Checklist before adding a new dependency to your android-app

Some dependencies are essential to make your app scale faster. Example - Networking libraries such as Retrofit/OkHttp.

Some dependencies might seem good in the initial stages, but they pose problems when,

Change - to newer/better libraries.

Upgrade - to the newer version of the same dependency which might come with breaking api changes.

Maintenance - Your teammates might not be aware that such a library is added to the code-base.

Hence, we will look at some checklist items that you need to reflect on (possibly fill it and share it with your android-team) before adding a new library. This also serves as a document that your team could look back on, to understand why this dependency was added in the first place.

Components Impacted

What components and modules will be impacted upon adding this library?

Usage

Details on how to use the library. Show me code!

Why do we need XYZ library?

What problem does it solve?

How does the problem affect consumers of the app?

Can we achieve this requirement using core libraries of android or kotlin instead?

Adoption strategy.

Is XYZ library is replacing any other existing library? If yes, share the details on migration strategy.

Rollout strategy - Are we doing a/b testing to make sure it behaves correctly? Share the details on adoption strategy, when do we plan to roll out 100%?

What are the alternatives to XYZ library?

Can we extract just the required functionality and add it instead? If no, why not?

Have we verified the open issues/active maintenance etc of the library?

What other libraries were considered? mention pros and cons, build time, apk size.

Data on memory profiling objects allocation, shallow size, share the screenshot and mention any other relevant data.

Why the selected library is better than the other alternatives?

What is the impact of adding XYZ library in terms of?

APK size of release and debug flavors.

Build time on local and CI.

Method count that the library adds in release flavor.

Performance of the app - How the app behaves while other apps are open in the background? Have we checked the leaks using leak-canary after integrating library to the app?

To have a smooth update of this library with a better alternative in the future.

Can we create a facade and access the library via facade?

References

Github link