ncu

ncu [options] [filter]

ncu (npm-check-updates) upgrades the dependencies in package.json to the latest versions, ignoring the specified version ranges. By default it only prints the available upgrades as "current range -> new version"; nothing is modified.It compares the version ranges declared in package.json against the registry, not the versions installed in node_modules.Upgrade mode (-u) rewrites package.json while preserving the range operators (^, ~). Run npm install (or the equivalent) afterward to actually install updates; the --install option controls whether ncu offers to do this.Target levels control update scope: patch allows only patch updates, minor allows minor and patch, and latest allows major upgrades.Options can be stored in a .ncurc file (JSON, YAML or JS) in the project directory.

-u, --upgrade

Overwrite package file with upgraded versions instead of only printing them.

Interactive prompts for each dependency; implies -u.

Version to upgrade to: latest (default), newest, greatest, minor, patch, semver, @tag.

Only include package names matching a string, glob, list or /regex/.

Exclude matching packages.

Check only these dependency sections: dev, optional, peer, prod, packageManager.

Check global packages instead of the current project.

npm (default), yarn, pnpm, deno, bun or staticRegistry.

Check peer dependencies of installed packages and filter updates to compatible versions.

Run recursively in the current directory (alias for --packageFile '\*\*/package.json').

Run on all workspaces. --workspace NAME selects specific ones.

Include prerelease versions (1 to enable).

Minimum age of a version before it is considered, e.g. 7 (days), 7d, 12h, 30m.

Do not upgrade versions already satisfied by the current range.

Output formatting: dep, group, ownerChanged, repo, time, lines, installedVersion, cooldown.

2 exits non-zero if any package needs updating (useful in CI).

Output the new package file as JSON.

Output only the upgraded dependencies as JSON.

Install upgrades one at a time and run tests to find the breaking ones. Requires -u.

Package file(s) location (default ./package.json).

Registry to use when looking up versions.

Cache versions to ~/.ncu-cache.json.

Updates package.json but doesn't install. Major upgrades can contain breaking changes; test after updating. ncu does not check actual compatibility unless --peer or --doctor is used.

npm-check-updates was created around 2013 by Tomas Junnonen and has long been maintained by Raine Revere. It fills a gap in npm's workflow: npm update only installs versions within the existing ranges, while ncu rewrites the ranges themselves.

npm(1), yarn(1), pnpm(1), npm-outdated(1), npm-update(1)

Source code