[squiggleblaz]

I suppose you mean zero runtime dependencies? It seems to have few dozen build dependencies.

Runtime dependencies create a nuisance as you have to update several things together. On the other hand, they can allow components with separate update cycles and responsibilities to be update separately.

Build dependencies create maintainability and security problems. They can also solve maintainability and security problems. It depends on what your consideration is. But as a matter of practice, many developers seem too concerned with possible behavioral/API breakage, that they like to pin to specific versions of their dependencies, which now means that you aren't getting any security fixes.

(Technically, Althttpd doesn't achieve zero runtime dependencies in comparison to a modern http server that does HTTPS, because it requires a separate program to terminate TLS. But these connect through general mechanisms that are much easier to combine and update separately.)

Everyone has to make a judgement about how they maintain their own systems, but being excited about "zero (runtime) dependencies!" isn't the way the judgement concludes.