If they wanted me to use a specific tool or lack thereof they should have said that. Instead they said "fix this problem" and instead of writing the entire codebase from the ground up I used the tools that were available to me so I could focus on fixing the problem instead of fixing the fix to fix the fix for the fix of the problem.
I can't relate to this feeling at all, writing code using a library I've found is almost always the source of bugs. Miscommunication between the library developer and their documentation, or my ability to read the documentation. And that's on top of how many big libraries I've seen with extremely simple exploits. Sadly I have to use a few, but I wince every time I install a package.
I am NOT writing a database connector unless you add an additional three months to your projects expectations.
I am NOT writing an LDAP connector.
I am NOT writing code to execute shell processes safely.
And I'm sure as hell not writing an XML parser just so I can say I did it without libraries.
JS devs that import libraries for every stupid thing (lpad comes to mind) are bad programmers, but libraries are useful and have their place.
And if my boss doesn't want me using those libraries, they need to specify that in advance or there needs to be a company policy to that effect. Otherwise, I'm solving the problem my way since that's what I'm getting paid to do.
TFW "npm install somePackage" adds hundreds of names to your supplier list, some of whom aren't even adults let alone companies, and the policy says that each new supplier needs to go through a thorough vetting process.