# Req: Dependency manager for Racket projects **URL:** \ **Category:** Show & Tell\ **Created:** [September 4, 2022, 5:46pm UTC](https://racket.discourse.group/t/req-dependency-manager-for-racket-projects/1277 "2022-09-04T17:46:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![xgqt](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/racket.discourse.group/xgqt/32/592_2.png) [@xgqt](https://racket.discourse.group/u/xgqt)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2022, 5:46pm UTC](https://racket.discourse.group/t/req-dependency-manager-for-racket-projects/1277/1 "2022-09-04T17:46:23Z")
Req is a spiritual successor or Python's `requirement.txt` files, but for Racket. The biggest problem with `requirement.txt` was that dependency listing was duplicated in that file and `setup.py`'s `install_requires`. In Req You list sub-packages of your projects and the dependencies are extracted from `info.rkt` files. Also, because we already have a config file we can put it to use and use it as a mini-configuration for other project's areas, so we can list the catalogs the project should use as well as extra dependencies used for repository maintenance. Req offers a convenient way to manage dependencies of large Racket packages. Using the raco req command You can, for example: - install only external dependencies, - install all local packages at once, - use a special catalogs repository for the project, - save the extra packages You use for repository maintenance. This is the Req-file of Req itself: ```json { "catalogs": [], "root": "./src", "local": [ "req*" ], "dev": [ "ziptie-monorepo" ] } ``` Going though this config line by line: - `catalogs` can specify alternative catalogs to be used for external dependency download, if it is not set or is an empty list, then the default catalogs are used, - `root` specifies a root directory to find `local` packages in, - `local` specifies what are the local packages, it takes either a path or a list composed of a path and a package name, it also accepts globs (if given a string), packages from this section can be installed one-by-one with `--local ` or all together with `--locals`, so, if I would execute `raco req --locals` Req will install `req`, `req-lib`, `req-doc` and `req-test` (because of glob expansion), - finally any key that is not `catalogs`, `local` nor `root` is treated as a `extras` set, it defines a set name and external package associated with this set, for example a `dev` set can be defined hat will contain packages uses by project developers, to install a specific defined set execute `--extra ` or install all extra sets with `--extras` so, if I would execute `raco req --extra dev` the package `ziptie-monorepo` woudl be installed. Current command line interface: `$ raco req -h` ```nohighlight usage: req [