Runnable Directories: The Solution to the Monorepo vs. Multi-repo Debate

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ghasemnezhad, Shayan, KaPatel, Samarth, Nikiforova, Sofia, Saggese, Giacinto Paolo, Smith, Paul, Sok, Heanh
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866914178791374848
author Ghasemnezhad, Shayan
KaPatel, Samarth
Nikiforova, Sofia
Saggese, Giacinto Paolo
Smith, Paul
Sok, Heanh
author_facet Ghasemnezhad, Shayan
KaPatel, Samarth
Nikiforova, Sofia
Saggese, Giacinto Paolo
Smith, Paul
Sok, Heanh
contents Modern software systems increasingly strain traditional codebase organization strategies. Monorepos offer consistency but often suffer from scalability issues and tooling complexity, while multi-repos provide modularity at the cost of coordination and dependency management challenges. As an answer to this trade-off, we present the Causify Dev system, a hybrid approach that integrates key benefits of both. Its central concept is the runnable directory -- a self-contained, independently executable unit with its own development, testing, and deployment lifecycles. Backed by a unified thin environment, shared helper utilities, and containerized Docker-based workflows, runnable directories enable consistent setups, isolated dependencies, and efficient CI/CD processes. The Causify Dev approach provides a practical middle ground between monorepo and multi-repo strategies, improving reliability and maintainability for growing, complex codebases.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2512_03815
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Runnable Directories: The Solution to the Monorepo vs. Multi-repo Debate
Ghasemnezhad, Shayan
KaPatel, Samarth
Nikiforova, Sofia
Saggese, Giacinto Paolo
Smith, Paul
Sok, Heanh
Software Engineering
Modern software systems increasingly strain traditional codebase organization strategies. Monorepos offer consistency but often suffer from scalability issues and tooling complexity, while multi-repos provide modularity at the cost of coordination and dependency management challenges. As an answer to this trade-off, we present the Causify Dev system, a hybrid approach that integrates key benefits of both. Its central concept is the runnable directory -- a self-contained, independently executable unit with its own development, testing, and deployment lifecycles. Backed by a unified thin environment, shared helper utilities, and containerized Docker-based workflows, runnable directories enable consistent setups, isolated dependencies, and efficient CI/CD processes. The Causify Dev approach provides a practical middle ground between monorepo and multi-repo strategies, improving reliability and maintainability for growing, complex codebases.
title Runnable Directories: The Solution to the Monorepo vs. Multi-repo Debate
topic Software Engineering
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.03815