docs/content/code-security/dependabot/dependabot-version-updates/configuring-dependabot-version-updates.md

title, intro, permissions, redirect_from, versions, type, topics, shortTitle

title	intro	permissions	redirect_from	versions	type	topics	shortTitle
Configuring Dependabot version updates	You can configure your repository so that {% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot %} automatically updates the packages you use.	{% data reusables.permissions.dependabot-yml-configure %}	/github/administering-a-repository/enabling-and-disabling-version-updates /code-security/supply-chain-security/enabling-and-disabling-version-updates /code-security/supply-chain-security/keeping-your-dependencies-updated-automatically/enabling-and-disabling-version-updates /code-security/supply-chain-security/keeping-your-dependencies-updated-automatically/enabling-and-disabling-dependabot-version-updates	fpt ghec ghes * * *	how_to	Dependabot Version updates Repositories Dependencies Pull requests	Configure version updates

{% data reusables.dependabot.enterprise-enable-dependabot %}

About version updates for dependencies

You enable {% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot_version_updates %} by checking a dependabot.yml configuration file in to your repository's .github directory. {% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot %} then raises pull requests to keep the dependencies you configure up-to-date. For each package manager's dependencies that you want to update, you must specify the location of the package manifest files and how often to check for updates to the dependencies listed in those files. For information about enabling security updates, see AUTOTITLE.

{% data reusables.dependabot.initial-updates %} For more information, see AUTOTITLE.

{% data reusables.dependabot.version-updates-skip-scheduled-runs %}

By default only direct dependencies that are explicitly defined in a manifest are kept up to date by {% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot_version_updates %}. You can choose to receive updates for indirect dependencies defined in lock files. For more information, see AUTOTITLE.

{% data reusables.dependabot.private-dependencies-note %} Additionally, {% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot %} doesn't support private {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom %} dependencies for all package managers. For more information, see AUTOTITLE and AUTOTITLE.

Enabling {% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot_version_updates %}

You enable {% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot_version_updates %} by committing a dependabot.yml configuration file to your repository. {% ifversion dependabot-settings-update-37 %}If you enable the feature in your settings page, GitHub creates a basic file which you can edit, otherwise you can create the file using any file editor.

{% data reusables.repositories.navigate-to-repo %} {% data reusables.repositories.sidebar-settings %} {% data reusables.repositories.navigate-to-code-security-and-analysis %}

1. Under "{% ifversion ghas-products %}{% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot %}{% else %}{% data variables.product.UI_advanced_security %}{% endif %}", to the right of "{% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot_version_updates %}", click Enable to open a basic dependabot.yml configuration file in the .github directory of your repository. {% data reusables.dependabot.link-to-yml-config-file %} {% else %}

2. Create a dependabot.yml configuration file in the .github directory of your repository. You can use the snippet below as a starting point. {% data reusables.dependabot.link-to-yml-config-file %} {% endif %}

   # To get started with Dependabot version updates, you'll need to specify which
   # package ecosystems to update and where the package manifests are located.
   
   version: 2
   updates:
   - package-ecosystem: "" # See documentation for possible values
     directory: "/" # Location of package manifests
     schedule:
       interval: "weekly"
   

3. Add a version. This key is mandatory. The file must start with version: 2.

4. Optionally, if you have dependencies in a private registry, add a registries section containing authentication details. For more information, see AUTOTITLE.

5. Add an updates section, with an entry for each package manager you want {% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot %} to monitor. This key is mandatory. You use it to configure how {% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot %} updates the versions or your project's dependencies. Each entry configures the update settings for a particular package manager. For more information, see About the dependabot.yml file in "{% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot %} options reference."

6. For each package manager, use:

   • package-ecosystem to specify the package manager. For more information about the supported package managers, see package-ecosystem.
   • {% ifversion dependabot-updates-multidirectory-support %}directories or {% endif %}directory to specify the location of multiple manifest or other definition files.{% ifversion dependabot-updates-multidirectory-support %} For more information, see Defining multiple locations for manifest files.{% endif %}
   • schedule.interval to specify how often to check for new versions.

{% data reusables.dependabot.check-in-dependabot-yml %}

Example dependabot.yml file

The example dependabot.yml file below configures version updates for three package managers: npm, Docker, and {% data variables.product.prodname_actions %}. When this file is checked in, {% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot %} checks the manifest files on the default branch for outdated dependencies. If it finds outdated dependencies, it will raise pull requests against the default branch to update the dependencies.

# Basic `dependabot.yml` file with
# minimum configuration for three package managers

version: 2
updates:
  # Enable version updates for npm
  - package-ecosystem: "npm"
    # Look for `package.json` and `lock` files in the `root` directory
    directory: "/"
    # Check the npm registry for updates every day (weekdays)
    schedule:
      interval: "daily"

  # Enable version updates for Docker
  - package-ecosystem: "docker"
    # Look for a `Dockerfile` in the `root` directory
    directory: "/"
    # Check for updates once a week
    schedule:
      interval: "weekly"

  # Enable version updates for GitHub Actions
  - package-ecosystem: "github-actions"
    # Workflow files stored in the default location of `.github/workflows`
    # You don't need to specify `/.github/workflows` for `directory`. You can use `directory: "/"`.
    directory: "/"
    schedule:
      interval: "weekly"

In the example above, if the Docker dependencies were very outdated, you might want to start with a daily schedule until the dependencies are up-to-date, and then drop back to a weekly schedule.

Enabling version updates on forks

If you want to enable version updates on forks, there's an extra step. Version updates are not automatically enabled on forks when a dependabot.yml configuration file is present. This ensures that fork owners don't unintentionally enable version updates when they pull changes including a dependabot.yml configuration file from the original repository.

On a fork, you also need to explicitly enable {% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot %}.

{% data reusables.repositories.navigate-to-repo %} {% data reusables.repositories.sidebar-settings %} {% data reusables.repositories.navigate-to-code-security-and-analysis %}

1. Under "{% ifversion ghas-products %}{% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot %}{% else %}{% data variables.product.UI_advanced_security %}{% endif %}", to the right of "{% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot_version_updates %}", click Enable to allow {% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot %} to initiate version updates.

Checking the status of version updates

After you enable version updates, the Dependabot tab in the dependency graph for the repository is populated. This tab shows which package managers {% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot %} is configured to monitor and when {% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot %} last checked for new versions.

For information, see AUTOTITLE.

Disabling {% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot_version_updates %}

You can disable version updates entirely by deleting the dependabot.yml file from your repository. More usually, you want to disable updates temporarily for one or more dependencies, or package managers.

• Package managers: disable by setting open-pull-requests-limit: 0 or by commenting out the relevant package-ecosystem in the configuration file.
• Specific dependencies: disable by adding ignore attributes for packages or applications that you want to exclude from updates.

When you disable dependencies, you can use wild cards to match a set of related libraries. You can also specify which versions to exclude. This is particularly useful if you need to block updates to a library, pending work to support a breaking change to its API, but want to get any security fixes to the version you use.

Example disabling version updates for some dependencies

The example dependabot.yml file below includes examples of the different ways to disable updates to some dependencies, while allowing other updates to continue.

# `dependabot.yml` file with updates
# disabled for Docker and limited for npm

version: 2
updates:
  # Configuration for Dockerfile
  - package-ecosystem: "docker"
    directory: "/"
    schedule:
      interval: "weekly"
      # Disable all pull requests for Docker dependencies
    open-pull-requests-limit: 0

  # Configuration for npm
  - package-ecosystem: "npm"
    directory: "/"
    schedule:
      interval: "weekly"
    ignore:
      # Ignore updates to packages that start with 'aws'
      # Wildcards match zero or more arbitrary characters
      - dependency-name: "aws*"
      # Ignore some updates to the 'express' package
      - dependency-name: "express"
        # Ignore only new versions for 4.x and 5.x
        versions: ["4.x", "5.x"]
      # For all packages, ignore all patch updates
      - dependency-name: "*"
        update-types: ["version-update:semver-patch"]

For more information about checking for existing ignore preferences, see AUTOTITLE.