Work out dependency update effort instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.
Dependency maintenance scales with the product of dependency count and release frequency, and major versions cost roughly an order of magnitude more than patches because they need code changes and testing. 85 dependencies releasing eight times a year is 680 updates — several hours a week of steady work, which is why automated update pull requests with good test coverage are the only sustainable approach.
Update effort
updates = dependencies x releases per year; hours = (minor updates x minutes + major updates x 12 x minutes) / 60
No, but security patches must be. A sensible policy applies patches automatically, batches minors weekly, and schedules majors deliberately.
Fewer direct dependencies, automated update PRs with auto-merge on green tests, and choosing libraries with stable APIs and long support windows.