Giraffe: Consider reviewing dependencies?

[isaacabraham]

Just a question if it's worth reviewing the dependency chain on Giraffe - I wonder if a few of packages in there are still needed (could be, I don't know):

• FSharp.Core (>= 4.7)
• Microsoft.AspNetCore.Authentication (>= 2.2)
• Microsoft.AspNetCore.Authorization (>= 2.2)
• Microsoft.AspNetCore.Diagnostics (>= 2.2)
• Microsoft.AspNetCore.Hosting.Abstractions (>= 2.2)
• Microsoft.AspNetCore.ResponseCaching (>= 2.2)
• Microsoft.IO.RecyclableMemoryStream (>= 1.2.2)
• Newtonsoft.Json (>= 12.0.2)
• System.Text.RegularExpressions (>= 4.3.1)
• System.ValueTuple (>= 4.5)
• System.Xml.XmlSerializer (>= 4.3)
• TaskBuilder.fs (>= 2.1)
• Utf8Json (>= 1.3.7)

I'm particularly wondering about the bottom half e.g. ValueTuple, XmlSerializer, RegularExpressions etc.. - are these needed in the netstandard2+ world? They massively increase the size of e.g. paket graphs.

Again, it may be that they're all needed - but if they aren't, maybe they can be removed?

[slang25]

Good point, here's my thoughts:

• FSharp.Core (>= 4.7)
  
  
  
  • Yep, seems fair
  
  
• Microsoft.AspNetCore.Authentication (>= 2.2)
  
  
  
  • Used in the Giraffe.Auth module
  
  
• Microsoft.AspNetCore.Authorization (>= 2.2)
  
  
  
  • Used in the Giraffe.Auth module
  
  
• Microsoft.AspNetCore.Diagnostics (>= 2.2)
  
  
  
  • Can go I think, not used
  
  
• Microsoft.AspNetCore.Hosting.Abstractions (>= 2.2)
  
  
  
  • Can go I think
  
  
• Microsoft.AspNetCore.ResponseCaching (>= 2.2)
  
  
  
  • Used in Giraffe.ResponseCaching module
  
  
• Microsoft.IO.RecyclableMemoryStream (>= 1.2.2)
  
  
  
  • Recently added for serialization perf, could use it in more places. The 1.3.0 version released 2 days ago has newer TFMs added (this had been bugging me)
  
  
• Newtonsoft.Json (>= 12.0.2)
  
  
  
  • Used, we have multiple serialization libraries, and I intend to add another (System.Text.Json, we get this "for free" in netcoreapp3.0 but must reference a package for earlier TFMs)
  
  
• System.Text.RegularExpressions (>= 4.3.1)
  
  
  
  • Implicitly included as part of netstandard2.0 and reference assemblies in net461
  
  
• System.ValueTuple (>= 4.5)
  
  
  
  • Same as above (additionally included via Utf8Json)
  
  
• System.Xml.XmlSerializer (>= 4.3)
  
  
  
  • Same as above
  
  
• TaskBuilder.fs (>= 2.1)
  
  
  
  • As you know we want netstandard2.0 added here. This could be included as source instead, which would sidestep another dependency. However users of Giraffe would need to go and add this package themselves if they were already using it in their code (quite common, also Saturn would require it)
  
  
• Utf8Json (>= 1.3.7)
  
  
  
  • Required. It could make sense to move the different JSON serialization options to their own package
  
  

[ssiltanen]

Newtonsoft.Json (>= 12.0.2)
Used, we have multiple serialization libraries, and I intend to add another (System.Text.Json, we get this "for free" in netcoreapp3.0 but must reference a package for earlier TFMs)

When you say "we get this "for free"", is it already possible to use System.Text.Json with giraffe, or was it a reference to it not needing another external dependency?

[slang25]

What I mean here is that we use the Microsoft.AspNetCore.App FrameworkReference here, so we don't need to add an additional dependency as it's already part of Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.

[isaacabraham]

Just as an example, moving from netcore2 to netcore3, removing the dependencies on the System. packages above for netcore3 and promoting Taskbuilder to netstandard2.0 results in a drastically simpler paket lock file (319 lines -> 25 lines):

STORAGE: NONE
RESTRICTION: == netcoreapp3.0
NUGET
  remote: https://api.nuget.org/v3/index.json
    FSharp.Core (4.7)
    Microsoft.IO.RecyclableMemoryStream (1.3)
    Newtonsoft.Json (12.0.3)
    System.Reflection.Emit (4.6)
    System.Reflection.Emit.Lightweight (4.6)
    System.Threading.Tasks.Extensions (4.5.3)
    System.ValueTuple (4.5)
    Utf8Json (1.3.7)
      System.Reflection.Emit (>= 4.3)
      System.Reflection.Emit.Lightweight (>= 4.3)
      System.Threading.Tasks.Extensions (>= 4.4)
      System.ValueTuple (>= 4.4)
  remote: C:\Users\Isaac\Source\LocalPackages
    Giraffe (4.1.0)
      FSharp.Core (>= 4.7)
      Microsoft.IO.RecyclableMemoryStream (>= 1.2.2)
      Newtonsoft.Json (>= 12.0.2)
      TaskBuilder.fs (>= 2.1)
      Utf8Json (>= 1.3.7)
    TaskBuilder.fs (2.2.0)
      FSharp.Core (>= 4.1.17)

Combined with the recent perf enhancements to Paket that @forki has done, we can do a full paket install / update in 3 seconds instead of 11 seconds.

[NinoFloris]

If we're going to change some of these, we should also include an explicit FSharp.Core reference so net461 and netstandard2.0 users on netcoreapp2.x don't get downgrade warnings.

Giraffe 4.0 is referencing >= 4.7.0 through the 3.x sdk but there's no reason it can't work with >= 4.6.2.

[forki]

where do you get 4.6.2 from?

[NinoFloris]

4.6.2 is the default FSharp.Core reference for < 3.0 sdks (at their latest patches)

[dustinmoris]

Is support for net461 even still required?

[dustinmoris]

@isaacabraham Am I right to assume that the 5.0.0-xxx packages have resolved this issue?

[slang25]

We have an issue with Taskbuilder.fs still, but that would go with #421

[semyon2105]

There are multiple JSON dependencies still. It would be nicer if Newtonsoft.Json and Utf8Json didn't get pulled by default and came as separate integration packages. The view engine should also be separated out IMO

[baronfel]

The view engine should also be separated out IMO

This has actually already been done in the new prereleases, so that's one off your list :)

[dustinmoris]

Currently all dependencies are required, but we could reduce them by separating out the JSON serializers.