The smallest thing that runs
Dependency-light and zero-build where possible. A new dependency needs a reason.
Every dependency is a liability with a version number. So I keep projects small, and where I can, I build without a build step at all. ICM Doc is plain markdown with no dependencies. Keys’ frontend, as its README describes it, has no build step and no package file.
A new dependency needs a reason written into the entry that uses it. The entry says what the dependency does, why the standard library or a few lines of code will not do, and what it costs in size and in risk.