[Python Dependency Pitfalls] Artisanal "from-scratch" development

Hey there,

The other day I got this question from Newsletter member Newvick in my email inbox:

~~~

I'm trying to get past the beginner's stage in Python and one problem I have is:

When do you use libraries/frameworks and when do you make things from scratch? (whether for learning or developing something for a client/work)

~~~

When to code functionality from scratch and when to use libraries, that's an important question.

There's a fine balance you need to strike here:

When I learned how to program I was "reinventing wheels" left and right—and it pushed my abilities forward quickly.

I was constantly writing all kinds of existing functionality from scratch and it was the right thing to do because it helped me grow my skills.

It was a great learning exercise.

But there comes a time in a developer's life when that strategy doesn't work so well any more:

Eventually I found that I wasn't learning as quickly anymore trying to build everything from scratch.

Plus my development pace was dog-slow.

I was spinning my wheels—and my productivity began to plateau.

Another downside is this:

It's difficult to work on a team when someone always wants to approach every single problem from first principles. It can drive coworkers and managers NUTS.

These days I try to use (good quality + well-documented!) third-party libraries where possible.

But again, you'll want to find a balance there:

For example, any professional chef worth their salt needs to learn how to make mayonnaise from scratch.

But eventually they'll know how to prepare it—and what great quality looks like.

From this point on buying pre-made mayo off the shelf can be a huge time saver:

In some dishes it simply WON'T make a difference on the end result.

It just *takes longer* to make everything from scratch…

Bringing it back to Python dependency management, here's my general rule of thumb:

"Only consider 'write from scratch' if time is NOT an issue. Otherwise use 3rd-party libraries and frameworks—but don't overdo it and only go for the trustworthy ones."

(Remember, you'll want to avoid another "left-pad" incident.)

Sometimes it's just tough as nails to strike the right balance here…and there's so much more to talk about on this topic.

If you want to dig deep and see how to make the leap from "amateur cook" to "professional chef" as a Pythonista, my Managing Python Dependencies course shows you how to get there.

It includes a complete step-by-step workflow for researching packages and making Python dependency decisions (and explaining them to your team, manager, or client).

Click the link below to learn more:

realpython.com/products/managing-python-dependencies/

— Dan Bader

P.S. "Re-inventing the wheel" disease was really something I struggled with as a fledgling dev. I'll show you how I got over it tomorrow.

Older messages

Why you need an efficient Python development setup

Monday, November 23, 2020

Hey there, What many Python developers don't realize is how much having a smooth development setup impacts their productivity. It takes hard and painstaking work to get a great setup for writing

[Python Dependency Pitfalls] What dev managers expect from Python candidates

Monday, November 23, 2020

Hey there, My friend Og is a senior manager at Red Hat and works with a large team of developers and quality engineers using Python. I got to pick his brain on what he thought were the most important

[Python Dependency Pitfalls] A total mess?

Friday, November 20, 2020

Hey there, Recently I watched a Pythonista ask for advice on setting up a Python project on his work machine. This new developer had some prior experience with NodeJS and had just started to get his

the holy grail of Pythonic exception handling?

Friday, November 20, 2020

Hey there, I'm surprised by it time and time again, but with programming, you truly *never* stop learning new things: The other day PythonistaCafe member Greg posted a new discussion thread where

Can I ask a favor?

Friday, November 20, 2020

Hey there, it's Dan... I noticed that you decided to pass on Managing Python Dependencies with Pip and Virtualenv—that's totally cool. I'm wondering if you could help me out by answering

You Might Also Like

Import AI 399: 1,000 samples to make a reasoning model; DeepSeek proliferation; Apple's self-driving car simulator

Friday, February 14, 2025

What came before the golem? ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

Defining Your Paranoia Level: Navigating Change Without the Overkill

Friday, February 14, 2025

We've all been there: trying to learn something new, only to find our old habits holding us back. We discussed today how our gut feelings about solving problems can sometimes be our own worst enemy

5 ways AI can help with taxes 🪄

Friday, February 14, 2025

Remotely control an iPhone; 💸 50+ early Presidents' Day deals -- ZDNET ZDNET Tech Today - US February 10, 2025 5 ways AI can help you with your taxes (and what not to use it for) 5 ways AI can help

Recurring Automations + Secret Updates

Friday, February 14, 2025

Smarter automations, better templates, and hidden updates to explore 👀 ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

The First Provable AI-Proof Game: Introducing Butterfly Wings 4

Friday, February 14, 2025

Top Tech Content sent at Noon! Boost Your Article on HackerNoon for $159.99! Read this email in your browser How are you, @newsletterest1? undefined The Market Today #01 Instagram (Meta) 714.52 -0.32%

GCP Newsletter #437

Friday, February 14, 2025

Welcome to issue #437 February 10th, 2025 News BigQuery Cloud Marketplace Official Blog Partners BigQuery datasets now available on Google Cloud Marketplace - Google Cloud Marketplace now offers

Charted | The 1%'s Share of U.S. Wealth Over Time (1989-2024) 💰

Friday, February 14, 2025

Discover how the share of US wealth held by the top 1% has evolved from 1989 to 2024 in this infographic. View Online | Subscribe | Download Our App Download our app to see thousands of new charts from

The Great Social Media Diaspora & Tapestry is here

Friday, February 14, 2025

Apple introduces new app called 'Apple Invites', The Iconfactory launches Tapestry, beyond the traditional portfolio, and more in this week's issue of Creativerly. Creativerly The Great

Daily Coding Problem: Problem #1689 [Medium]

Friday, February 14, 2025

Daily Coding Problem Good morning! Here's your coding interview problem for today. This problem was asked by Google. Given a linked list, sort it in O(n log n) time and constant space. For example,

📧 Stop Conflating CQRS and MediatR

Friday, February 14, 2025

​ Stop Conflating CQRS and MediatR Read on: m​y website / Read time: 4 minutes The .NET Weekly is brought to you by: Step right up to the Generative AI Use Cases Repository! See how MongoDB powers your