Dependencies Laravel Package

Product Decisions This Supports

• Dependency Inventory & Compliance: Automate generation of structured dependency lists (Composer/NPM) in Markdown for documentation, audits, or compliance reports (e.g., GDPR, licensing).
• Developer Onboarding: Reduce friction by providing a single CLI command to generate up-to-date dependency maps for new team members.
• Security & Risk Mitigation: Simplify dependency analysis by exporting dependencies to tools like Snyk, Dependabot, or custom scripts for vulnerability scanning.
• Build vs. Buy: Avoid reinventing a dependency extraction wheel; leverage this lightweight package instead of custom scripts or paid tools for basic needs.
• Monorepo/Submodule Support: Use the --path flag to standardize dependency extraction across modular projects or submodules.
• Roadmap for DevOps Integration: Enable CI/CD pipelines to auto-generate dependency reports (e.g., post-merge or pre-release) for transparency.

When to Consider This Package

• Adopt if:

  • Your team needs a quick, zero-config way to extract Composer/NPM dependencies into a readable format (Markdown).
  • You’re maintaining PHP/Laravel + JavaScript projects and want to avoid manual dependency tracking.
  • You need basic dependency documentation for internal wikis, READMEs, or compliance artifacts.
  • Your project uses submodules or non-standard paths (customizable via --path).
  • You’re evaluating low-maintenance, open-source tools with minimal dependencies (only 1 star but actively maintained).

• Look elsewhere if:

  • You need advanced dependency analysis (e.g., transitive dependency trees, conflict resolution).
  • Your stack relies on non-Composer/NPM package managers (e.g., Go, Rust, Python).
  • You require real-time dependency updates (this is a CLI tool, not a live API).
  • Your team needs integration with security scanners (consider dedicated tools like composer why + npm ls + custom scripts).
  • You prioritize enterprise-grade support (this is a niche, community-driven package).

How to Pitch It (Stakeholders)

For Executives: "This package automates the tedious task of documenting dependencies for our PHP/Laravel and JavaScript projects. With a single CLI command, we can generate clean Markdown reports of all dependencies—Composer and NPM—saving engineering time and improving compliance. It’s a lightweight, open-source solution that integrates seamlessly into our workflows, reducing manual errors and keeping our dependency inventory up to date. Ideal for onboarding, audits, and DevOps pipelines."

For Engineering/DevOps: *"Hermes/Dependencies is a minimalist tool to extract and format Composer/NPM dependencies into Markdown. Key benefits:

• Zero setup: Install via Composer and run vendor/bin/hermes with flags like --composer, --package, or --all.
• Flexible output: Customize paths (--path) and output locations (--output) for monorepos or submodules.
• Lightweight: No bloat—just a focused CLI tool (unlike heavyweight alternatives).
• Extensible: Output can feed into security tools, wikis, or custom scripts. Use case: Add it to your CI to auto-generate dependency reports post-merge or pre-release. Trade-off: Not for deep analysis, but perfect for basic inventory."*

For Developers: *"Need a quick way to dump all your dependencies into a readable file? This tool does that in 2 seconds. Install it (composer require --dev hermes/dependencies), then run:

vendor/bin/hermes --all > DEPENDENCIES.md

Supports Composer, NPM, and even submodules. Great for PR reviews, onboarding, or just curiosity."*