If you've done any sort of web development projects, chances are you're using some really cool open-source libraries that your code depends on to get the job done
Problem is, once you go pass a handful of these libraries, it can become time consuming to track updates, security patches, and new releases for all the libraries that you may be using.
The solution is 💡:
Dependabot
Dependabot is a tool within GitHub that you can use to manage your dependencies automatically, including updates, patching, and keeping your repository up-to-date.
Dependabot is easy to use and you can set it up using a configuration file in your repository
It supports plenty of languages and it can even update your Dockerfile if you are into building Docker containers
How to use ? 🤔
All you need to do is create a file named dependabot.yml inside the .github directory.
Dependabot for python:
if you use python language and pip as your dependency manager tool the dependabot.yml setup would be something like this :
With the interval key, you can decide how often your project’s dependencies get checked.
Using the dependency-type key, you can choose which dependencies to keep an eye on. For instance, we only focus on the production environment’s dependencies.
Dependabot for PHP:
if you still use PHP and composer as your dependency manager tool the dependabot.yml setup would be something like this :
Normally, Dependabot looks for manifest files on the main branch and creates pull requests for version updates there.
If you want to use a different branch for manifest files and pull requests, just specify it with target-branch
Dependabot for JavaScript:
For JavaScript enthusiasts, the configuration would look something like this:
As you can see, with the _ignore _ option, we can choose to overlook specific dependencies.
This option is super handy because sometimes we just don’t want a certain dependency to change its version. So, we can just pop its name into the *ignore * option and voilà! 🧙🏻♂️
For further information about GitHub Dependabot, please visit: link
What do you think about Dependabot? Let me know if I’ve missed anything important about this tool! 🤗
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