How Often Should You Actually Patch Dependencies?
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We get asked this constantly by clients moving onto a support plan: how often should dependencies actually be updated? The honest answer depends on the type of dependency, not a single blanket rule.
Security patches: fast, always
Critical security patches should go out within days, not as part of a routine cycle - the risk of a known vulnerability sitting unpatched outweighs the risk of a fast, tested update.
Minor version updates: monthly
Routine minor updates - bug fixes, small feature additions - are lower risk and fit well into a monthly cadence, tested in staging before production deployment.
- Critical security patches: within days, always
- Minor version updates: monthly, tested in staging first
- Major version upgrades: quarterly planning, dedicated testing window
Major version upgrades: planned, not routine
Major version upgrades often include breaking changes and deserve their own planning cycle - quarterly review with a dedicated testing window is a reasonable default for most teams.
Frequently Asked Questions
Plan a migration path proactively rather than waiting for a security incident to force an urgent, poorly-planned replacement.
Automated patching works well for security updates in staging with human review before production; full automation to production is riskier and better reserved for low-risk dependencies.
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Glad it was useful, Jamie - happy to go deeper on that if you want to book a call.
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Really useful breakdown - the point about security patches: fast, always matches exactly what we ran into last quarter.