Renovate: Fully automatic dependency updates

2023-08-29

Automate dependency updates with Renovate, without having to manually approve and merge pull requests.

Abstract

Fully automated dependency updates for public dependencies
Updates will be merged into the default branch after passing defined checks

Key Steps

1. Validate with GitHub Actions

Create a workflow to run builds and tests on all commits. This ensures that dependency updates are validated before being merged.

2. Run Renovate

Use npx to run Renovate with specific configuration parameters. The tool will analyze your project and create pull requests for dependency updates.

Renovate Notifications — Renovate automatically creates pull requests for dependency updates with detailed notifications.

Renovate Update Content — Example of a Renovate pull request showing the dependency update details and changes.

3. Run Renovate Again

After validation checks pass, Renovate can automatically merge the dependency update, completing the fully automated process.

Renovate Checks Passed — GitHub Actions validation checks pass, allowing Renovate to proceed with the merge.

Renovate Merged to Master — The dependency update is automatically merged into the master branch after all checks pass.

4. Automate with GitHub Actions

Create a scheduled workflow to run Renovate automatically

GitHub Actions Validation Workflow — GitHub Actions workflow showing the automated validation process for Renovate dependency updates.

Additional Resources