What is Greenkeeper?
Greenkeeper is an automated dependency management tool designed specifically for JavaScript and Node.js projects. It integrates seamlessly with GitHub to keep track of the npm dependencies in your repository and send pull requests whenever updates are available.
As new versions of packages are released, Greenkeeper creates a branch with the updates, tests them against your continuous integration setup, and only sends a pull request if all tests still pass. This saves developers a lot of time and headaches keeping dependencies up to date and prevents broken production builds due to outdated packages.
Some key features of Greenkeeper include:
- Automatic updates for npm dependencies
- Testing of updates via CI services before creating pull requests
- Configurable settings to update dependencies on a schedule or only for certain versions
- Notifications about outdated dependencies
- Support for semantic versioning ranges
By automating this repetitive but vital task, Greenkeeper lets developers focus their efforts on building great software rather than constantly checking for dependency updates. It's a simple but invaluable tool for any JS/Node project using npm packages.
Snyk, Mend Renovate, pyup.io, Libraries.io, requires.io, NewReleases, Sibbell, Banditore, Codario.io, ReleaseInfo, ReleaseBell, Violinist.io are some alternatives to Greenkeeper.