Selecting third-party libraries: the practitioners’ perspective

The selection of third-party libraries is an essential element of virtually any software development project. However, deciding which libraries to choose is a challenging practical problem. Selecting the wrong library can severely impact a software project in terms of cost, time, and development effort. Despite the importance of following a careful library selection process, in practice, the selection of third-party libraries is still conducted in an ad-hoc manner, where dozens of factors play an influential role in the decision. In our study, we systematically devised a comprehensive set of 26 technical, human, and economic factors that developers take into consideration when selecting a software library. We explain each of these factors and how they play a role in the decision.

The selection of third-party libraries is an essential element of virtually any software development project. However, deciding which libraries to choose is a challenging practical problem. Selecting the wrong library can severely impact a software project in terms of cost, time, and development effort. Despite the importance of following a careful library selection process, in practice, the selection of third-party libraries is still conducted in an ad-hoc manner, where dozens of factors play an influential role in the decision. In our study, we systematically devised a comprehensive set of 26 technical, human, and economic factors that developers take into consideration when selecting a software library. We explain each of these factors and how they play a role in the decision.