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Quick Start

This guide gets you productive with depkeeper in under 5 minutes.

Prerequisites

  • Python 3.8+
  • A requirements.txt file in your project

Step 1: Install depkeeper

Bash
pip install depkeeper

Verify the installation:

Bash
depkeeper --version

Step 2: Check for Updates

Navigate to your project directory and run:

Bash
depkeeper check

You'll see output like:

Text Only
Resolution Summary:
==================================================
Total packages: 5
Packages with conflicts: 0
Packages changed: 0
Converged: Yes (1 iterations)

                                    Dependency Status

  Status       Package    Current   Latest   Recommended   Update Type   Conflicts   Python Support

  ✓ OK         django      3.2.0     5.0.2        -             -           -        Current: >=3.8
                                                                                     Latest: >=3.10

  ⬆ OUTDATED   requests    2.28.0    2.32.0     2.32.0        minor         -        Current: >=3.7
                                                                                     Latest: >=3.8

  ⬆ OUTDATED   flask       2.0.0     3.0.1      2.3.3         patch         -        Current: >=3.7
                                                                                     Latest: >=3.8

  ⬆ OUTDATED   click       8.0.0     8.1.7      8.1.7         minor         -        Current: >=3.7
                                                                                     Latest: >=3.7

  ⬆ OUTDATED   pytest      7.4.0     8.0.0      7.4.4         patch         -        Current: >=3.7
                                                                                     Latest: >=3.8

[WARNING] 4 package(s) have updates available

Understanding the output

  • Status: Whether the package is up to date (✓ OK) or has updates (⬆ OUTDATED)
  • Current: Your pinned/installed version
  • Latest: Newest version available on PyPI
  • Recommended: Safe upgrade that respects major version boundaries
  • Update Type: Severity of the update (major/minor/patch)
  • Conflicts: Any dependency conflicts detected
  • Python Support: Python version requirements for current, latest, and recommended versions

Step 3: Preview Updates

Before making changes, preview what would be updated:

Bash
depkeeper update --dry-run

Output:

Text Only
                       Update Plan (Dry Run)

  Package    Current   New Version   Change   Python Requires

  requests    2.28.0       2.32.0    minor    >=3.8
  flask       2.0.0        2.3.3     patch    >=3.8
  click       8.0.0        8.1.7     minor    >=3.7

[WARNING] Dry run mode - no changes applied

Step 4: Apply Updates

When you're ready to update:

Bash
depkeeper update

You'll see the update plan and be asked to confirm:

Text Only
                          Update Plan

  Package    Current   New Version   Change   Python Requires

  requests    2.28.0       2.32.0    minor    >=3.8
  flask       2.0.0        2.3.3     patch    >=3.8
  click       8.0.0        8.1.7     minor    >=3.7

Update 3 packages? (y, n) [y]: y

[OK] ✓ Successfully updated 3 package(s)

To skip the confirmation prompt:

Bash
depkeeper update -y

Step 5: Create a Backup (Optional)

For extra safety, create a backup before updating:

Bash
depkeeper update --backup -y

This creates requirements.txt.backup.<timestamp> before making changes.

Common Workflows

Check Only Outdated Packages

Bash
depkeeper check --outdated-only

Update Specific Packages

Bash
depkeeper update -p requests -p flask

JSON Output for CI/CD

Bash
depkeeper check --format json

Increase Verbosity

Bash
depkeeper -v check     # Info level
depkeeper -vv check    # Debug level

Quick Reference

Text Only
Command                            Description
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
depkeeper check                    Check for available updates
depkeeper check --outdated-only    Show only outdated packages
depkeeper check -f json            Output as JSON
depkeeper update                   Update all packages
depkeeper update --dry-run         Preview updates without changes
depkeeper update -y                Update without confirmation
depkeeper update --backup          Create backup before updating
depkeeper update -p PKG            Update specific package(s)

Next Steps