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About the dependency graph

Detailed information about the dependency graph, the ecosystems it supports, and how it determines which packages a repository depends on.

Dependency graph availability

The dependency graph is available for every repository that defines dependencies in a supported package ecosystem using a supported file format.

Enterprise owners must enable Dependabot alerts for vulnerable dependencies for your GitHub Enterprise Server instance before you can use this feature. For more information, see "Enabling the dependency graph and Dependabot alerts on your enterprise account."

About the dependency graph

The dependency graph is a summary of the manifest and lock files stored in a repository. For each repository, it shows dependencies, that is, the ecosystems and packages it depends on. GitHub Enterprise Server does not calculate information about dependents, the repositories and packages that depend on a repository.

When you push a commit to GitHub Enterprise Server that changes or adds a supported manifest or lock file to the default branch, the dependency graph is automatically updated. For information on the supported ecosystems and manifest files, see "Supported package ecosystems" below.

Dependencies included

The dependency graph includes all the dependencies of a repository that are detailed in the manifest and lock files, or their equivalent, for supported ecosystems. This includes:

  • Direct dependencies, that are explicitly defined in a manifest or lock file
  • Indirect dependencies of these direct dependencies, also known as transitive dependencies or sub-dependencies

The dependency graph identifies indirect dependencies.

Using the dependency graph

You can use the dependency graph to:

Enabling the dependency graph

If the dependency graph is not available in your system, your site administrator can enable the dependency graph and Dependabot alerts. For more information, see "Enabling the dependency graph and Dependabot alerts on your enterprise account."

When the dependency graph is first enabled, any manifest and lock files for supported ecosystems are parsed immediately. The graph is usually populated within minutes but this may take longer for repositories with many dependencies. Once enabled, the graph is automatically updated with every push to the repository.

Supported package ecosystems

The recommended formats explicitly define which versions are used for all direct and all indirect dependencies. If you use these formats, your dependency graph is more accurate. It also reflects the current build set up and enables the dependency graph to report vulnerabilities in both direct and indirect dependencies.

The ecosystems listed below are supported for the dependency graph and Dependabot alerts.

Package managerLanguagesRecommended formatsAll supported formats
ComposerPHPcomposer.lockcomposer.json, composer.lock
dotnet CLI.NET languages (C#, C++, F#, VB).csproj, .vbproj, .nuspec, .vcxproj, .fsproj.csproj, .vbproj, .nuspec, .vcxproj, .fsproj, packages.config
MavenJava, Scalapom.xmlpom.xml
npmJavaScriptpackage-lock.jsonpackage-lock.json, package.json
Python PIPPythonrequirements.txt, pipfile.lockrequirements.txt, pipfile, pipfile.lock, setup.py*
RubyGemsRubyGemfile.lockGemfile.lock, Gemfile, *.gemspec
YarnJavaScriptyarn.lockpackage.json, yarn.lock

Note: If you list your Python dependencies within a setup.py file, we may not be able to parse and list every dependency in your project.

Further reading