The semantics of this go beyond the use of "components" at Shopify.
Everyone knows that "modular" implies the thing can be taken out and used in a different context. That's basically verbatim from the dictionary definition. You don't need to be a software developer to know that.
And yet for years the word has been thrown around in discussions of Packwerk as if it's some weaker thing. It's not. Things that are not isolated are not modular. Anything less is something totally different.
@davetron5000 I could do it in one word (or two depending on how you count contractions):
Don't
In seriousness, the only reason I would buy is for security's sake. Otherwise it's far more trouble than it's worth. I did it 100 years ago before docker was cool and it wasn't a good idea then either.
In September, 2020, our team at Shopify released a Ruby gem named Packwerk, a tool to enforce boundaries and modularize Rails applications. Since its release, Packwerk has taken on a life of its own, inspiring blog posts, conference talks, and even an entire gem ecosystem. Its popularity is an indication that Packwerk clearly filled a void in the Rails community.
Chris Salzberg
Mike Dalessio
Max Böck