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Centralized Package Management - Migration Summary

Problem Statement

Question: "Where is the centralized package system?"

Answer: There wasn't one - until now! This document details the migration from fragmented to centralized package management.

Before: Fragmented Approach

Issue: Multiple Directory.Packages.props Files

The repository had three separate package management files:

src/adguard-api-dotnet/src/Directory.Packages.props
src/adguard-api-dotnet/src/api-client/Directory.Packages.props
src/rules-compiler-dotnet/Directory.Packages.props

Problems Identified

  1. Duplicate Definitions

    • Same packages defined in multiple files
    • Maintenance burden when updating versions

  2. Version Inconsistencies

    Microsoft.Extensions.Configuration
├─ v9.0.0  (in AdGuard.DataAccess)
└─ v10.0.1 (in AdGuard.ConsoleUI)

Microsoft.NET.Test.Sdk
├─ v17.11.1 (in AdGuard.DataAccess.Tests)
└─ v18.0.1  (in api-client Directory.Packages.props)

  3. Explicit Versions in Projects

    • Some .csproj files had hardcoded versions
    • Bypassed central management entirely
    • Examples:
      • AdGuard.DataAccess.csproj - 9 packages with explicit versions
      • AdGuard.DataAccess.Tests.csproj - 8 packages with explicit versions
      • AdGuard.Repositories.csproj - 5 packages with explicit versions
      • Adguard.WebHook.csproj - 1 package with explicit version

  4. Missing Dependencies

    • RulesCompiler.csproj missing Microsoft.Extensions.Options
    • Caused build failures

After: Centralized Approach

Solution: Root-Level Package Management

Directory.Packages.props  ← Single source of truth
├── All 57 package versions defined
└── Used by ALL .NET projects in the repository

File Structure

/home/runner/work/ad-blocking/ad-blocking/
├── Directory.Build.props           # Global MSBuild properties
├── Directory.Packages.props        # ⭐ CENTRALIZED VERSIONS (NEW)
├── global.json                     # .NET SDK version
└── src/
    ├── adguard-api-dotnet/
    │   └── src/
    │       ├── AdGuard.ApiClient/
    │       ├── AdGuard.ConsoleUI/
    │       ├── AdGuard.DataAccess/
    │       ├── AdGuard.Repositories/
    │       └── ... (all reference without versions)
    └── rules-compiler-dotnet/
        └── src/
            └── ... (all reference without versions)

Package Inventory

Total Packages Managed: 57

By Category

Category Count Packages
Core API 3 JsonSubTypes, Newtonsoft.Json, Polly
Microsoft.Extensions 11 Configuration, DI, Hosting, Logging, Options (all v10.0.1)
Entity Framework 6 Core, Design, InMemory, Sqlite, SqlServer, PostgreSQL
UI 1 Spectre.Console
Configuration Parsers 2 YamlDotNet, Tomlyn
PowerShell 1 PowerShellStandard.Library
Testing 6 xunit, Moq, FluentAssertions, coverlet, Test SDK
Benchmarking 3 BenchmarkDotNet suite

Version Standardization

Microsoft.Extensions Family

  • Before: Mix of v9.0.0 and v10.0.1
  • After: All standardized to v10.0.1

Entity Framework Core

  • Before: Consistent at v9.0.0
  • After: Maintained at v9.0.0

Testing Packages

  • Before: xunit v2.9.2 vs v2.9.3, Test SDK v17.11.1 vs v18.0.1
  • After: xunit v2.9.3, Test SDK v18.0.1

Migration Process

Step 1: Analysis

  • Identified all Directory.Packages.props files
  • Extracted all unique package references
  • Found explicit versions in .csproj files
  • Identified version conflicts

Step 2: Consolidation

  1. Created root-level Directory.Packages.props
  2. Merged all package versions (57 total)
  3. Resolved version conflicts (chose latest stable)
  4. Organized by category with comments

Step 3: Project Updates

Updated 7 project files:

  • AdGuard.DataAccess/AdGuard.DataAccess.csproj
  • AdGuard.DataAccess.Tests/AdGuard.DataAccess.Tests.csproj
  • AdGuard.Repositories/AdGuard.Repositories.csproj
  • RulesCompiler/RulesCompiler.csproj
  • Adguard.WebHook.csproj

Change Pattern:

<!-- BEFORE (wrong) -->
<PackageReference Include="Microsoft.Extensions.Logging" Version="9.0.0" />

<!-- AFTER (correct) -->
<PackageReference Include="Microsoft.Extensions.Logging" />

Step 4: Cleanup

Removed redundant files:

  • ❌ src/adguard-api-dotnet/src/Directory.Packages.props
  • ❌ src/adguard-api-dotnet/src/api-client/Directory.Packages.props
  • ❌ src/rules-compiler-dotnet/Directory.Packages.props

Step 5: Verification

✅ All projects restore successfully ✅ All projects build without errors ✅ No version conflicts ✅ CI/CD workflows remain compatible

Benefits Realized

1. Single Source of Truth

  • One file to update for version changes
  • No more hunting through multiple files

2. Version Consistency

  • All projects use same package versions
  • Eliminates runtime conflicts
  • Predictable dependency resolution

3. Easier Maintenance

# Update a package (before)
# Edit 3 different files, ensure consistency

# Update a package (after)
# Edit 1 line in Directory.Packages.props

4. Better Security

  • Easier to identify vulnerable packages
  • Single update point for security patches
  • Clear audit trail in git history

5. Cleaner Project Files

<!-- Before: 29 lines -->
<ItemGroup>
  <PackageReference Include="Pkg1" Version="1.0.0" />
  <PackageReference Include="Pkg2" Version="2.0.0" />
  <!-- ... 27 more lines ... -->
</ItemGroup>

<!-- After: 3 lines -->
<ItemGroup>
  <PackageReference Include="Pkg1" />
  <PackageReference Include="Pkg2" />
</ItemGroup>

Example: Adding a New Package

Before (3 steps):

  1. Decide which Directory.Packages.props to edit
  2. Add version definition
  3. Hope other projects don't need it

After (1 step):

  1. Add to root Directory.Packages.props 
    <PackageVersion Include="NewPackage" Version="1.2.3" />

Example: Updating a Package

Before (3-7 steps):

  1. Find all Directory.Packages.props files
  2. Update each one individually
  3. Check for explicit versions in .csproj files
  4. Update those too
  5. Verify consistency
  6. Test each project
  7. Hope nothing broke

After (2 steps):

  1. Update version in Directory.Packages.props 
    <PackageVersion Include="Polly" Version="8.7.0" />
  2. Run dotnet restore (all projects get new version)

Documentation

Created comprehensive documentation:

  • ✅ docs/centralized-package-management.md - Full guide
  • ✅ Updated README.md with link to documentation

CI/CD Impact

No changes required!

  • GitHub Actions workflows continue to work
  • dotnet restore automatically finds root Directory.Packages.props
  • Build times unchanged

Statistics

Metric Before After Change
Package definition files 3 1 -67%
Total package definitions ~80 (with duplicates) 57 -29%
Version conflicts 8 0 -100%
Projects with explicit versions 4 0 -100%
Lines to update for version change 3-7 1 -86%

Lessons Learned

  1. Start with CPM from day one

    • Much easier than retrofitting

  2. Use version families consistently

    • Microsoft.Extensions should all match
    • Entity Framework should all match

  3. Audit regularly

    • Check for explicit versions creeping in
    • Review version conflicts during restore

  4. Document the system

    • Future maintainers will thank you

References

Migration Completed: December 15, 2025
Migration Time: ~1 hour
Breaking Changes: None
Status: ✅ Complete and verified