Last fall, I took some time to write a blog post on a subject that I’ve learned a lot about over the years: how to choose open source packages well. Because how many of us know that feeling of choosing a new package, only to have it turn around and bite us a few months or years later?
Fortunately there are some tried-and-true techniques for making good decisions about bringing new open source dependencies into your application. What I realized in writing that initial blog post is that there was more advice to give, so we turned it into this handy guide you can pull out at that moment when you are thinking to yourself “boy, I sure hope I am making the right decision on package X.”
Some of the things this guide covers include:
- How to build a package shortlist
- How to assess the quality of packages
- How to choose between imperfect options