node.js: See references/npm_yarn.md
• Python: See references/python_deps.md
• Java: See references/maven_gradle.md
• Rust: See references/cargo.md
• Go: See references/go_modules.md