Complex Networks Analysis for Software Architecture: an Hibernate Call Graph Study

Abstract

Recent advancements in complex network analysis are encouraging and may provide useful insights when applied in software engineering domain, revealing properties and structures that cannot be captured by traditional metrics. In this paper, we analyzed the topological properties of Hibernate library, a well-known Java-based software through the extraction of its static call graph. The results reveal a complex network with small-world and scale-free characteristics while displaying a strong propensity on forming communities.