Updating Packages in NPM
From the NPM Package Manager cheat sheet · Package Management · verified Jul 2026
Updating Packages
Keep dependencies up to date
bash
# Check outdated packages
npm outdated
npm outdated -g # Global packages
# Update package
npm update express
npm update # Update all packages
# Update to latest (ignoring semver)
npm install express@latest
# Interactive update
npx npm-check -u
npx npm-check-updates
# Update package.json version ranges
npx npm-check-updates -u
npm install # Install updated versions💡 npm update respects semver ranges in package.json
⚠️ audit fix --force may introduce breaking changes
📌 Use npm-check-updates for major version updates
🟢 Essential - Keep dependencies secure and updated
⚡ npm dedupe reduces duplication in node_modules
updatemaintenance