Insights into Dependency Maintenance Trends in the Maven Ecosystem

Abstract: As modern software development increasingly relies on reusable libraries and components, managing dependencies has become critical for ensuring software stability and security. However, challenges such as outdated dependencies, missed releases, and the complexity of interdependent libraries can significantly impact project maintenance. In this paper, we present a quantitative analysis of the Neo4j dataset using the Goblin framework to uncover patterns of freshness in projects with different numbers of dependencies. Our analysis reveals that releases with fewer dependencies have a higher number of missed releases. Additionally, our study shows that the dependencies in the latest releases have positive freshness scores, indicating better software management efficacy. These results can encourage better management practices and contribute to the overall health of software ecosystems.