Ensuring Compatibility with Dependency Versions in Elixir Packages using Blend

The article emphasizes that Elixir packages often rely on other libraries, and updates to those dependencies can unintentionally break functionality. The author introduces blend, an Elixir package designed to simplify the process of testing against multiple versions of dependencies. This is crucial for developers maintaining packages to ensure their code functions correctly with various dependency versions and to catch potential issues early. The article describes how blend originated from the challenges faced while developing another package, candlex, and how it aims to help the broader Elixir community. With blend, developers can create a test matrix that checks compatibility across different versions of Elixir, Erlang, and the package dependencies. The article further suggests checking out the blend README and example projects for integration guidance.