dev-version-inspector

Compare package.json dependency versions across multiple repositories to identify mismatches and keep dependencies in sync.

Quick Example

npx dev-version-inspector ../repo1 ../repo2 ../repo3

This generates a markdown report showing which dependencies have mismatched versions across your repositories.

Installation

Quick Start with npx (Recommended)

No installation required! Use npx to run it directly:

npx dev-version-inspector <repo1> <repo2> [repo3...] [options]

Global Installation

npm install -g dev-version-inspector
dev-version-inspector <repo1> <repo2> [options]

Project Installation

npm install --save-dev dev-version-inspector
npx dev-version-inspector <repo1> <repo2> [options]

Usage

npx dev-version-inspector <repo1> <repo2> [repo3...] [options]

Or if installed globally:

dev-version-inspector <repo1> <repo2> [repo3...] [options]

Options

Option	Description	Default
--mode=<type>	Comparison mode: all, mismatches, matches, shared	mismatches
--out=<file>	Output file path	REPORT.md
--include=<sections>	Dependency sections to check (comma-separated)	dependencies,devDependencies
--grouped	Group output by dependency section	true (default)
--combined	Combine all sections into one table	false
--help, -h	Show help message	-

Available Dependency Sections

• dependencies
• devDependencies
• peerDependencies
• optionalDependencies

Examples

Basic Usage - Show Mismatches

Compare dependencies across three repositories and show only mismatches:

npx dev-version-inspector ../repo1 ../repo2 ../repo3

Show All Dependencies

Include both matching and mismatching dependencies:

npx dev-version-inspector ../repo1 ../repo2 --mode=all

Show Only Matches

See which dependencies are already aligned:

npx dev-version-inspector ../repo1 ../repo2 --mode=matches

Show Shared Dependencies

Show all dependencies that appear in at least 2 repositories with unified versions:

npx dev-version-inspector ../repo1 ../repo2 ../repo3 --mode=shared

This mode automatically combines dependencies, devDependencies, and peerDependencies sections, prioritizing versions in this order: dependencies > devDependencies > peerDependencies.

Combined Output

Show all dependencies in a single table instead of grouped by section:

npx dev-version-inspector ../repo1 ../repo2 --combined

Custom Output and Sections

npx dev-version-inspector ../repo1 ../repo2 \
  --include=dependencies,peerDependencies \
  --out=deps-report.md

Output Modes

Mismatches Mode (Default)

Shows only dependencies that have different versions across repositories. Useful for identifying what needs to be aligned.

All Mode

Shows all dependencies with a match indicator (✅) for those that are aligned. Provides complete overview.

Matches Mode

Shows only dependencies that are already aligned across all repositories. Useful for validation.

Shared Mode

Shows dependencies that appear in at least 2 repositories, with a unified view across all dependency sections. This mode:

• Automatically combines dependencies, devDependencies, and peerDependencies
• Filters to show only dependencies present in 2 or more repos
• Uses version priority: dependencies > devDependencies > peerDependencies when a dependency exists in multiple sections of the same repo
• Shows all repos in the table (with empty cells for repos that don't have the dependency)
• Eliminates duplicate entries

Perfect for identifying common dependencies across multiple projects and spotting version inconsistencies.

Development

Project Structure

dev-version-inspector/
├── bin/
│   └── dev-version-inspector.js  # CLI entry point
├── src/                          # TypeScript source files
│   ├── cli.ts                    # Argument parsing
│   ├── reader.ts                 # Read package.json files
│   ├── comparator.ts             # Version comparison logic
│   ├── registry.ts               # npm registry checks
│   ├── formatter.ts              # Markdown formatting
│   └── index.ts                  # Main orchestrator
├── dist/                         # Compiled JavaScript (generated)
│   ├── *.js                      # Compiled code
│   ├── *.d.ts                    # Type definitions
│   └── *.js.map                  # Source maps
├── tests/                        # Test files
├── tsconfig.json                 # TypeScript configuration
├── package.json
└── README.md

Setup for Development

1. Clone the repository
2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Build TypeScript:

   npm run build

Running Tests

npm test

Building

The project uses TypeScript. Compile the source code:

npm run build

This compiles src/*.ts files to dist/*.js with type definitions.

Publishing to npm

For maintainers publishing updates:

1. Update version in package.json:

   npm version patch  # or minor, or major

2. Build and publish:

   npm publish

   The prepublishOnly script automatically runs npm run build before publishing.

3. Push tags to GitHub:

   git push && git push --tags

License

MIT