CocoaPods was publicly released as the first dependency manager for iOS in 2011. It handles library dependencies for Xcode projects, making it easier to manage third-party libraries.
The Podfile, a simple text file, is the heart of CocoaPods. Developers list their project's libraries within this file. CocoaPods then performs dependency resolution, fetches necessary code, and sets up an Xcode workspace.
CocoaPods operates from a centralized repository, improving library discoverability. Developers can easily search for libraries at cocoapods.org. In contrast, Carthage and SwiftPM promote a more decentralized approach, reducing the potential for a single point of failure but requiring more effort in finding libraries.
CocoaPods can be more intrusive than Carthage, as it creates an Xcode workspace for the project. This can lead to potential conflicts with the project settings and configurations. CocoaPods is also limited to Apple platform development and requires Ruby for installation and development, unlike SwiftPM, which supports cross-platform development on Linux and is built into the Swift compiler.
For more detailed information, visit the CocoaPods Guides.
