npm-check-updates

The --doctor mode iteratively installs and tests each upgrade to isolate which one causes a breaking change. This requires the -u (upgrade) flag. It is recommended to use this on a clean git tree as it modifies node_modules and lockfiles.

ncu --doctor -u

When configuring npm-check-updates, options are merged using the following order of precedence (highest priority first):

1. Command line options
2. Local Config File (in the current working directory)
3. Project Config File (located next to package.json)
4. User Config File (located in $HOME)

Note: Options that take no arguments can be negated by prefixing them with --no-, for example --no-peer.

Use ncu to check for latest versions of dependencies in your package.json. Note that ncu only modifies the package.json file; you must run your package manager's install command (e.g., npm install) to update the actual installed packages and package-lock.json.

Warning: Running ncu -u will overwrite your package.json. Ensure your changes are committed to version control before proceeding.

For monorepos, use the following patterns to scan multiple package.json files:

• All workspaces (including root): ncu -uw
• All package.json files under the current directory: ncu --deep -u
• Specific glob with merged root config: ncu --packageFile 'packages/*/package.json' --mergeConfig -u

# All workspaces, including the root.
ncu -uw

# All packages.json files under the cwd.
ncu --deep -u

# A specific glob, merging root config.
ncu --packageFile 'packages/*/package.json' --mergeConfig -u

To extend npm-check-updates with support for a new package manager, implement a module that adheres to the following interface.

• list and latest methods are required.
• All other methods are optional and correspond to specific --target CLI values.
• If a package is not found, methods must reject with the error string '404 Not Found'.

{
  *list: (npmOptions: {}) => Promise<{ name: version }>,
  *latest: (pkgName: string) => Promise<String> version,
  newest: (pkgName: string) => Promise<String> version,
  greatest: (pkgName: string) => Promise<String> version,
  minor: (pkgName: string, String currentVersion) => Promise<String> version,
  patch: (pkgName: string, String currentVersion) => Promise<String> version,
}

Install libnpmconfig via npm to programmatically manage npm's configuration files and data in your Node.js applications.

$ npm install libnpmconfig

Use npm-check-updates (or the shorthand ncu) to upgrade package.json dependencies. Note that ncu only modifies package.json; you must run your package manager's install command (e.g., npm install) afterward to update package-lock.json and node_modules.

# Dry run: print upgrades without touching files.
ncu

# Write the upgrades back into package.json, then install.
ncu -u
npm install

# Interactively pick which packages to upgrade.
ncu -i

# Only a subset of packages.
ncu -f "react,react-dom"
ncu "/^@types\/"

# Bump only patch / minor versions.
ncu --target patch
ncu --target minor

# Skip a package.
ncu -x typescript,eslint

You can install npm-check-updates (or the shorthand ncu) globally to use it as a CLI tool, or run it on-demand using npx.

Requirements:

• Node.js: ^22.22.2 || ^24.15.0 || >=26.0.0
• npm: >=10.0.0

Interactive mode allows you to manually choose which packages to upgrade from a list. You can combine this with --format group for a grouped view.

Interactive Keys:

• ↑/↓: Select a package
• Space: Toggle selection
• a: Toggle all
• Enter: Upgrade selected packages

ncu --interactive
# or
ncu -i

# For a grouped view
ncu --interactive --format group

For advanced configuration (using predicate functions for filter, reject, target, etc.), use a JavaScript-based configuration file.

ESM Example:

import { defineConfig } from 'npm-check-updates'

export default defineConfig({
  upgrade: true,
  filter: name => name.startsWith('@myorg/'),
})

CommonJS Example:

const { defineConfig } = require('npm-check-updates')

module.exports = defineConfig({
  upgrade: true,
  filter: name => name.startsWith('@myorg/'),
})

Install the figgy-pudding library via npm.

Note: This module is pending imminent deprecation (once npm v7 is released). Do not rely on it unless you are depending on it for use with npm v6 internal dependencies.

$ npm install figgy-pudding

You can configure ncu using .ncurc, .ncurc.json, .ncurc.yaml, .ncurc.yml, .ncurc.js, .ncurc.mjs, or .ncurc.cjs. The configuration hierarchy is: CLI flags → local .ncurc.* → project .ncurc.* → $HOME/.ncurc.*.

Since v21, the project is pure ESM. Use .ncurc.js with export default for ESM, or .ncurc.cjs for CommonJS. .ncurc.js is the only way to use predicate functions for filtering or rejecting packages.

export default {
  filter: name => !name.startsWith('internal-'),
  reject: ['@types/*'],
  target: 'minor',
  cooldown: 7,
  doctor: false,
}