Along those lines

[JohannesFinsveen]

I asked ChatGPT about different nugets using diffent (semantic-) versions of third party nugets, and liked one of the suggestions:

If this works as I think, it does not solve the problem, but make it less verbose. What do you think ? @jsaarimaa @runejo @likp

Certainly! The idea behind NuGet package consolidation is to streamline dependency management by creating a single, shared NuGet package that encapsulates common third-party dependencies used across several projects or solutions within your organization. This approach can significantly simplify the process of updating and maintaining third-party packages, especially when you have multiple custom NuGet packages depending on the same third-party libraries. Here's how you can approach this:

Understanding Package Consolidation
Scenario: Suppose you have several custom NuGet packages (CustomPackageA, CustomPackageB, CustomPackageC) and each of these packages depends on various versions of a third-party library (ThirdPartyLib). Managing and synchronizing ThirdPartyLib versions across these custom packages can become cumbersome.

Solution: Create a new NuGet package, say SharedDependenciesPackage, which includes the third-party dependencies (ThirdPartyLib) at specific versions. Your custom packages then only reference SharedDependenciesPackage instead of directly referencing ThirdPartyLib.

Steps to Implement Package Consolidation
Identify Common Dependencies: Analyze all your custom NuGet packages to identify the common third-party dependencies and the version conflicts among them.

Create a Shared Dependencies Package: Develop a new NuGet package (SharedDependenciesPackage) that includes these common third-party libraries as dependencies. This package doesn't need to contain any actual code—it serves primarily as a vehicle for dependency versions.

Standardize and Update References: Modify your custom NuGet packages (CustomPackageA, CustomPackageB, CustomPackageC, etc.) to reference SharedDependenciesPackage instead of directly referencing the third-party libraries. Ensure that all your custom packages depend on the same version of SharedDependenciesPackage.

Publish and Integrate: Publish SharedDependenciesPackage to your internal NuGet feed or registry. Update your custom packages to use this shared package and ensure that your application projects that depend on these custom packages are updated accordingly.

Benefits
Simplified Dependency Management: Updating a single package (SharedDependenciesPackage) with a new version of a third-party library updates the dependency across all custom packages that reference it.
Reduced Version Conflicts: Minimizes the risk of version conflicts for third-party libraries across your projects, since all custom packages reference the same version through the shared package.
Streamlined Updates: Makes it easier to roll out updates or security patches for third-party libraries, as you only need to update one package.
Improved Oversight and Control: Provides a centralized point of oversight for third-party dependencies, making it easier to audit and ensure compliance with licensing and security policies.
Considerations
Overhead of Maintaining the Shared Package: While this approach simplifies dependency management, it introduces the need to maintain the shared dependencies package, which might require regular updates.
Compatibility and Testing: Ensuring that all projects that use the consolidated package remain compatible with updates requires comprehensive testing, especially when major version changes of third-party libraries occur.
By implementing package consolidation, organizations can achieve more efficient and manageable dependency management, particularly beneficial in complex environments with multiple interdependent projects and NuGet packages.