Package
A software package is a named grouping of modules or components, often with related resources and metadata, organized for import, reuse, distribution, or management.
The Quick Python Book, Fourth Edition
A package is a structured collection of software modules organized under a common namespace.
- How it is used
- Organizes related Python modules into reusable, hierarchically named code collections as projects grow.
- How deep it goes
- Works through directory layout, __init__.py execution, nested imports, and refactoring, but defers building distributable packages.
- Examples
- Uses a nested mathematics package and a word-counting refactor that separates cleaning, counting, and exceptions.
- What you can do after
- Build it from scratch by splitting related functions into modules, adding package initialization, and importing the resulting interface.
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Statistics Slam Dunk
A software package is a distributable collection of code, data, documentation, and supporting resources that extends a programming environment.
- How it is used
- Extends R for data wrangling, visualization, querying, statistical analysis, and other capabilities beyond base functions.
- How deep it goes
- Explains package contents, installation, loading order, and multi-package loading, but stops short of package development.
- Examples
- Uses install.packages(), library(), tidyverse, networkD3, patchwork, and lapply() package-loading examples.
- What you can do after
- Apply packages by installing them once, loading them before use, and calling their functions in R analysis scripts.
Data Pipelines with Apache Airflow, Second Edition
A software package is a distributable bundle of code and metadata that can be installed into a software environment.
- How it is used
- Makes custom Airflow components installable and reusable across DAGs, environments, and projects.
- How deep it goes
- Works through a basic setuptools layout and setup.py metadata, but defers in-depth Python packaging approaches.
- Examples
- Uses a src-based package containing Airflow components and a recipe-preprocessing CLI run inside a Docker image.
- What you can do after
- Build it from scratch as a basic setuptools package, then install or share its custom Airflow components.
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Julia as a Second Language
A package is a distributable unit of software containing reusable code and metadata that can be installed and managed by a package manager.
- How it is used
- Organizes related Julia code into a reusable, distributable unit that can depend on other packages.
- How deep it goes
- Works through generation, dependency files, source organization, and local development, while keeping module nesting outside its scope.
- Examples
- Uses a geometry package with volume and trigonometric functions, then compares its sine function with Julia’s built-in sine.
- What you can do after
- Operate/configure it with Julia’s package manager to generate a package, declare dependencies, and develop and load local code.
Pro Angular 16
A package is a distributable software unit containing code and metadata that can be installed as a dependency.
- How it is used
- Organizes Angular application, framework, styling, tooling, and testing dependencies for installation and development.
- How deep it goes
- Explains recursive dependency installation, package.json categories, version ranges, npm commands, and manual asset configuration.
- Examples
- Uses Bootstrap, Font Awesome, Angular Material, Angular PWA, json-server, and jsonwebtoken installation examples.
- What you can do after
- Operate/configure packages with npm, record dependency types, select versions, inspect installations, and include package assets in builds.
Pro ASP.NET Core 7, Tenth Edition
A software package is a distributable unit containing reusable code, resources, and metadata for incorporation into a project.
- How it is used
- Adds capabilities beyond an ASP.NET Core project template, including database support, command-line tools, and browser-facing assets.
- How deep it goes
- Works through installation commands, dependency records, LibMan configuration, and HTML usage, without detailing how packages are built.
- Examples
- Uses Swashbuckle.AspNetCore and Entity Framework Core dependencies, a global `dotnet-ef` tool, and Bootstrap installed through LibMan.
- What you can do after
- Operate/configure package management with `dotnet add package`, `dotnet tool`, and LibMan, then reference installed browser assets in HTML.
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Essential TypeScript 5, Third Edition
A JavaScript package is a distributable collection of JavaScript code and metadata intended for reuse in software projects.
- How it is used
- Supplies reusable JavaScript code and the compiler, frameworks, or development tools needed by TypeScript projects.
- How deep it goes
- Explains NPM installation, dependency resolution, version requirements, installation scope, and package.json categories without detailing package publication.
- Examples
- Uses a package.json containing typescript and tsc-watch, plus commands that install a local TypeScript compiler for a web app.
- What you can do after
- Operate/configure packages with NPM, placing development tools and application dependencies in the appropriate package.json categories.
Read how Essential TypeScript 5, Third Edition explains package →
Get Programming: Learn to code with Python
- How it is used
- Uses packages written by other programmers to help build more-complex programs.
- How deep it goes
- Introduces packages as tools and names two uses without explaining package mechanics.
- Examples
- Names visual programs controlled by mouse or keyboard and programs that process structured data files.
- What you can do after
- Apply packages written by other programmers to build interactive visual programs or programs that process structured data.
Read how Get Programming: Learn to code with Python explains package →
Related concepts
- pipused by · pip is Python’s standard package installer, a command-line tool for installing and managing Python packages and their dependencies.
- npmused by · npm is a package-management system for JavaScript, comprising a command-line client and an online registry for discovering, installing, and publishing packages.
- factoextraincludes · factoextra is an R package that provides functions for extracting and visualizing multivariate analysis results, including clustering results.
- directory structurekind of · A directory structure is the hierarchical arrangement of directories and files in a filesystem or software project.
- library() functionused by · The library() function loads an installed R package into the current session.
- modulehas part · A module is a distinct, bounded software unit that groups related code or functionality and provides an organizational or interaction boundary within a larger system.
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