1 ---
2 title: npm-outdated
3 section: 1
4 description: Check for outdated packages
5 github_repo: npm/cli
6 github_branch: release/v9
7 github_path: docs/lib/content/commands/npm-outdated.md
8 redirect_from:
9 - /cli-documentation/v9/cli-commands/npm-outdated
10 - /cli-documentation/v9/cli-commands/outdated
11 - /cli-documentation/v9/commands/npm-outdated
12 - /cli-documentation/v9/commands/outdated
13 - /cli-documentation/v9/npm-outdated
14 - /cli-documentation/v9/outdated
15 - /cli/v9/cli-commands/npm-outdated
16 - /cli/v9/cli-commands/outdated
17 - /cli/v9/commands/outdated
18 - /cli/v9/npm-outdated
19 - /cli/v9/outdated
20 ---
21
22 ### Synopsis
23
24 ```bash
25 npm outdated [<package-spec> ...]
26 ```
27
28 ### Description
29
30 This command will check the registry to see if any (or, specific) installed packages are currently outdated.
31
32 By default, only the direct dependencies of the root project and direct dependencies of your configured _workspaces_ are shown. Use `--all` to find all outdated meta-dependencies as well.
33
34 In the output:
35
36 - `wanted` is the maximum version of the package that satisfies the semver range specified in `package.json`. If there's no available semver range (i.e. you're running `npm outdated --global`, or the package isn't included in `package.json`), then `wanted` shows the currently-installed version.
37 - `latest` is the version of the package tagged as latest in the registry. Running `npm publish` with no special configuration will publish the package with a dist-tag of `latest`. This may or may not be the maximum version of the package, or the most-recently published version of the package, depending on how the package's developer manages the latest [dist-tag](/cli/v9/commands/npm-dist-tag).
38 - `location` is where in the physical tree the package is located.
39 - `depended by` shows which package depends on the displayed dependency
40 - `package type` (when using `--long` / `-l`) tells you whether this package is a `dependency` or a dev/peer/optional dependency. Packages not included in `package.json` are always marked `dependencies`.
41 - `homepage` (when using `--long` / `-l`) is the `homepage` value contained in the package's packument
42 - Red means there's a newer version matching your semver requirements, so you should update now.
43 - Yellow indicates that there's a newer version _above_ your semver requirements (usually new major, or new 0.x minor) so proceed with caution.
44
45 ### An example
46
47 ```bash
48 $ npm outdated
49 Package Current Wanted Latest Location Depended by
50 glob 5.0.15 5.0.15 6.0.1 node_modules/glob dependent-package-name
51 nothingness 0.0.3 git git node_modules/nothingness dependent-package-name
52 npm 3.5.1 3.5.2 3.5.1 node_modules/npm dependent-package-name
53 local-dev 0.0.3 linked linked local-dev dependent-package-name
54 once 1.3.2 1.3.3 1.3.3 node_modules/once dependent-package-name
55 ```
56
57 With these `dependencies`:
58
59 ```json
60 {
61 "glob": "^5.0.15",
62 "nothingness": "github:othiym23/nothingness#master",
63 "npm": "^3.5.1",
64 "once": "^1.3.1"
65 }
66 ```
67
68 A few things to note:
69
70 - `glob` requires `^5`, which prevents npm from installing `glob@6`, which is outside the semver range.
71 - Git dependencies will always be reinstalled, because of how they're specified. The installed committish might satisfy the dependency specifier (if it's something immutable, like a commit SHA), or it might not, so `npm outdated` and `npm update` have to fetch Git repos to check. This is why currently doing a reinstall of a Git dependency always forces a new clone and install.
72 - `npm@3.5.2` is marked as "wanted", but "latest" is `npm@3.5.1` because npm uses dist-tags to manage its `latest` and `next` release channels. `npm update` will install the _newest_ version, but `npm install npm` (with no semver range) will install whatever's tagged as `latest`.
73 - `once` is just plain out of date. Reinstalling `node_modules` from scratch or running `npm update` will bring it up to spec.
74
75 ### Configuration
76
77 #### `all`
78
79 - Default: false
80 - Type: Boolean
81
82 When running `npm outdated` and `npm ls`, setting `--all` will show all outdated or installed packages, rather than only those directly depended upon by the current project.
83
84 #### `json`
85
86 - Default: false
87 - Type: Boolean
88
89 Whether or not to output JSON data, rather than the normal output.
90
91 - In `npm pkg set` it enables parsing set values with JSON.parse() before saving them to your `package.json`.
92
93 Not supported by all npm commands.
94
95 #### `long`
96
97 - Default: false
98 - Type: Boolean
99
100 Show extended information in `ls`, `search`, and `help-search`.
101
102 #### `parseable`
103
104 - Default: false
105 - Type: Boolean
106
107 Output parseable results from commands that write to standard output. For `npm search`, this will be tab-separated table format.
108
109 #### `global`
110
111 - Default: false
112 - Type: Boolean
113
114 Operates in "global" mode, so that packages are installed into the `prefix` folder instead of the current working directory. See [folders](/cli/v9/configuring-npm/folders) for more on the differences in behavior.
115
116 - packages are installed into the `{prefix}/lib/node_modules` folder, instead of the current working directory.
117 - bin files are linked to `{prefix}/bin`
118 - man pages are linked to `{prefix}/share/man`
119
120 #### `workspace`
121
122 - Default:
123 - Type: String (can be set multiple times)
124
125 Enable running a command in the context of the configured workspaces of the current project while filtering by running only the workspaces defined by this configuration option.
126
127 Valid values for the `workspace` config are either:
128
129 - Workspace names
130 - Path to a workspace directory
131 - Path to a parent workspace directory (will result in selecting all workspaces within that folder)
132
133 When set for the `npm init` command, this may be set to the folder of a workspace which does not yet exist, to create the folder and set it up as a brand new workspace within the project.
134
135 This value is not exported to the environment for child processes.
136
137 ### See Also
138
139 - [package spec](/cli/v9/using-npm/package-spec)
140 - [npm update](/cli/v9/commands/npm-update)
141 - [npm dist-tag](/cli/v9/commands/npm-dist-tag)
142 - [npm registry](/cli/v9/using-npm/registry)
143 - [npm folders](/cli/v9/configuring-npm/folders)
144 - [npm workspaces](/cli/v9/using-npm/workspaces)