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The Dependency Black Hole
Blekinge Institute of Technology, Faculty of Computing, Department of Software Engineering.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-1729-5154
Blekinge Institute of Technology, Faculty of Computing, Department of Software Engineering.ORCID iD: 0009-0004-5806-6624
Blekinge Institute of Technology, Faculty of Computing, Department of Software Engineering.ORCID iD: 0000-0003-1350-7030
2026 (English)In: Proceedings - 2026 IEEE 23rd International Conference on Software Architecture Companion, ICSA-C 2026, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), 2026, p. 174-178Conference paper, Published paper (Refereed)
Abstract [en]

Microservice architectures promise independent evolution through loose coupling, yet large systems often exhibit strong dependency concentration around a small set of services. In an exploratory industrial case study of a product composed of 267 microservices, we triangulated multiple dependency signals - compile-time, run-time, and task dependencies - and iteratively validated our interpretations with practitioners. We observed a recurring macro-structure in the dependency network that resembles a black hole: a dense core of dependency magnets, a transitional region of services increasingly entangled with the core, and an outer region of lightly connected services. Based on these observations, we propose the dependency black hole theory, mapping the network to the black hole anatomy of a singularity, an event horizon, and an accretion disk, and formulating three hypotheses about how dependency concentration emerges and evolves at scale. The theory provides an explanatory lens for reasoning about dependency growth, identifying services at risk of becoming dependency magnets, and motivating governance interventions. We outline practical implications and directions for longitudinal and multi-case validation. 

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), 2026. p. 174-178
Keywords [en]
architectural dependency, dependency, microservice architecture, theory building, Architecture, Black holes, Gravitation, Network architecture, Independent evolutions, Industrial case study, Large system, Loose couplings, Multiple dependencies, Hole concentration
National Category
Software Engineering
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:bth-30473DOI: 10.1109/ICSA-C68850.2026.00044Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105048450623ISBN: 9798331557409 (print)OAI: oai:DiVA.org:bth-30473DiVA, id: diva2:2100973
Conference
23rd IEEE International Conference on Software Architecture Companion, ICSA-C 2026, Amsterdam, June 22-26, 2026
Available from: 2026-09-14 Created: 2026-09-14 Last updated: 2026-09-17Bibliographically approved

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Zabardast, EhsanPaudel, BhuwanGonzalez-Huerta, Javier

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