Renovate

Renovate

Renovate is the power-user alternative to Dependabot. It runs on any platform (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Azure) and offers extreme configurability for how and when dependencies are updated.

When to Use

• Monorepos: Handles complex multi-package repos better than Dependabot.
• Non-GitHub: If you use GitLab or Bitbucket.
• Complex Schedules: "Only update devDependencies on weekends", "Group all React related packages together".
• Dashboard: Need a dashboard to see all pending updates.

Quick Start (renovate.json)

{
  "$schema": "https://docs.renovatebot.com/renovate-schema.json",
  "extends": ["config:base"],
  "packageRules": [
    {
      "matchPackagePatterns": ["^react", "^@types/react"],
      "groupName": "react monorepo"
    },
    {
      "matchUpdateTypes": ["minor", "patch"],
      "matchCurrentVersion": "!/^0/",
      "automerge": true
    }
  ]
}

Core Concepts

Dependency Dashboard

Renovate creates a persistent "Issue" in your repo that acts as a dashboard. You can tick checkboxes to force-retry updates or see what's blocked.

Presets

Shareable configuration bundles (config:base, group:allNonMajor).

Automerge

Renovate's automerge is highly granular. You can automerge only linters, or only patch releases that pass CI.

Best Practices (2025)

Do:

• Use the Dependency Dashboard. It's the control center.
• Group Updates: E.g., Group all aws-sdk packages.
• Rate Limit: Set prHourlyLimit or prConcurrentLimit to avoid DDoSing your CI system.

Don't:

• Don't start with zero config: The noise will overwhelm you. Start with conservative settings and expand.

References

• Renovate Docs
• Mend Renovate