# Make dependencies - clarify confusion

**URL:** <https://forum.endeavouros.com/t/make-dependencies-clarify-confusion/16019>\
**Category:** Pacman & AUR helpers\
**Created:** [July 22, 2021, 7:23am UTC](https://forum.endeavouros.com/t/make-dependencies-clarify-confusion/16019 "2021-07-22T07:23:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Elnath](https://forum.endeavouros.com/user_avatar/forum.endeavouros.com/elnath/32/31704_2.png) [@Elnath](https://forum.endeavouros.com/u/Elnath)\
**Post date:** [July 22, 2021, 7:23am UTC](https://forum.endeavouros.com/t/make-dependencies-clarify-confusion/16019/1 "2021-07-22T07:23:02Z")

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[This post](https://www.reddit.com/r/archlinux/comments/i0wiw0/is_it_safe_to_uninstall_go_after_installing_yay/fzt8aq0/) basically says when using `yay` it doesn’t matter if I choose yes or no to question `Remove make dependencies after install? [y/N]`

- Yes - I want more free space on my SDD.
- No - I dont care about extra spaced used on my SDD

Another post:

> When you install packages from AUR, your system has to compile them. To do so, it needs to use some other packages, called dependencies .  
> See this as assembling some furniture. You need some tools, let’s say a hammer and a screwdriver, but only for the assembling part : they are not useful to you anymore after the furniture is ready.  
> _Some dependencies are still needed after the main package is installed_, others are not, so the system is asking you whether you want to keep them in case you need them again later, or just to remove them. [source](https://unix.stackexchange.com/a/528012)

**“Some dependencies are still needed after the main package is installed..”** - Is this valid claim or not?

* * *

First person says it doesn’t matter really, other person says it could matter? So does it or does it not matter?

## Example

 ![](https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/3X/0/e/0ec5ab242705e9ab313a7ae6bb5f5ca5be2a1878.png)  
Assuming sometimes I need some `make depencies` to the package installed to work properly. How to know when from `[Repo Make:16]` which ones I need?

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**Author:** ![manuel](https://forum.endeavouros.com/user_avatar/forum.endeavouros.com/manuel/32/396_2.png) [@manuel](https://forum.endeavouros.com/u/manuel)\
**Post date:** [July 22, 2021, 7:47am UTC](https://forum.endeavouros.com/t/make-dependencies-clarify-confusion/16019/2 "2021-07-22T07:47:47Z")

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Make dependencies are needed only when you build the package.  
If you don’t need them for anything else than building, you can remove them.

If another package needs those previous make dependencies, then it will install them as needed.

I’d remove the make dependencies unless I already know I will be needing them soon.

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**Author:** ![flyingcakes](https://forum.endeavouros.com/user_avatar/forum.endeavouros.com/flyingcakes/32/6218_2.png) [@flyingcakes](https://forum.endeavouros.com/u/flyingcakes)\
**Post date:** [July 22, 2021, 8:32am UTC](https://forum.endeavouros.com/t/make-dependencies-clarify-confusion/16019/3 "2021-07-22T08:32:17Z")

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Make dependencies are not used for anything apart from building the packages. Once package is built and installed, you don’t need make dependencies.

If you remove make dependencies, you will be installing them again when you next update the original package. So, if the original package gets frequent updates, you want to keep make dependencies.

On the other hand, if the original packages do not get frequently updated, then there’s no point keeping make dependencies and updating. `yay` will re-install make dependencies whenever I update the original package.

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**Author:** ![Elnath](https://forum.endeavouros.com/user_avatar/forum.endeavouros.com/elnath/32/31704_2.png) [@Elnath](https://forum.endeavouros.com/u/Elnath)\
**Post date:** [July 22, 2021, 9:05am UTC](https://forum.endeavouros.com/t/make-dependencies-clarify-confusion/16019/4 "2021-07-22T09:05:02Z")

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Thanks for clarifying this @manuel @flyingcakes

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**Author:** ![system](https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/9/9ea52f9fd5ef8e609e593c362d61a36295f48be8.png) [@system](https://forum.endeavouros.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [July 24, 2021, 9:05am UTC](https://forum.endeavouros.com/t/make-dependencies-clarify-confusion/16019/5 "2021-07-24T09:05:20Z")

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Closed on July 24, 2021, 9:05am UTC

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