Automated Dependency Updates (Dependabot/Renovate) Setup

Automated Dependency Updates with Dependabot

Outdated dependencies are vulnerability sources. Manual updating hundreds of packages quarterly is unrealistic. Dependabot creates PRs automatically when new versions appear.

Dependabot Setup

# .github/dependabot.yml
version: 2
updates:
  # npm dependencies
  - package-ecosystem: npm
    directory: /
    schedule:
      interval: weekly
      day: monday
      time: "09:00"
      timezone: "Europe/Moscow"
    open-pull-requests-limit: 10
    groups:
      # Group dev dependencies in one PR
      dev-dependencies:
        patterns:
          - "@types/*"
          - "eslint*"
          - "prettier*"
          - "jest*"
          - "vitest*"
          - "typescript"
        update-types:
          - "minor"
          - "patch"
      # Storybook — separate
      storybook:
        patterns:
          - "@storybook/*"
          - "storybook"
    ignore:
      # Don't update major automatically
      - dependency-name: "next"
        update-types: ["version-update:semver-major"]
      - dependency-name: "react"
        update-types: ["version-update:semver-major"]
    labels:
      - "dependencies"
      - "automated"

  # GitHub Actions
  - package-ecosystem: github-actions
    directory: /
    schedule:
      interval: weekly
    labels:
      - "github-actions"
      - "automated"

  # Docker
  - package-ecosystem: docker
    directory: /
    schedule:
      interval: monthly
    labels:
      - "docker"
      - "automated"

  # Composer (PHP)
  - package-ecosystem: composer
    directory: /
    schedule:
      interval: weekly
    groups:
      laravel:
        patterns:
          - "laravel/*"

Auto-merge for Patch Updates

# .github/workflows/dependabot-auto-merge.yml
name: Auto-merge Dependabot PRs

on: pull_request

permissions:
  contents: write
  pull-requests: write

jobs:
  auto-merge:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    if: github.actor == 'dependabot[bot]'

    steps:
      - name: Fetch Dependabot metadata
        id: metadata
        uses: dependabot/fetch-metadata@v2
        with:
          github-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

      # Auto-merge patch and minor updates of dev dependencies
      - name: Auto-merge dev dependency patches
        if: |
          steps.metadata.outputs.dependency-type == 'direct:development' &&
          (steps.metadata.outputs.update-type == 'version-update:semver-patch' ||
           steps.metadata.outputs.update-type == 'version-update:semver-minor')
        run: gh pr merge --auto --squash "$PR_URL"
        env:
          PR_URL: ${{ github.event.pull_request.html_url }}
          GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

      # Auto-merge patch updates of production dependencies (after CI)
      - name: Auto-merge production patches
        if: |
          steps.metadata.outputs.dependency-type == 'direct:production' &&
          steps.metadata.outputs.update-type == 'version-update:semver-patch'
        run: gh pr merge --auto --squash "$PR_URL"
        env:
          PR_URL: ${{ github.event.pull_request.html_url }}
          GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

Renovate Bot: Alternative

Renovate more powerful than Dependabot: supports lock file maintenance, pin versions, group updates, monorepos.

// renovate.json
{
  "$schema": "https://docs.renovatebot.com/renovate-schema.json",
  "extends": [
    "config:recommended",
    ":dependencyDashboard",
    ":semanticCommits"
  ],
  "packageRules": [
    {
      "matchDepTypes": ["devDependencies"],
      "matchUpdateTypes": ["minor", "patch"],
      "automerge": true,
      "automergeType": "pr"
    },
    {
      "matchPackageNames": ["next", "react", "react-dom"],
      "matchUpdateTypes": ["major"],
      "enabled": false
    }
  ],
  "lockFileMaintenance": {
    "enabled": true,
    "schedule": ["before 5am on monday"]
  }
}

Security Monitoring

# npm audit in CI
npm audit --audit-level=high

# Prevent merge on critical vulnerabilities
# .github/workflows/security.yml
- name: Security audit
  run: |
    npm audit --audit-level=critical --json > audit.json
    CRITICAL=$(jq '.metadata.vulnerabilities.critical' audit.json)
    if [ "$CRITICAL" -gt 0 ]; then
      echo "Critical vulnerabilities found: $CRITICAL"
      exit 1
    fi

Dependabot setup with auto-merge and update grouping — several hours. Renovate Bot with monorepo configuration — 1 working day.