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https://github.com/sheerlox/elixir_renovate_demo

A repository showcasing using Renovate on an Elixir project
https://github.com/sheerlox/elixir_renovate_demo

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A repository showcasing using Renovate on an Elixir project

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# ElixirRenovateDemo



A repository showcasing using Renovate on an Elixir project (here a Phoenix app

deployed to [Fly.io](https://fly.io/)).



[Renovate](https://github.com/renovatebot/renovate) is a highly-configurable

dependency management bot that automates update PRs.



Despite being written in JavaScript, it runs as a GitHub app (there's also

self-hosting options), and is able to manage the dependencies for a lot of 

languages and tools.



## Benefits of this particular config



- Automatically updates the `hexpm/elixir` Docker base image tag (for Fly)

- Keeps Elixir/OTP versions in sync between `asdf` (`.tool-versions`) and

production Docker



## Example commits / PRs



- [chore(deps): update dependency elixir to v1.17.0](https://github.com/sheerlox/elixir_renovate_demo/commit/f888a66baf616c3b40d55dd6bf09dc3a7b0105c1) ([#9](https://github.com/sheerlox/elixir_renovate_demo/pull/9))

- [chore(deps): update dependency erlang to v27](https://github.com/sheerlox/elixir_renovate_demo/commit/6ac6d5cacbb0fcf96bd5869fed0e5681dc848849) ([#10](https://github.com/sheerlox/elixir_renovate_demo/pull/10))

- [chore(deps): update debian docker tag to bullseye-20240612-slim](https://github.com/sheerlox/elixir_renovate_demo/commit/db74f3f469493535883ec9ded8baf8127bb951aa) ([#12](https://github.com/sheerlox/elixir_renovate_demo/pull/12))



## How does it work



1. We use version comments in [`Dockerfile`](./Dockerfile) to tell Renovate

where to find the version information for each part of the image (Debian,

OTP & Elixir)

2. We setup a "Test Docker Build" CI workflow that makes sure the image tag

composed from those three versions actually exist (so Renovate doesn't

auto-merge an inexistant image, if auto-merge is enabled in the first place)

3. We add the `regexManagers:dockerfileVersions` preset and a few package rules

for the Debian versioning

4. That's it :)



When merging update PRs for each component, I find it's best to merge them in

this order: Debian > OTP > Elixir.



## How to replicate this config



1. Copy [`.github/renovate.json5`](./.github/renovate.json5) to your `.github/`

directory

2. Copy [`.github/workflows/test-docker-build.yml`](./.github/workflows/test-docker-build.yml)

to your `.github/workflows/` directory

2. Add the version comments and `base` build stage in

[`Dockerfile`](./Dockerfile)

3. Pick what you want / customize to your liking. You might also want to copy

the rules from my base preset directly in your config

4. [Install Renovate to your repository](https://github.com/apps/renovate/installations/select_target)

5. Profit!



## Notes



- The "Test Docker Build" workflow targets the `base` build stage to only test

base image existence. The rationale behind this choice is to reduce feedback

cycles and cost less Action credits (in this repository the full build is only

~1 min, but once your application grows it can increase significantly). If you

want to test the full image build, change the target to `builder` instead.



## Get in touch!



If you're interested in automating your Elixir workflows, don't hesitate to

reach out, I'll be glad to give a hand!



- X (formerly Twitter): [`@_sheerlox`](https://x.com/_sheerlox)

- Discord: [`sheerlox`](https://discord.com/users/245606496606486534)



## Learn more



- [Renovate documentation](https://docs.renovatebot.com/)

- [Renovate developer portal](https://developer.mend.io/github/): a place to

monitor its activity on your repo and view logs.

- [How should you pin dependencies and why?](https://the-guild.dev/blog/how-should-you-pin-dependencies-and-why):

although it's for JS, I believe it is an interesting read for Elixir as well.