Check Command
Check if a specific package has changed in your dependencies.
Usage
whatsdiff check <package-name> [options]
Arguments
<package-name>- The name of the package to check (e.g.,laravel/framework)
Options
The check command supports filtering options to check for specific types of changes:
--has-any-change- Check if package has any change (default behavior)--is-updated- Check if package was updated to a newer version--is-downgraded- Check if package was downgraded to an older version--is-removed- Check if package was removed from dependencies--is-added- Check if package was added to dependencies
These options are particularly useful in CI/CD pipelines where you need to verify specific changes or fail builds based on dependency status.
Examples
Basic Check
Check if any changes occurred to a package:
whatsdiff check laravel/framework
Verify Package Was Updated
Useful for confirming security patches were applied:
whatsdiff check laravel/framework --is-updated
Verify Package Was Added
Confirm a new dependency was installed:
whatsdiff check livewire/livewire --is-added
Check if Package Was Removed
Verify a package was successfully removed:
whatsdiff check deprecated/package --is-removed
Output Types and Exit Codes
The check command is designed for automation and returns simple boolean outputs:
Output Types
Success (condition met):
$ whatsdiff check laravel/framework --is-updated
true
Failure (condition not met):
$ whatsdiff check vite --is-updated
false
Error (command failed):
$ whatsdiff check package --is-added
Error: Not in a git repository or git command failed
Quiet mode (no output):
$ whatsdiff check symfony/console --is-updated --quiet
# No output, check exit code only
Exit Codes
The command uses standard exit codes for easy integration with scripts:
| Exit Code | Status | Description |
|---|---|---|
0 |
SUCCESS | Check condition is true (package matches the check) |
1 |
FAILURE | Check condition is false (package doesn't match) |
2 |
ERROR | Command error (not in git repo, invalid input, etc.) |
Use Cases
1. Deployment Script - Conditional Service Restart
Restart services only when their packages are updated, avoiding unnecessary downtime:
git pull origin main
composer install --no-dev --optimize-autoloader
# Restart Laravel Pulse only if it was updated
if whatsdiff check laravel/pulse --is-updated --quiet; then
echo "✓ Laravel Pulse was updated, restarting..."
php artisan pulse:restart
else
echo "→ Laravel Pulse unchanged, skipping restart"
fi
echo "Deployment complete!"
This prevents unnecessary service restarts and clearly logs what was changed.
2. CI/CD - Block Deployment if Security Package Removed
Prevent merging or deploying code that removes critical security packages:
name: Security Check
on: [pull_request, push]
jobs:
security-check:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v3
with:
fetch-depth: 0 # Need full history for whatsdiff
- name: Install whatsdiff
run: composer global require whatsdiff/whatsdiff
- name: Ensure security advisories package present
run: |
if whatsdiff check roave/security-advisories --is-removed --quiet; then
echo "❌ roave/security-advisories was removed!"
echo "This package prevents installing dependencies with known vulnerabilities."
echo "Blocking deployment for security reasons."
exit 1
fi
echo "✓ Security advisories package still present"
The roave/security-advisories package is a meta-package that prevents installing any package versions with known security vulnerabilities. Removing it could expose your application to security risks.