By default, Dependabot opens a new pull request to update each dependency. When you enable security updates, new pull requests are opened when a vulnerable dependency is found. When you configure version updates for one or more ecosystems, new pull requests are opened when new versions of dependencies are available, with the frequency defined in the dependabot.yml file.
If your project has many dependencies, you might find that you have a very large number of Dependabot pull requests to review and merge, which can quickly become difficult to manage.
There are a couple of customization options you can implement to optimize Dependabot update pull requests to align with your processes, such as:
- Controlling the frequency with which Dependabot checks for newer versions of your dependencies with
schedule. - Prioritize meaningful updates with
groups.
Controlling the frequency and timings of dependency updates
Dependabot runs its checks for version updates at a frequency set by you in the configuration file (where the required field, schedule.interval, must be set to daily, weekly, or monthly).
By default, Dependabot balances its workload by assigning a random time to check and raise pull requests for dependency updates.
However, to reduce distraction, or to better organize time and resources for reviewing and addressing version updates, you might find it useful to modify the frequency and timings. For example, you may prefer Dependabot to run weekly rather than daily checks for updates, and at a time that ensures pull requests are raised before for your team's triage session.
You can use schedule with a combination of options to modify the frequency and timings of when Dependabot checks for version updates
The example dependabot.yml file below changes the npm configuration to specify that Dependabot should check for version updates to npm dependencies every day at 02:00 Japanese Standard Time (UTC +09:00).
# `dependabot.yml` file with
# customized schedule for version updates
version: 2
updates:
# Keep npm dependencies up to date
- package-ecosystem: "npm"
directory: "/"
# Check the npm registry every week on Tuesday at 02:00 Japan Standard Time (UTC +09:00)
schedule:
interval: "weekly"
day: "tuesday"
time: "02:00"
timezone: "Asia/Tokyo"
# `dependabot.yml` file with
# customized schedule for version updates
version: 2
updates:
# Keep npm dependencies up to date
- package-ecosystem: "npm"
directory: "/"
# Check the npm registry every week on Tuesday at 02:00 Japan Standard Time (UTC +09:00)
schedule:
interval: "weekly"
day: "tuesday"
time: "02:00"
timezone: "Asia/Tokyo"
See also schedule.
Prioritizing meaningful updates
You can use groups to consolidate updates for multiple dependencies into a single pull request. This helps you focus your review time on higher risk updates, and minimize the time spent reviewing minor version updates. For example, you can combine updates for minor or patch updates for development dependencies into a single pull request, and have a dedicated group for security or version updates that impact a key area of your codebase.
You must configure groups per individual package ecosystem, then you can create multiple groups per package ecosystem using a combination of criteria:
- Dependabot update type:
applies-to - Type of dependency:
dependency-type. - Dependency name:
patternsandexclude-patterns - Semantic versioning levels:
update-types
To see all supported values for each criterion, see groups.
The below examples present several different methods to create groups of dependencies using the criteria.
Exemple 1
La configuration de fichier dependabot.yml utilise les options patterns et dependency-type pour inclure des dépendances spécifiques dans le groupe et l’option exclude-patterns pour exclure une dépendance (ou plusieurs dépendances) du groupe.
La règle de regroupement par défaut s’applique uniquement aux mises à jour de version, car la clé applies-to est absente.
# `dependabot.yml` file using the `dependency-type` option to group updates
# in conjunction with `patterns` and `exclude-patterns`.
# Grouping rules default to applying to version updates only, since
# the `applies-to` key is absent.
groups:
production-dependencies:
dependency-type: "production"
development-dependencies:
dependency-type: "development"
exclude-patterns:
- "rubocop*"
rubocop:
patterns:
- "rubocop*"
Exemple 2
Fichier dependabot.yml avec une configuration Bundler personnalisée, qui a été modifiée pour créer un groupe de dépendances. La configuration spécifie patterns (chaînes de caractères) qui correspondent au nom d’une dépendance (ou de plusieurs dépendances) afin d’inclure les dépendances dans le groupe.
La règle de regroupement s’applique uniquement aux mises à jour de version, car applies-to: version-updates est utilisée.
# `dependabot.yml` file with customized Bundler configuration
# In this example, the name of the group is `dev-dependencies`, and
# only the `patterns` and `exclude-patterns` options are used.
# Grouping rules apply to version updates only.
version: 2
updates:
# Keep bundler dependencies up to date
- package-ecosystem: "bundler"
directories:
- "/frontend"
- "/backend"
- "/admin"
schedule:
interval: "weekly"
# Create a group of dependencies to be updated together in one pull request
groups:
# Specify a name for the group, which will be used in pull request titles
# and branch names
dev-dependencies:
# Define patterns to include dependencies in the group (based on
# dependency name)
applies-to: version-updates # Applies the group rule to version updates
patterns:
- "rubocop" # A single dependency name
- "rspec*" # A wildcard string that matches multiple dependency names
- "*" # A wildcard that matches all dependencies in the package
# ecosystem. Note: using "*" may open a large pull request
# Define patterns to exclude dependencies from the group (based on
# dependency name)
exclude-patterns:
- "gc_ruboconfig"
- "gocardless-*"
Exemple 3
Le fichier dependabot.yml est configuré de manière à ce que tous les packages correspondant au modèle @angular* où la version de résolution la plus élevée est minor ou patch seront regroupées. Dependabot crée une demande de tirage (pull request) distincte pour tout package qui ne correspond pas au modèle, ou qui ne se met pas à jour vers une version minor ou patch.
La règle de regroupement s’applique uniquement aux mises à jour de version, car applies-to: version-updates est utilisée.
# `dependabot.yml` file using the `update-types` option to group updates.
# Any packages matching the pattern @angular* where the highest resolvable
# version is minor or patch will be grouped together.
# Grouping rules apply to version updates only.
version: 2
updates:
- package-ecosystem: "npm"
directory: "/"
schedule:
interval: "weekly"
groups:
angular:
applies-to: version-updates
patterns:
- "@angular*"
update-types:
- "minor"
- "patch"
Exemple 4
Le fichier dependabot.yml utilise une condition ignore pour exclure les mises à jour de packages @angular* vers des versions major.
Deux règles de regroupement sont spécifiées, une pour les mises à jour de version et une pour les correctifs de sécurité.
# `dependabot.yml` file using the `update-types` option to group updates
# in conjunction with an `ignore` condition. If you do not want updates
# to `major` versions of `@angular*` packages, you can specify an `ignore` condition.
# Grouping rules for both version updates and security updates are specified.
groups:
angular:
applies-to: version-updates
patterns:
- "@angular*"
update-types:
- "minor"
- "patch"
minor-and-patch:
applies-to: security-updates
patterns:
- "@angular*"
update-types:
- "patch"
- "minor"
ignore:
- dependency-name: "@angular*"
update-types: ["version-update:semver-major"]