cargo-stale-0.1.3 is not a library.

cargo-stale

A fast, concurrent tool to check for outdated dependencies in your Rust Cargo.toml file.

Features

Fast concurrent dependency checking using async/await
Smart semantic version comparison and compatibility ranges
Support for normal, dev, build, and workspace dependencies
Flexible filtering to show outdated or all dependencies
Clean table output with current vs latest versions
Multiple command-line options for different use cases
Works as both cargo subcommand and standalone tool
Workspace member support with dependency source tracking

Installation

Install from crates.io (when published):

cargo install cargo-stale

Or install from Git:

cargo install --git https://github.com/18o/cargo-stale

Or clone and build locally:

git clone https://github.com/18o/cargo-stale
cd cargo-stale
cargo build --release

Usage

As a Cargo Subcommand (Recommended)

Once installed, you can use it as a cargo subcommand:

# Basic usage
cargo stale

# Check only outdated dependencies
cargo stale --outdated-only

# Include build dependencies with verbose output
cargo stale --build-deps --verbose

# Check a specific Cargo.toml file
cargo stale --manifest /path/to/Cargo.toml

As a Standalone Tool

You can also run it directly:

# Basic usage
cargo-stale

# With options
cargo-stale --outdated-only --verbose

Command Line Options

cargo stale [OPTIONS]

Options:
  -m, --manifest <MANIFEST>    Path to Cargo.toml file [default: Cargo.toml]
  -o, --outdated-only         Show only outdated dependencies
  -b, --build-deps            Include build dependencies
  -v, --verbose               Verbose output
  -h, --help                  Print help
  -V, --version               Print version

Sample Output

🔍 Checking dependency versions...
📁 Cargo.toml path: Cargo.toml
📦 Found 8 dependencies to check

📊 Dependency Check Results:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dependency                          Current Version      Latest Version       Status
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
tokio                               1                    1.40.0               ✅ Latest
serde                               1.0                  1.0.214              ✅ Latest
reqwest                             0.12                 0.12.8               ✅ Latest
anyhow                              1                    1.0.93               ✅ Latest
clap                                4                    4.5.20               ✅ Latest
toml                                0.9                  0.9.0                ✅ Latest
env_logger                          0.10                 0.11.8               🔴 Outdated
log                                 0.4                  0.4.23               ✅ Latest
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
⚠️  Found 1 outdated dependencies

How It Works

cargo-stale reads your Cargo.toml file and concurrently queries the crates.io API to check for the latest version of each dependency. It uses intelligent semantic version comparison to determine if a dependency is actually outdated based on your version requirements:

Version Compatibility Rules

"1" or "^1.0" - Compatible with 1.x.x series, only outdated when 2.x.x is available
"^0.10" - Compatible with 0.10.x series, outdated when 0.11.x is available (0.x versions are more restrictive)
"~1.2" - Compatible with 1.2.x series, outdated when 1.3.x or higher is available
"=1.2.3" - Exact version, outdated when any newer version is available
">=1.0", ">1.0", etc. - Range requirements are not considered outdated

This follows Semantic Versioning and Cargo's version requirement specifications.

TODO

Automatically update Cargo.toml with latest versions (add --update flag)
Interactive mode for selective dependency updates
Support for private registries and alternative registries
Configuration file support for custom rules

System Requirements

Rust 1.70.0 or later
Internet connection (to query crates.io API)

Dependencies

tokio - Async runtime for concurrent requests
reqwest - HTTP client for crates.io API
clap - Command line argument parsing
serde - JSON deserialization
toml - TOML file parsing
anyhow - Error handling
env_logger & log - Logging support

Performance

cargo-stale is designed for speed:

Concurrent requests: All dependencies are checked simultaneously
Minimal dependencies: Uses only essential crates
Smart caching: HTTP client connection reuse
Efficient parsing: Fast TOML and JSON processing

Typical performance: Checking 10 dependencies takes ~1-2 seconds (depending on network).

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

Fork the repository
Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature')
Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
Open a Pull Request

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Similar Tools

cargo-outdated - More comprehensive but slower, shows detailed dependency trees
cargo-audit - Focuses on security vulnerabilities rather than version updates
cargo-edit - Helps manage dependencies but doesn't check for updates
cargo-update - Updates installed cargo binaries, not project dependencies

Why cargo-stale?

cargo-stale strikes the perfect balance between functionality and performance:

✅ Fast: Concurrent checking makes it much faster than sequential tools
✅ Smart: Understands semantic versioning and compatibility ranges
✅ Simple: Clean, easy-to-read output without overwhelming details
✅ Reliable: Respects your version requirements and doesn't suggest breaking changes
✅ Convenient: Works as both a cargo subcommand and standalone tool

Perfect for quick dependency checks in your daily development

cargo-stale 0.1.3