To update all dependencies to the latest version:

terminal

bun update

To update a specific dependency to the latest version:

terminal

bun update [package]

--interactive

For a more controlled update experience, use the --interactive flag to select which packages to update:

terminal

bun update --interactive
bun update -i

This launches an interactive terminal interface that shows all outdated packages with their current and target versions. You can then select which packages to update.

Interactive Interface

The interface displays packages grouped by dependency type:

? Select packages to update - Space to toggle, Enter to confirm, a to select all, n to select none, i to invert, l to toggle latest

  dependencies                Current  Target   Latest
    □ react                   17.0.2   18.2.0   18.3.1
    □ lodash                  4.17.20  4.17.21  4.17.21

  devDependencies             Current  Target   Latest
    □ typescript              4.8.0    5.0.0    5.3.3
    □ @types/node             16.11.7  18.0.0   20.11.5

  optionalDependencies        Current  Target   Latest
    □ some-optional-package   1.0.0    1.1.0    1.2.0

Sections:

• Packages are grouped under section headers: dependencies, devDependencies, peerDependencies, optionalDependencies
• Each section shows column headers aligned with the package data

Columns:

• Package: Package name (may have suffix like dev, peer, optional for clarity)
• Current: Currently installed version
• Target: Version that would be installed (respects semver constraints)
• Latest: Latest available version

Keyboard Controls

Selection:

• Space: Toggle package selection
• Enter: Confirm selections and update
• a/A: Select all packages
• n/N: Select none
• i/I: Invert selection

Navigation:

• ↑/↓ Arrow keys or j/k: Move cursor
• l/L: Toggle between target and latest version for current package

Exit:

• Ctrl+C or Ctrl+D: Cancel without updating

Visual Indicators

• ☑ Selected packages (will be updated)
• □ Unselected packages
• > Current cursor position
• Colors: Red (major), yellow (minor), green (patch) version changes
• Underlined: Currently selected update target

Package Grouping

Packages are organized in sections by dependency type:

• dependencies - Regular runtime dependencies
• devDependencies - Development dependencies
• peerDependencies - Peer dependencies
• optionalDependencies - Optional dependencies

Within each section, individual packages may have additional suffixes ( dev, peer, optional) for extra clarity.

--recursive

Use the --recursive flag with --interactive to update dependencies across all workspaces in a monorepo:

terminal

bun update --interactive --recursive
bun update -i -r

This displays an additional “Workspace” column showing which workspace each dependency belongs to.

--latest

By default, bun update will update to the latest version of a dependency that satisfies the version range specified in your package.json. To update to the latest version, regardless of if it’s compatible with the current version range, use the --latest flag:

terminal

bun update --latest

In interactive mode, you can toggle individual packages between their target version (respecting semver) and latest version using the l key. For example, with the following package.json:

package.json

{
  "dependencies": {
    "react": "^17.0.2"
  }
}

• bun update would update to a version that matches 17.x.
• bun update --latest would update to a version that matches 18.x or later.

CLI Usage

terminal

bun update <package> <version>

Update Strategy

--force

boolean

Always request the latest versions from the registry & reinstall all dependencies. Alias: -f

--latest

boolean

Update packages to their latest versions

Dependency Scope

--production

boolean

Don’t install devDependencies. Alias: -p

--global

boolean

Install globally. Alias: -g

--omit

string

Exclude dev, optional, or peer dependencies from install

Project File Management

--yarn

boolean

Write a yarn.lock file (yarn v1). Alias: -y

--no-save

boolean

Don’t update package.json or save a lockfile

--save

boolean

default:"true"

Save to package.json (true by default)

--frozen-lockfile

boolean

Disallow changes to lockfile

--save-text-lockfile

boolean

Save a text-based lockfile

--lockfile-only

boolean

Generate a lockfile without installing dependencies

Network & Registry

--ca

string

Provide a Certificate Authority signing certificate

--cafile

string

Same as —ca, but as a file path to the certificate

--registry

string

Use a specific registry by default, overriding .npmrc, bunfig.toml and environment variables

--network-concurrency

number

default:"48"

Maximum number of concurrent network requests (default 48)

Caching

--cache-dir

string

Store & load cached data from a specific directory path

--no-cache

boolean

Ignore manifest cache entirely

Output & Logging

--silent

boolean

Don’t log anything

--verbose

boolean

Excessively verbose logging

--no-progress

boolean

Disable the progress bar

--no-summary

boolean

Don’t print a summary

Script Execution

--ignore-scripts

boolean

Skip lifecycle scripts in the project’s package.json (dependency scripts are never run)

--concurrent-scripts

number

default:"5"

Maximum number of concurrent jobs for lifecycle scripts (default 5)

Installation Controls

--no-verify

boolean

Skip verifying integrity of newly downloaded packages

--trust

boolean

Add to trustedDependencies in the project’s package.json and install the package(s)

--backend

string

default:"clonefile"

Platform-specific optimizations for installing dependencies. Possible values: clonefile (default), hardlink, symlink, copyfile

General & Environment

--config

string

Specify path to config file (bunfig.toml). Alias: -c

--dry-run

boolean

Don’t install anything

--cwd

string

Set a specific cwd

--help

boolean

Print this help menu. Alias: -h