Rev-dep
Fast native dependency analyzer that finds dead code and circular imports in large JS/TS monorepos
🔗 Visit Rev-dep
Description
In a monorepo with dozens or hundreds of workspaces, dead code and circular dependencies pile up quietly — an export nobody uses anymore, two modules importing each other in a loop, a boundary violation where a package reaches into internals it shouldn't. Rev-dep scans the whole graph and surfaces exactly that: orphan files, unused exports and dependencies, circular dependencies, module boundary violations, unresolved imports, missing dependencies, and duplicated code.
What sets it apart technically is that it's a native binary rather than a Node.js script, which is why it can chew through a 197-workspace repository without the usual JS-tooling slowdown. It parses .ts, .tsx, .mjs, .cjs, Vue, and Svelte files, resolves ESM imports correctly via tsconfig paths and package.json exports maps, and can enforce your own import conventions as a check. It's MIT-licensed, completely free, requires no account, and is actively maintained at version 3.x.
💬 Our review
The short version: Rev-dep does the same job as Madge or dependency-cruiser, but being a native binary instead of a Node script is a real, measurable speed advantage once your monorepo grows past a couple dozen workspaces.
Against Madge (visualization-focused, slower on large repos) or dependency-cruiser (mature, rule-based, but also Node-based and can get slow at scale), Rev-dep's native implementation and explicit support for modern resolution (tsconfig paths, package.json exports maps, Vue/Svelte) make it a better fit for large, modern monorepos specifically. It doesn't do much that these tools can't do eventually, but it does it faster and with less configuration friction for TypeScript-heavy setups. Worth switching to if your existing dependency-analysis tool is starting to feel slow in CI; not worth the switch for a small, single-package repo where speed was never the bottleneck.
💰 Pricing
📊 Global score
🤖 AI-enriched data
Licence MIT, gratuit, aucun compte requis.
Pros
Binaire natif, bien plus rapide qu'un script Node sur les gros monorepos (testé sur 197 workspaces)
Résolution ESM correcte via tsconfig paths et package.json exports maps
Supporte .ts/.tsx/.mjs/.cjs/Vue/Svelte
Gratuit, MIT, sans compte requis
Cons
Peu d'avantage sur un petit repo mono-package où la vitesse n'est pas un problème
Moins connu que Madge ou dependency-cruiser, écosystème/communauté plus jeune
Nécessite une config TypeScript propre (tsconfig paths) pour une résolution optimale