Meaning – The term dependency, in the context of computer science, refers to a level of interdependency between two objects of a program, where the object of one program, calls upon the function of an object of another program.
The word dependency is also used to describe the level of interdependence between the software modules, or the strength of the relationship between the two modules.
The study of the dependency between statements of a program, or objects of the program, is known as dependence analysis.
There are three major kinds of dependencies – data dependency, name dependency and control dependency.
Whenever changes within a program, causes unknown or unexpected side effects, its is termed as a hidden dependency, as its unclear as to which relationship has caused these side effects within the program.
Example of usage – “While documenting the program, the developer performed a dependence analysis to properly capture the various dependencies in his code.”
