In this paper, we present a solution to the problem of the analytic classification of germs of plane curves with several irreducible components. Our algebraic approach follows precursive ideas of Oscar Zariski and as a subproduct allows us to recover some particular cases found in the literature.

Let $ {\mathbb {C}}^{n+1}_o$ denote the germ of $ {\mathbb {C}}^{n+1}$ at the origin. Let $V$ be a hypersurface germ in $ {\mathbb {C}}^{n+1}_o$ and $W$ a deformation of $V$ over $ {\mathbb {C}}_{o}^{m}$. Under the hypothesis that $W$ is a Newton non-degenerate deformation, in this article we prove that $W$ is a $\mu$-constant deformation if and only if $W$ admits a simultaneous embedded resolution. This result gives a lot of information about $W$, for example, the topological triviality of the family $W$ and the fact that the natural morphism $(\operatorname {W( {\mathbb {C}}_{o})}_{m})_{{\rm red}}\rightarrow {\mathbb {C}}_{o}$ is flat, where $\operatorname {W( {\mathbb {C}}_{o})}_{m}$ is the relative space of $m$-jets. On the way to the proof of our main result, we give a complete answer to a question of Arnold on the monotonicity of Newton numbers in the case of convenient Newton polyhedra.

We obtain a uniform linear bound for the Chevalley function at a point in the source of an analytic mapping that is regular in the sense of Gabrielov. There is a version of Chevalley’s lemma also along a fibre, or at a point of the image of a proper analytic mapping. We get a uniform linear bound for the Chevalley function of a closed Nash (or formally Nash) subanalytic set.

The techniques and concepts we present are flags of regular schemes and their persistence under blow-up, the Gauss–Bruhat decomposition of the group of formal automorphisms of affine space, and coordinate-free initial ideals. All three are used to construct and study invariants for resolution of singularities.