Carthage is a decentralized dependency manager for iOS and macOS development, offering a lightweight alternative to CocoaPods. It focuses on building frameworks rather than integrating directly into projects, giving developers more control over their project structure. Carthage fetches and builds dependencies as specified in a Cartfile, creating standalone frameworks that can be easily integrated into Xcode projects. This approach keeps the project's structure intact and allows for easier version control. Carthage supports both Swift and Objective-C libraries and works well with dynamic frameworks. It's particularly favored for its simplicity and non-invasive nature, as it doesn't modify project files or create workspaces. While Carthage requires manual framework linking, which can be more time-consuming initially, it offers faster build times and more flexibility in managing dependencies. This tool is often preferred by developers who desire more control over their dependency integration process and project structure.
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