update-versions^2.4.24

§ Quick Take

Update all dependencies on all packages in a monorepo — or single repo — to be the latest as per npm.

§ Different kinds of monorepos

Here's where life is different between front-end web dev/React/SPA and npm Open Source package worlds: open source JS programs very rarely need any intervention after updating dependencies, even after updates to new major releases. Front-end, React, SPA packages, on other hand, are very fragile — even minor version bump in a dependency can break everything.

Here it assumed you'll always want to update all dependencies to the latest and patch any bugs right away.

That's why using upd in Open Source npm package monorepos is a wise idea but using it in React component monorepos, it's, well, a questionable idea.

PS. Notice how create-react-app  uses fixed deps (no caret ^) and gives instructions how to update. Front-end world is fragile!

§ What update-versions does

This CLI will iterate all package.json in a given path and its sub-paths and process each dev- and normal dependency:

• If it's a monorepo setup and if another package in monorepo exists with such name, that version is set in ^x.x.x format
• In all other cases, value from npm is fetched using pacote and that value is set in ^x.x.x format

This CLI is a good idea in Lerna monorepos full of owned npm packages (where you bump versions often and effortlessly) but a bad idea in React SPA's (where single minor update might break many things and updating dependencies is a big, complex deal).

§ Opinionated part 1

Lerna bootstrap will not work properly if each dependency is not prefixed with ^, as in ^x.y.z. It's hard to manually enforce that all monorepo packages should have all dependencies in this format. update-versions will force this format.

One exception - if its dependency's value starts with file:.

§ Opinionated part 2

If any dependency is listed on both dependencies and devDependencies, it will be removed from the latter list. It's common sense but we mention this "extra".

§ Opinionated part 3

If Lerna build goes wrong, key called gitHead is created in package.json. Lerna normally cleans it up but if things go wrong, key might be left there. This CLI removes key called gitHead if such exists, in every processed package.json.

§ Licence

MIT 

Copyright © 2010–2020 Roy Revelt and other contributors