# Should this be a library?

DevFeed: [Should this be a library?](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/should-this-be-a-library-30582.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://ryanharter.com/blog/2015/08/should-this-be-a-library/>)

Published: 2015-08-20T07:00:00Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [Blogs on Ryan Harter](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/blogs-on-ryan-harter.md>)

Topics: [Library](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/library.md>), [implementation](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/implementation.md>), [Open Source](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/open-source.md>), [Maintainers](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/maintainers.md>)

Tags: [consulting](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/consulting.md>), [implementation](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/implementation.md>), [library](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/library.md>), [maintainers](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/maintainers.md>), [open-source](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/open-source.md>), [tips](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/tips.md>)

## AI overview

This article offers criteria for deciding whether functionality should become a library. It recommends checking for reuse, researching existing open-source libraries, considering contributions to maintainers, and recognizing when implementations are too custom to justify a library.

## Source excerpt

I come from the consulting world, where it's common to try to make everything a library. This makes perfect sense, boost profit margins by writing something once and selling it to everyone. But often times this doesn't work out as expected for several reasons, the first of which is failing to ask the question "Should this be a library?" Here are a few tips to help you decide if you should makes something a library or not.