How can you keep one copy of your utility code and let multiple consumer components use and deploy
it?

To effectively maintain a single copy of utility code that can be used and deployed by multiple consumer components, several architectural and design practices can be adopted. These practices ensure code reusability, maintainability, and ease of deployment across different components or services. Here's a comprehensive approach:

1. Use of Shared Libraries

Create a shared library or module that encapsulates the utility code. This library should be designed with high cohesion, ensuring that it focuses on providing a well-defined set of functionalities that are related and useful across multiple consumer components[3][7]. The library should be version-controlled and made available in a repository where consumer components can access it.

2. Package Management and Dependency Control

Utilize package managers (e.g., npm for JavaScript, Maven for Java, NuGet for .NET) to manage the shared library as a package. This allows consumer components to declare the shared library as a dependency in their project configuration files[7][8]. Package managers handle the downloading, updating, and referencing of the correct version of the shared library, ensuring that consumer components always use the intended version.

3. Semantic Versioning

Adopt semantic versioning for the shared library to manage changes and compatibility[7]. Semantic versioning involves versioning the library in the format of MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH, where you increment the:

• MAJOR version when you make incompatible API changes,
• MINOR version when you add functionality in a backward-compatible manner, and
• PATCH version when you make backward-compatible bug fixes.

This versioning strategy helps consumer components to understand the impact of updating the shared library and manage dependencies accordingly.

4. Continuous Integration and Delivery (CI/CD) Pipelines

Implement CI/CD pipelines for the shared library to automate testing, building, and deployment processes[12]. This ensures that any changes made to the utility code are automatically tested against a suite of tests to verify compatibility and functionality before being deployed to a package repository or directly to consumer components.

5. Documentation and Examples

Maintain comprehensive documentation and provide examples of how to use the shared library[15]. This includes detailing the API, providing setup instructions, and showcasing common use cases. Good documentation supports consumer components in integrating and using the shared library effectively.

6. Microservices and Shared Code at Scale

For architectures involving microservices or when deali...