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ahandsel
ahandsel

Posted on • Originally published at github.com

Checking and Updating NPM Packages

#npm #beginners

Checking and Updating npm Packages

This is a quick rundown on how to check and update npm packages and package.json.

TL;DR

npm commands to check and update packages.

Command Description
npm outdated Check for outdated packages
npm update --save Update packages and save to package.json
npm update --save-dev --save Update dev packages and save to package.json
npm update -g Update global packages

Alternatively, you can use npm-check-updates to check and update packages.

Command Description
npm install -g npm-check-updates Install [npm-check-updates] globally
npx npm-check-updates Check for outdated packages without installing [npm-check-updates]
ncu -u Update packages and save to package.json
ncu -g -u Update global packages

Table of Contents

npm Commands to Check and Update Packages

Listing Outdated Packages 

npm outdated
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This command checks the registry to see if any specific installed packages are currently outdated. By default, only the root project's direct dependencies and your configured workspaces' direct dependencies are shown.

npm Documentation: npm-outdated

Updating package.json and Packages 

npm update --save
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This command updates all the packages listed to the latest version (specified by the tag config), respecting the semver constraints of both your package and its dependencies (if they also require the same package).

The --save flag updates the package.json file with the new version as well.

Add the --dev flag to update dev packages like so:

npm update --save-dev --save
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Add the -g flag to update global packages like so:

npm update -g
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npm Documentation: npm-update

[npm-check-updates] Commands to Check and Update Packages

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

There are two options for using npm-check-updates:

  • Install it globally and run it as a command-line app.
  • Simply run with npx to use it as a one-off command.

Install and Run Globally

First, install [npm-check-updates] globally.

npm install -g npm-check-updates
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Run npm-check-updates with the -u or --upgrade flag to upgrade your package.json file.

ncu -u
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For global packages, run with the -g flag.

ncu -g -u
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Run with npx

Alternatively, use npx to run npm-check-updates without installing it globally.

npx npm-check-updates
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Top comments (1)

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mfaisalkhatri profile image
Mohammad Faisal Khatri •

This is awesome, Thanks for writing this.