ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Dependency (UML)

Have you ever played with building blocks like Lego or Duplo? Each block can snap onto another block to make something bigger and more complex. That’s kind of like how dependencies work in UML.

Dependencies are like building blocks for software or systems. They show how different parts of the system relate to each other. Just like Lego blocks, if one part of the system changes, it could affect other parts that depend on it.

Let’s say you have a toy car made out of Lego blocks. The wheels of the car depend on the body of the car because they need to be attached to it in order to move. If you try to take the wheels off of the car, it won't work anymore because the wheels depend on the car body.

In software or systems, things can depend on each other too. For example, if you have a program that uses a certain library, it depends on that library. If the library changes or doesn’t work anymore, the program might break too because it depends on the library.

UML diagrams help people understand these dependencies by showing the connections between different parts of the software or system. It’s like a map that shows you where everything is and how it all fits together.

So, dependencies are like building blocks that people use to show how different parts of software or systems relate to each other, just like Lego blocks. UML diagrams help people visualize these dependencies so they can better understand how the system works.