This new Arch Linux tool takes the hassle out of keeping packages up to date - here's how

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET ZDNET's key takeaways New Arch tool alerts maintainers when packages are outdated. Bumpbuddy automates GitLab issue creation for updates. Web dashboard and API planned for future Bumpbuddy versions. Bumpbuddy is a new Arch Linux tool that aims to improve how maintainers are informed about packages within the primary repositories. This new app uses a background service (daemon) to monitor package versions and even automatically opens issues on GitLab if it detects a package is out of date. Why is this important? For one, it helps maintainers keep abreast of when an upstream package has a new release. This way, developers and maintainers don't have to manually check for this information. Secondly, users will no longer have to bother flagging packages that are out of date and will have access to information that might indicate if an update is taking longer than usual to release. For the most part, however, Bumpbuddy seems to be focused primarily on developers and maintainers. According to Robin Candau, package maintainer for Arch Linux: "Bumpbuddy takes advantage of the `.nvchecker.toml` file from GitLab's packages repo to perform automated tracking of new upstream releases. Therefore, package maintainers won't need to rely on manual `pkgctl version check` runs or 'homemade' solutions to track new upstream releases for their packages anymore." Candau also indicates the team has plans to provide a web-based dashboard for Bumpbuddy, an API endpoint for pkgctl version check, manage "out of date" status for packages on Archweb, and more. Keep in mind that this is the first iteration of Bumpbuddy, so there will be issues. I've yet to find a way to install Bumpbuddy on Arch Linux, which makes me believe that the app has yet to make it to the default repositories (there isn't even a listing for it in Archweb). We'll have to wait There is little information about this app beyond the official announcement and various coverage around the internet. There is a GitLab page for Bumpbuddy, but that also includes very little information. My guess is that we'll have to wait until Bumpbuddy is officially packaged in Arch Linux to test it or enjoy the spoils of the developer's work. You can read more about Bumpbuddy in this official Arch Linux statement. Get the morning's top stories in your inbox each day with our Tech Today newsletter.