eliferjunior Dependency Upgrade
Master major dependency version upgrades, compatibility analysis, staged upgrade strategies, and comprehensive testing approaches.
When to Use This Skill
- Upgrading major framework versions
- Updating security-vulnerable dependencies
- Modernizing legacy dependencies
- Resolving dependency conflicts
- Planning incremental upgrade paths
- Testing compatibility matrices
- Automating dependency updates
Semantic Versioning Review
MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH (e.g., 2.3.1)
MAJOR: Breaking changes
MINOR: New features, backward compatible
PATCH: Bug fixes, backward compatible
^2.3.1 = >=2.3.1 <3.0.0 (minor updates)
~2.3.1 = >=2.3.1 <2.4.0 (patch updates)
2.3.1 = exact version
Dependency Analysis
Audit Dependencies
# npm
npm outdated
npm audit
npm audit fix
# yarn
yarn outdated
yarn audit
# Check for major updates
npx npm-check-updates
npx npm-check-updates -u # Update package.json
Analyze Dependency Tree
# See why a package is installed
npm ls package-name
yarn why package-name
# Find duplicate packages
npm dedupe
yarn dedupe
# Visualize dependencies
npx madge --image graph.png src/
Compatibility Matrix
// compatibility-matrix.js
const compatibilityMatrix = {
react: {
"16.x": {
"react-dom": "^16.0.0",
"react-router-dom": "^5.0.0",
"@testing-library/react": "^11.0.0",
},
"17.x": {
"react-dom": "^17.0.0",
"react-router-dom": "^5.0.0 || ^6.0.0",
"@testing-library/react": "^12.0.0",
},
"18.x": {
"react-dom": "^18.0.0",
"react-router-dom": "^6.0.0",
"@testing-library/react": "^13.0.0",
},
},
};
function checkCompatibility(packages) {
// Validate package versions against matrix
}
Staged Upgrade Strategy
Phase 1: Planning
# 1. Identify current versions
npm list --depth=0
# 2. Check for breaking changes
# Read CHANGELOG.md and MIGRATION.md
# 3. Create upgrade plan
echo "Upgrade order:
1. TypeScript
2. React
3. React Router
4. Testing libraries
5. Build tools" > UPGRADE_PLAN.md
Phase 2: Incremental Updates
# Don't upgrade everything at once!
# Step 1: Update TypeScript
npm install typescript@latest
# Test
npm run test
npm run build
# Step 2: Update React (one major version at a time)
npm install react@17 react-dom@17
# Test again
npm run test
# Step 3: Continue with other packages
npm install react-router-dom@6
# And so on...
Phase 3: Validation
// tests/compatibility.test.js
describe("Dependency Compatibility", () => {
it("should have compatible React versions", () => {
const reactVersion = require("react/package.json").version;
const reactDomVersion = require("react-dom/package.json").version;
expect(reactVersion).toBe(reactDomVersion);
});
it("should not have peer dependency warnings", () => {
// Run npm ls and check for warnings
});
});
Breaking Change Handling
Identifying Breaking Changes
# Use changelog parsers
npx changelog-parser react 16.0.0 17.0.0
# Or manually check
curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/facebook/react/main/CHANGELOG.md
Codemod for Automated Fixes
# React upgrade codemods
npx react-codeshift <transform> <path>
# Example: Update lifecycle methods
npx react-codeshift \
--parser tsx \
--transform react-codeshift/transforms/rename-unsafe-lifecycles.js \
src/
Custom Migration Script
// migration-script.js
const fs = require("fs");
const glob = require("glob");
glob("src/**/*.tsx", (err, files) => {
files.forEach((file) => {
let content = fs.readFileSync(file, "utf8");
// Replace old API with new API
content = content.replace(
/componentWillMount/g,
"UNSAFE_componentWillMount",
);
// Update imports
content = content.replace(
/import { Component } from 'react'/g,
"import React, { Component } from 'react'",
);
fs.writeFileSync(file, content);
});
});
Testing Strategy
Unit Tests
// Ensure tests pass before and after upgrade
npm run test
// Update test utilities if needed
npm install @testing-library/react@latest
Integration Tests
// tests/integration/app.test.js
describe("App Integration", () => {
it("should render without crashing", () => {
render(<App />);
});
it("should handle navigation", () => {
const { getByText } = render(<App />);
fireEvent.click(getByText("Navigate"));
expect(screen.getByText("New Page")).toBeInTheDocument();
});
});
Visual Regression Tests
// visual-regression.test.js
describe("Visual Regression", () => {
it("should match snapshot", () => {
const { container } = render(<App />);
expect(container.firstChild).toMatchSnapshot();
});
});
E2E Tests
// cypress/e2e/app.cy.js
describe("E2E Tests", () => {
it("should complete user flow", () => {
cy.visit("/");
cy.get('[data-testid="login"]').click();
cy.get('input[name="email"]').type("user@example.com");
cy.get('button[type="submit"]').click();
cy.url().should("include", "/dashboard");
});
});
Automated Dependency Updates
Renovate Configuration
// renovate.json
{
"extends": ["config:base"],
"packageRules": [
{
"matchUpdateTypes": ["minor", "patch"],
"automerge": true
},
{
"matchUpdateTypes": ["major"],
"automerge": false,
"labels": ["major-update"]
}
],
"schedule": ["before 3am on Monday"],
"timezone": "America/New_York"
}
Dependabot Configuration
# .github/dependabot.yml
version: 2
updates:
- package-ecosystem: "npm"
directory: "/"
schedule:
interval: "weekly"
open-pull-requests-limit: 5
reviewers:
- "team-leads"
commit-message:
prefix: "chore"
include: "scope"
Rollback Plan
// rollback.sh
#!/bin/bash
# Save current state
git stash
git checkout -b upgrade-branch
# Attempt upgrade
npm install package@latest
# Run tests
if npm run test; then
echo "Upgrade successful"
git add package.json package-lock.json
git commit -m "chore: upgrade package"
else
echo "Upgrade failed, rolling back"
git checkout main
git branch -D upgrade-branch
npm install # Restore from package-lock.json
fi
Common Upgrade Patterns
Lock File Management
# npm
npm install --package-lock-only # Update lock file only
npm ci # Clean install from lock file
# yarn
yarn install --frozen-lockfile # CI mode
yarn upgrade-interactive # Interactive upgrades
Peer Dependency Resolution
# npm 7+: strict peer dependencies
npm install --legacy-peer-deps # Ignore peer deps
# npm 8+: override peer dependencies
npm install --force
Workspace Upgrades
# Update all workspace packages
npm install --workspaces
# Update specific workspace
npm install package@latest --workspace=packages/app
Resources
- references/semver.md: Semantic versioning guide
- references/compatibility-matrix.md: Common compatibility issues
- references/staged-upgrades.md: Incremental upgrade strategies
- references/testing-strategy.md: Comprehensive testing approaches
- assets/upgrade-checklist.md: Step-by-step checklist
- assets/compatibility-matrix.csv: Version compatibility table
- scripts/audit-dependencies.sh: Dependency audit script
Best Practices
- Read Changelogs: Understand what changed
- Upgrade Incrementally: One major version at a time
- Test Thoroughly: Unit, integration, E2E tests
- Check Peer Dependencies: Resolve conflicts early
- Use Lock Files: Ensure reproducible installs
- Automate Updates: Use Renovate or Dependabot
- Monitor: Watch for runtime errors post-upgrade
- Document: Keep upgrade notes
Upgrade Checklist
Pre-Upgrade:
- [ ] Review current dependency versions
- [ ] Read changelogs for breaking changes
- [ ] Create feature branch
- [ ] Backup current state (git tag)
- [ ] Run full test suite (baseline)
During Upgrade:
- [ ] Upgrade one dependency at a time
- [ ] Update peer dependencies
- [ ] Fix TypeScript errors
- [ ] Update tests if needed
- [ ] Run test suite after each upgrade
- [ ] Check bundle size impact
Post-Upgrade:
- [ ] Full regression testing
- [ ] Performance testing
- [ ] Update documentation
- [ ] Deploy to staging
- [ ] Monitor for errors
- [ ] Deploy to production
Common Pitfalls
- Upgrading all dependencies at once
- Not testing after each upgrade
- Ignoring peer dependency warnings
- Forgetting to update lock file
- Not reading breaking change notes
- Skipping major versions
- Not having rollback plan