npm command-line interface

# npm-outdated @11.17.0

Check for outdated packages

## Table of contents

- Synopsis
- Description
- An example
- Configuration

- `all`
- `json`
- `long`
- `parseable`
- `global`
- `workspace`
- `before`
- `min-release-age`
- `min-release-age-exclude`

- See Also

### Synopsis

    npm outdated [<package-spec> ...]

### Description

This command will check the registry to see if any (or, specific) installed packages are currently outdated.

By default, only the direct dependencies of the root project and direct dependencies of your configured workspaces are shown. Use `--all` to find all outdated meta-dependencies as well.

In the output:

- `wanted` is the maximum version of the package that satisfies the semver range specified in `package.json`. If there's no available semver range (i.e. you're running `npm outdated --global`, or the package isn't included in `package.json`), then `wanted` shows the latest version.
- `latest` is the version of the package tagged as latest in the registry. Running `npm publish` with no special configuration will publish the package with a dist-tag of `latest`. This may or may not be the maximum version of the package, or the most-recently published version of the package, depending on how the package's developer manages the latest dist-tag.
- `location` is where in the physical tree the package is located.
- `depended by` shows which package depends on the displayed dependency
- `package type` (when using `--long` / `-l`) tells you whether this package is a `dependency` or a dev/peer/optional dependency. Packages not included in `package.json` are always marked `dependencies`.
- `homepage` (when using `--long` / `-l`) is the `homepage` value contained in the package's packument
- `depended by location` (when using `--long` / `-l`) shows location of the package that depends on the displayed dependency
- Red means there's a newer version matching your semver requirements, so you should update now.
- Yellow indicates that there's a newer version above your semver requirements (usually new major, or new 0.x minor) so proceed with caution.

### An example

    $ npm outdated
    Package      Current   Wanted   Latest  Location                  Depended by
    glob          5.0.15   5.0.15    6.0.1  node_modules/glob         dependent-package-name
    nothingness    0.0.3      git      git  node_modules/nothingness  dependent-package-name
    npm            3.5.1    3.5.2    3.5.1  node_modules/npm          dependent-package-name
    local-dev      0.0.3   linked   linked  local-dev                 dependent-package-name
    once           1.3.2    1.3.3    1.3.3  node_modules/once         dependent-package-name

With these `dependencies`:

    {
      "glob": "^5.0.15",
      "nothingness": "github:othiym23/nothingness#master",
      "npm": "^3.5.1",
      "once": "^1.3.1"
    }

A few things to note:

- `glob` requires `^5`, which prevents npm from installing `glob@6`, which is outside the semver range.
- Git dependencies will always be reinstalled, because of how they're specified. The installed committish might satisfy the dependency specifier (if it's something immutable, like a commit SHA), or it might not, so `npm outdated` and `npm update` have to fetch Git repos to check. This is why currently doing a reinstall of a Git dependency always forces a new clone and install.
- `npm@3.5.2` is marked as "wanted", but "latest" is `npm@3.5.1` because npm uses dist-tags to manage its `latest` and `next` release channels. `npm update` will install the newest version, but `npm install npm` (with no semver range) will install whatever's tagged as `latest`.
- `once` is just plain out of date. Reinstalling `node_modules` from scratch or running `npm update` will bring it up to spec.

### Configuration

#### `all`

- Default: false
- Type: Boolean

Show or act on all packages, not just the ones your project directly depends on. For `npm outdated` and `npm ls` this lists every outdated or installed package. For `npm approve-scripts` and `npm deny-scripts` it selects every package with pending install scripts.

#### `json`

- Default: false
- Type: Boolean

Whether or not to output JSON data, rather than the normal output.

- In `npm pkg set` it enables parsing set values with JSON.parse() before saving them to your `package.json`.

Not supported by all npm commands.

#### `long`

- Default: false
- Type: Boolean

Show extended information in `ls`, `search`, and `help-search`.

#### `parseable`

- Default: false
- Type: Boolean

Output parseable results from commands that write to standard output. For `npm search`, this will be tab-separated table format.

#### `global`

- Default: false
- Type: Boolean

Operates in "global" mode, so that packages are installed into the `prefix` folder instead of the current working directory. See folders for more on the differences in behavior.

- packages are installed into the `{prefix}/lib/node_modules` folder, instead of the current working directory.
- bin files are linked to `{prefix}/bin`
- man pages are linked to `{prefix}/share/man`

#### `workspace`

- Default:
- Type: String (can be set multiple times)

Enable running a command in the context of the configured workspaces of the current project while filtering by running only the workspaces defined by this configuration option.

Valid values for the `workspace` config are either:

- Workspace names
- Path to a workspace directory
- Path to a parent workspace directory (will result in selecting all workspaces within that folder)

When set for the `npm init` command, this may be set to the folder of a workspace which does not yet exist, to create the folder and set it up as a brand new workspace within the project.

This value is not exported to the environment for child processes.

#### `before`

- Default: null
- Type: null or Date

If passed to `npm install`, will rebuild the npm tree such that only versions that were available on or before the given date are installed. If there are no versions available for the current set of dependencies, the command will error.

If the requested version is a `dist-tag` and the given tag does not pass the `--before` filter, the most recent version less than or equal to that tag will be used. For example, `foo@latest` might install `foo@1.2` even though `latest` is `2.0`.

If `before` and `min-release-age` are both set in the same source, `before` wins (an explicit absolute date overrides a relative window). Across sources, the standard precedence applies (cli > env > project > user > global), so a higher-priority source can always relax or override a lower-priority one.

Packages whose names match `min-release-age-exclude` are exempt from this filter.

#### `min-release-age`

- Default: null
- Type: null or Number

If set, npm will build the npm tree such that only versions that were available more than the given number of days ago will be installed. If there are no versions available for the current set of dependencies, the command will error.

This flag is a complement to `before`, which accepts an exact date instead of a relative number of days. The two may coexist (e.g. `min-release-age` in your `.npmrc` is preserved when npm internally spawns a sub-process with `--before` while preparing a `git:` or `github:` dependency); when both apply, `before` wins within a single source and across sources the standard precedence rules apply.

Packages whose names match `min-release-age-exclude` are exempt from this filter.

This value is not exported to the environment for child processes.

#### `min-release-age-exclude`

- Default:
- Type: String (can be set multiple times)

A list of package names or `minimatch` glob patterns that are exempt from the `min-release-age` (and `before`) filter. A matching package can always resolve to its newest version, even when a release-age window is set.

For example, to apply a release-age window to third-party dependencies while letting internally maintained packages update immediately:

    min-release-age=7
    min-release-age-exclude[]=@myorg/*
    min-release-age-exclude[]=my-internal-pkg

Only the named package is exempt; its own dependencies still follow the release-age policy unless they also match a pattern. Patterns match against the package name, so `@myorg/*` matches `@myorg/shared-utils`.

Excluding a package does not change which registry it is fetched from. You should own your private scope on the public registry so that nobody else can publish a package with the same name.

This value is not exported to the environment for child processes.

### See Also

- package spec
- npm update
- npm dist-tag
- npm registry
- npm folders
- npm workspaces