Got a quick question here. If I have a program that uses the Google Maps API for it's location services, the Google Maps API becomes a dependency for my program right?

Just wondering if the term "dependency" can really be attached to any service/library/program that someone's application might require.

It is.
It can.
That's why it's called "dependency", because without it your app won't work fully.
Whole API, hosted by Google servers, becomes dependency.

The exact definition depends (editor's note: bonus pun) on in which context you use the term dependency. If you are just calling the api via a header in your html file it won't be a concrete project dependency for your npm package, but in general terms your app now depends on this external thing working.

Thanks. Just wanted to double check. Need to use this as an example somewhere.

Why wouldn't it?

Yes. No. Maybe.

Depends on perspective.

Yes, it is a dependency.

If the dependency is determined at run time - optional dependency. (Service can work without it, detection at runtime ("automagic dependency"))

Mandatory dependency: Service requires the dependency and cannot work without it.

Transitive dependency: dependencies which stem from the libraries / services that you use.

Eg. you use a framework for logging… the framework for logging uses a library to pretty print messages.... Then you'll have in your service a transitive dependency on the library that pretty prints messages.