Dependabot-core vs Renovate

Pros

• Automated dependency updates

  • Automatically creates pull requests to update dependencies
  • Helps maintain up-to-date and secure dependencies
  • Saves time for developers by reducing manual work

• Customizable configuration

  • Supports various package managers and ecosystems
  • Allows fine-tuning of update frequency and behavior
  • Can be configured to ignore certain dependencies or versions

• Integration with GitHub

  • Seamlessly integrates with GitHub repositories
  • Utilizes GitHub's security features and vulnerability alerts
  • Works well with GitHub Actions for CI/CD pipelines

• Open-source and community-driven

  • Transparent development process
  • Allows for community contributions and improvements
  • Regular updates and bug fixes

Cons

• Limited to GitHub

  • Not directly usable with other version control platforms
  • May require additional setup for self-hosted GitHub instances

• Potential for overwhelming pull requests

  • Can generate numerous PRs in large projects with many dependencies
  • May require additional management and review time

• Learning curve for advanced configuration

  • Complex projects may require detailed configuration
  • Understanding all options and best practices takes time

• Occasional false positives

  • May suggest updates that break compatibility
  • Requires careful review of proposed changes before merging

Pros

• Automated dependency updates: Renovate automatically creates pull requests to update dependencies, saving developers time and effort.
• Highly configurable: Offers extensive configuration options to tailor the bot's behavior to specific project needs.
• Multi-platform support: Works with various package managers and languages, including npm, PyPI, Docker, and more.
• Intelligent scheduling: Can be configured to run updates at specific times or intervals to minimize disruption.

Cons

• Learning curve: The extensive configuration options can be overwhelming for new users.
• Potential for noise: Without proper configuration, it may generate too many pull requests, cluttering the repository.
• Dependency on external service: Relies on a third-party service, which may raise security concerns for some organizations.
• Resource intensive: For large projects with many dependencies, Renovate can consume significant CI/CD resources.

Updating Dependencies

This snippet demonstrates how to update dependencies using Dependabot:

source = Dependabot::Source.new(
  provider: "github",
  repo: "gocardless/bump",
  directory: "/"
)

updater = Dependabot::Updater.new(
  source: source,
  dependency_files: files,
  credentials: [{
    "type" => "git_source",
    "host" => "github.com",
    "username" => "x-access-token",
    "password" => github_token
  }]
)

updates = updater.updated_dependencies

Creating Pull Requests

This snippet shows how to create pull requests for updated dependencies:

pull_request_creator = Dependabot::PullRequestCreator.new(
  source: source,
  base_commit: base_commit,
  dependencies: updates,
  files: updated_files,
  credentials: [{
    "type" => "git_source",
    "host" => "github.com",
    "username" => "x-access-token",
    "password" => github_token
  }]
)

pull_request = pull_request_creator.create

Configuration Example

This snippet shows how to configure Renovate in a renovate.json file:

{
  "extends": ["config:base"],
  "packageRules": [
    {
      "matchUpdateTypes": ["minor", "patch"],
      "matchCurrentVersion": "!/^0/",
      "automerge": true
    }
  ],
  "schedule": ["every weekend"]
}

Custom Manager Usage

This example demonstrates how to create a custom manager for Renovate:

const customManager = {
  extractPackageFile: (content) => {
    const deps = content.match(/customDependency\((.*?)\)/g);
    return deps ? { deps: deps.map(extractDep) } : null;
  },
  extractDependencies: (packageFile) => {
    return packageFile.deps.map((dep) => ({
      depName: dep,
      currentValue: extractVersion(dep),
    }));
  },
};

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/dependabot/dependabot-core.git
   cd dependabot-core
   

2. Install dependencies:

   bundle install
   

3. Set up the development environment:

   bin/setup
   

Basic Usage

Running Dependabot locally

To run Dependabot locally for a specific package manager:

1. Create a .env file in the root directory with the following content:

   GITHUB_ACCESS_TOKEN=your_github_access_token
   

2. Run the update script for your desired package manager. For example, to update npm dependencies:

   bin/update-script.rb --package-manager=npm_and_yarn \
                        --repo=username/repo \
                        --directory=/path/to/package.json \
                        --branch=main
   

Example: Updating Ruby dependencies

Here's a simple example of updating Ruby dependencies for a project:

require "dependabot/file_fetchers"
require "dependabot/file_parsers"
require "dependabot/update_checkers"
require "dependabot/file_updaters"
require "dependabot/pull_request_creator"


fetcher = Dependabot::FileFetchers::Ruby::Bundler.new(
  source: { github_repo: "username/repo" },
  credentials: [{ type: "git_source", host: "github.com", username: "x-access-token", password: ENV["GITHUB_ACCESS_TOKEN"] }]
)
files = fetcher.files


parser = Dependabot::FileParsers::Ruby::Bundler.new(
  dependency_files: files,
  source: fetcher.source,
  credentials: fetcher.credentials
)
dependencies = parser.parse


checker = Dependabot::UpdateCheckers::Ruby::Bundler.new(
  dependency: dependencies.first,
  dependency_files: files,
  credentials: fetcher.credentials
)
updated_dependency = checker.up_to_date? ? nil : checker.updated_dependency

if updated_dependency
  # Update the Gemfile and Gemfile.lock
  updater = Dependabot::FileUpdaters::Ruby::Bundler.new(
    dependencies: [updated_dependency],
    dependency_files: files,
    credentials: fetcher.credentials
  )
  updated_files = updater.updated_dependency_files

  # Create a pull request
  pr_creator = Dependabot::PullRequestCreator.new(
    source: fetcher.source,
    base_commit: fetcher.commit,
    dependencies: [updated_dependency],
    files: updated_files,
    credentials: fetcher.credentials
  )
  pr_creator.create
end

This example demonstrates how to fetch, parse, check for updates, and create a pull request for Ruby dependencies using Dependabot Core.

Installation

To get started with Renovate, follow these steps:

1. Install Renovate globally using npm:

npm install -g renovate

2. Authenticate with your GitHub account:

renovate-config-validator

This will prompt you to enter your GitHub token.

Basic Usage

3. Create a renovate.json configuration file in the root of your repository:

{
  "extends": ["config:base"]
}

4. Run Renovate on your repository:

renovate

Example: Customizing Renovate

To customize Renovate's behavior, you can modify the renovate.json file. Here's an example that schedules updates for npm dependencies on weekends:

{
  "extends": ["config:base"],
  "packageRules": [
    {
      "matchPackagePatterns": ["*"],
      "matchUpdateTypes": ["minor", "patch"],
      "schedule": ["every weekend"]
    }
  ]
}

This configuration extends the base config and adds a rule to schedule minor and patch updates for all packages on weekends.