Commit 8f1e3a38 authored by GitLab Bot's avatar GitLab Bot

Consolidate the guides on frontend dependencies

This consolidates the guides we had on frontend dependencies and adds a
section about the ability to reject simple dependency updates by
community contributors.
parent 86a5baf4
......@@ -6,28 +6,75 @@ info: To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated w
# Frontend dependencies
## Package manager
We use [yarn@1](https://classic.yarnpkg.com/lang/en/) to manage frontend dependencies.
We use [Yarn](https://yarnpkg.com/) to manage frontend dependencies. There are a few exceptions, stored in `vendor/assets/`.
There are a few exceptions in the GitLab repository, stored in `vendor/assets/`.
## Updating dependencies
## What are production and development dependencies?
These dependencies are defined in two groups within `package.json`, `dependencies` and `devDependencies`.
For our purposes, we consider anything that is required to compile our production assets a "production" dependency.
That is, anything required to run the `webpack` script with `NODE_ENV=production`.
Tools like `eslint`, `jest`, and various plugins and tools used in development are considered `devDependencies`.
This distinction is used by omnibus to determine which dependencies it requires when building GitLab.
### Renovate GitLab Bot
Exceptions are made for some tools that we require in the
`compile-production-assets` CI job such as `webpack-bundle-analyzer` to analyze our
production assets post-compile.
## Updating dependencies
We use the [Renovate GitLab Bot](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/frontend/renovate-gitlab-bot) to
automatically create merge requests for updating dependencies of several projects. You can find the
up-to-date list of projects managed by the renovate bot in the project’s README. Some key dependencies
updated using renovate are:
automatically create merge requests for updating dependencies of several projects.
You can find the up-to-date list of projects managed by the renovate bot in the project’s README.
Some key dependencies updated using renovate are:
- [`@gitlab/ui`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ui)
- [`@gitlab/svgs`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-svgs)
- [`@gitlab/eslint-plugin`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/frontend/eslint-plugin)
- And any other package in the `@gitlab/` scope
We have the goal of updating [_all_ dependencies with renovate](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/frontend/rfcs/-/issues/21).
Updating dependencies automatically has several benefits, have a look at this [example MR](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/53613).
- MRs will be created automatically when new versions are released
- MRs can easily be rebased and updated with just checking a checkbox in the MR description
- MRs contain changelog summaries and links to compare the different package versions
- MRs can be assigned to people directly responsible for the dependencies
### Community contributions updating dependencies
It is okay to reject Community Contributions that solely bump dependencies.
Simple dependency updates are better done automatically for the reasons provided above.
If a community contribution needs to be rebased, runs into conflicts, or goes stale, the effort required
to instruct the contributor to correct it often outweighs the benefits.
If a dependency update is accompanied with significant migration efforts, due to major version updates,
a community contribution is acceptable.
Here is a message you can use to explain to community contributors as to why we reject simple updates:
```markdown
Hello CONTRIBUTOR!
Thank you very much for this contribution. It seems like you are doing a "simple" dependency update.
If a dependency update is as simple as increasing the version number, we'd like a Bot to do this to save you and ourselves some time.
This has certain benefits as outlined in our <a href="https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/development/fe_guide/dependencies.html#updating-dependencies">Frontend development guidelines</a>.
You might find that we do not currently update DEPENDENCY automatically, but we are planning to do so in [the near future](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/frontend/rfcs/-/issues/21).
Thank you for understanding, I will close this Merge Request.
/close
```
### Blocked dependencies
We discourage installing some dependencies in [GitLab repository](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab)
because they can create conflicts in the dependency tree. Blocked dependencies are declared in the
`blockDependencies` property of the GitLab [`package.json` file](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/blob/master/package.json).
We discourage installing some dependencies in [GitLab repository](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab) because they can create conflicts in the dependency tree.
Blocked dependencies are declared in the `blockDependencies` property of the GitLab [`package.json`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/blob/master/package.json).
## Dependency notes
......
---
stage: none
group: unassigned
info: To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated with this page, see https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/engineering/ux/technical-writing/#assignments
redirect_to: '../fe_guide/dependencies.md'
---
# Dependencies
This document was moved to [another location](../fe_guide/dependencies.md).
## Adding Dependencies
GitLab uses `yarn` to manage dependencies. These dependencies are defined in
two groups within `package.json`, `dependencies` and `devDependencies`. For
our purposes, we consider anything that is required to compile our production
assets a "production" dependency. That is, anything required to run the
`webpack` script with `NODE_ENV=production`. Tools like `eslint`, `karma`, and
various plugins and tools used in development are considered `devDependencies`.
This distinction is used by omnibus to determine which dependencies it requires
when building GitLab.
Exceptions are made for some tools that we require in the
`gitlab:assets:compile` CI job such as `webpack-bundle-analyzer` to analyze our
production assets post-compile.
To add or upgrade a dependency, run:
```shell
yarn add <your dependency here>
```
This may introduce duplicate dependencies. To de-duplicate `yarn.lock`, run:
```shell
node_modules/.bin/yarn-deduplicate --list --strategy fewer yarn.lock && yarn install
```
---
> TODO: Add Dependencies
<!-- This redirect file can be deleted after <2021-05-14>. -->
<!-- Before deletion, see: https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/development/documentation/#move-or-rename-a-page -->
......@@ -13,10 +13,6 @@ This is a living document, and we welcome contributions, feedback, and suggestio
Guidance on topics related to development.
## [Dependencies](dependencies.md)
Learn about all the dependencies that make up our frontend, including some of our own custom built libraries.
## [Modules](modules/index.md)
Learn about all the internal JavaScript modules that make up our frontend.
......
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