Aviationexam.DependencyUpdater

A command-line tool for automating dependency updates in projects using Git repositories and NuGet feeds. Supports multiple repository platforms including Azure DevOps and GitHub.

For GitHub users: Use the GitHub Action for the easiest setup experience.

Features

• Updates dependencies in a local Git repository based on Dependabot configuration files
• Supports multiple repository platforms (Azure DevOps, GitHub)
• Supports Azure DevOps Git and NuGet artifact feeds with upstream ingestion
• Handles authentication for private repositories and feeds
• Platform-agnostic package management for NuGet
• Available as a GitHub Action for seamless CI/CD integration

Installation

GitHub Action (Recommended)

The easiest way to use this tool in GitHub repositories is via the GitHub Action:

1. Create a configuration file at .github/updater.yml or .github/dependabot.yml
2. Create a workflow file at .github/workflows/dependency-updates.yml:

name: Dependency Updates

on:
  schedule:
    - cron: '0 8 * * 1'  # Every Monday at 8am UTC
  workflow_dispatch:

permissions:
  contents: write
  pull-requests: write

jobs:
  update-dependencies:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: aviationexam/Aviationexam.DependencyUpdater@v1
        with:
          github-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

See the GitHub Action documentation for detailed configuration options and examples.

.NET Global Tool

This project is also distributed as a .NET tool. To install it globally, run:

dotnet tool install --global Aviationexam.DependencyUpdater

Or to update to the latest version:

dotnet tool update --global Aviationexam.DependencyUpdater

Nightly builds

You can install the latest nightly build from the Feedz.io feed:

dotnet tool install --global Aviationexam.DependencyUpdater --prerelease --add-source https://f.feedz.io/aviationexam/dependency-updater/nuget/index.json

Usage

Azure DevOps

Run the tool from your terminal using the AzureDevOps subcommand:

dotnet dependency-updater  \
  --directory "/path/to/repo" \
  --git-username "<git-username>" \
  --git-password "<git-password-or-token>" \
  AzureDevOps \
  --organization "<azure-devops-org>" \
  --project <project-id> \
  --repository <repository-id> \
  --pat "<azure-devops-pat>" \
  --account-id <account-id> \
  --nuget-project <nuget-project-id> \
  --nuget-feed-id <nuget-feed-id> \
  --nuget-service-host '<service-host>' \
  --access-token-resource-id 499b84ac-1321-427f-aa17-267ca6975798 \
  --az-side-car-address '<az-side-car-url>' \
  --az-side-car-token '<az-side-car-token>' \
  --reset-cache

GitHub

Run the tool from your terminal using the GitHub subcommand:

dotnet dependency-updater \
  --directory "/path/to/repo" \
  --git-username "<git-username>" \
  --git-password "<git-password-or-token>" \
  GitHub \
  --owner "<owner>" \
  --repository "<repo>" \
  --token "<github-token>"

Required GitHub PAT Scopes:

• repo - Full control of private repositories

Arguments

Common Arguments

Available for all platform subcommands:

Argument	Required	Default	Description
--directory	Y	cwd	Path to the local Git repository
--git-username	N	''	Username for remote Git authentication
--git-password	Y		Password or personal access token for remote Git authentication
--reset-cache	N	false	Clears the internal dependency cache before processing updates

Azure DevOps Arguments

Required when using the AzureDevOps subcommand:

Argument	Required	Description
--organization	Y	Azure DevOps organization name
--project	Y	Azure DevOps project containing the target repository
--repository	Y	Name of the Azure DevOps Git repository
--pat	Y	Azure DevOps personal access token
--account-id	Y	Azure DevOps user or service account ID
--nuget-project	Y	Azure DevOps project containing the NuGet artifacts feed
--nuget-feed-id	Y	ID of the Azure Artifacts NuGet feed
--nuget-service-host	Y	Internal Azure DevOps service host identifier
--access-token-resource-id	Y	Azure AD resource ID for upstream ingestion (always: 499b84ac-1321-427f-aa17-267ca6975798)
--az-side-car-address	N	URL for AZ sidecar service (optional)
--az-side-car-token	N	Token for AZ sidecar service (optional)

GitHub Arguments

Required when using the GitHub subcommand:

Argument	Required	Description
--owner	Y	GitHub repository owner (organization or user account name)
--repository	Y	GitHub repository name
--token	Y	GitHub personal access token (requires repo scope)