npm-check-updates

npm-check-updates upgrades your package.json dependencies to the latest versions, ignoring specified versions.

maintains existing semantic versioning policies, i.e. "express": "^4.0.0" to "express": "^5.0.0".
only modifies package.json file. Run npm install to update your installed packages and package-lock.json.

npm-check-updates-screenshot

Red = major upgrade (and all major version zero)
Cyan = minor upgrade
Green = patch upgrade

You may also want to consider npm-check. Similar purpose, different features.

Installation

npm install -g npm-check-updates

Usage

Show any new dependencies for the project in the current directory:

$ ncu
Checking package.json
[====================] 5/5 100%

 express           4.12.x  →   4.13.x
 multer            ^0.1.8  →   ^1.0.1
 react-bootstrap  ^0.22.6  →  ^0.24.0
 react-a11y        ^0.1.1  →   ^0.2.6
 webpack          ~1.9.10  →  ~1.10.5

Run ncu -u to upgrade package.json

Upgrade a project's package file:

Make sure your package file is in version control and all changes have been committed. This will overwrite your package file.

$ ncu -u
Upgrading package.json
[====================] 1/1 100%

 express           4.12.x  →   4.13.x

Run npm install to install new versions.

$ npm install      # update installed packages and package-lock.json

Check global packages:

ncu -g           # add -u to get a one-line command for upgrading

You can include or exclude specific packages using the --filter and --reject options. They accept strings, comma-or-space-delimited lists, or regular expressions:

# match mocha and should packages exactly
$ ncu mocha             # shorthand for ncu -f mocha (or --filter)
$ ncu one, two, three

# exclude packages
$ ncu -x nodemon        # shorthand for ncu --reject nodemon

# match packages that start with "gulp-" using regex
$ ncu "/^gulp-.*$/"

# match packages that do not start with "gulp-".
$ ncu '/^(?!gulp-).*$/' # mac/linux
$ ncu "/^(?!gulp-).*$/" # windows

Options

--concurrency            max number of concurrent HTTP requests to npm registry
                         (default: 8)
--configFilePath         rc config file path (default: directory of
                         `packageFile` or ./ otherwise)
--configFileName         rc config file name (default: .ncurc.{json,yml,js}) --cwd
                         Used as current working directory for `spawn` in npm listing
--dep                    check only a specific section(s) of dependencies:
                         prod|dev|peer|optional|bundle (comma-delimited)
--engines-node           include only packages that satisfy engines.node as
                         specified in the package file
-e, --error-level        set the error-level. 1: exits with error code 0 if no
                         errors occur. 2: exits with error code 0 if no
                         packages need updating (useful for continuous
                         integration)
-f, --filter             include only package names matching the given string,
                         comma-or-space-delimited list, or /regex/
-g, --global             check global packages instead of in the current project
-i, --interactive        Enable interactive prompts for each dependency;
                         Implies -u unless one of the json options are set
-j, --jsonAll            output new package file instead of human-readable
                         message
--jsonDeps               returns output like `jsonAll` but only lists
                         `dependencies`, `devDependencies`, and
                         `optionalDependencies` of the new package data.
--jsonUpgraded           output upgraded dependencies in json
-l, --loglevel           what level of logs to report: silent, error, warn,
                         info, verbose, silly (default: warn)
-m, --minimal            do not upgrade to newer versions that are already
                         satisfied by the existing version range (v2 behavior).
-n, --newest             find the newest published versions available instead
                         of the latest stable versions
-p, --packageManager     npm (default: npm)
--packageData            include stringified package file (use stdin instead)
--packageFile            package file location (default: ./package.json)
--pre                    include -alpha, -beta, -rc. (default: 0; default
                         with --newest and --greatest: 1)
--prefix                 Used as current working directory in npm
-r, --registry           specify third-party NPM registry
--removeRange            remove version ranges from the final package version
-s, --silent             don't output anything (--loglevel silent)
--semverLevel            find the highest version within "major" or "minor"
-t, --greatest           find the highest versions available instead of the
                         latest stable versions
--timeout                a global timeout in milliseconds. (default: no global
                         timeout and 30 seconds per npm-registery-fetch)
-u, --upgrade            overwrite package file
-v, --version            get version
-V                       get version
-x, --reject             exclude packages matching the given string, comma-
                         delimited list, or regex

How dependency updates are determined

Direct dependencies are updated to the latest stable version:
- 2.0.1 → 2.2.0
- 1.2 → 1.3
- 0.1.0 → 1.0.1
Range operators are preserved and the version is updated:
- ^1.2.0 → ^2.0.0
- 1.x → 2.x
- >0.2.0 → >0.3.0
"Less than" is replaced with a wildcard:
- <2.0.0 → ^3.0.0
- 1.0.0 < 2.0.0 → ^3.0.0
"Any version" is preserved:
- * → *
with --semverLevel major, the major version is preserved:
- 0.1.0 → 0.2.1
with --semverLevel minor, the major and minor versions are preserved:
- 0.1.0 → 0.1.2

Configuration Files

Use a .ncurc.{json,yml,js} file to specify configuration information. You can specify file name and path using --configFileName and --configFilePath command line options.

For example, .ncurc.json:

{
  "upgrade": true,
  "filter": "express",
  "reject": [
    "@types/estree",
    "ts-node"
  ]
}

Module Use

npm-check-updates can be required:

const ncu = require('npm-check-updates');

ncu.run({
    // Any command-line option can be specified here.
    // These are set by default:
    jsonUpgraded: true,
    packageManager: 'npm',
    silent: true
}).then((upgraded) => {
    console.log('dependencies to upgrade:', upgraded);
});

Known Issues

Windows: If npm-check-updates hangs, run ncu --loglevel verbose to see if it is waiting for stdin. If so, try setting the package file explicitly: ncu --packageFile package.json. See #136.

Also search the issues page.

Problems?

Please file an issue! But always search existing issues first!

Current Tags

16.14.20 ... latest (8 months ago)
16.14.20-0 ... next (8 months ago)