feat(config): parse relative date in --before

[kaezone]

This PR implements npm/rfcs issue #844, adding support for relative dates in the --before config arg (e.g. --before=24h, --before=7d, etc).

[wraithgar]

The current hint for this field is [--before <date>], this is customized via the hint attribute on any given definition. Is <date> still sufficient here?

[kaezone]

Couldn't really think of a better hint attribute that was more descriptive without being too wordy - <date/relative> maybe? I think date is still fairly applicable as long as the rest of the doc string notes using relative dates.

[wraithgar]

I think date is still fairly applicable as long as the rest of the doc string notes using relative dates.

That seems fine to me, just wanted to bring it up in case I was missing something obvious.

[kaezone]

Just curious, would this be able to fit in the 11.7.0 release (if accepted of course) or is it a bit late?

[wraithgar]

The reason this hasn't been merged yet is because of hesitation with the "loosely defined human parsable date range" part of the parameter. Historically things like this feel helpful but are not. As long as folks have a consistent way to set a minimum age I think being more rigorous in what this value can be is in order.

Defining this as an integer value of hours may be sufficient. I think it's worth waiting on and considering input from others with UX knowledge.

[wraithgar]

Prior art here is:

• pnpm, which defines this as an integer of minutes
• dependabot, which explicitly names the parameter as "days" and accepts integer values

[kaezone]

Defining this as an integer value of hours may be sufficient.

Yeah I agree that'd probably be more consistent (and easier to explain in docs) - would matching pnpm with an integer of minutes be ideal?

Will wait for input before doing any more tweaking on this.

[wraithgar]

Will wait for input before doing any more tweaking on this.

Best option, thanks!

[karlhorky]

As other users mentioned in the alternative PR #8825, this approach of extending --before misses the feature of excluding packages, patterns and specific versions of packages, which is possible with pnpm's minimumReleaseAgeExclude:

• feat: add minimum package age policy to prevent supply chain attacks #8825 (comment)

Maybe it makes sense to reconsider this alternative PR #8825, as it follows the standard patterns introduced by pnpm minimumReleaseAge and Bun minimumReleaseAge (although original minimumReleaseAge naming credit goes to Renovate).

[kaezone]

FWIW I'm not particularly attached to my PR, we're just looking for any variation of this feature at my workplace.

[wraithgar]

Thanks @kaezone it is still a good PR and we're glad you made it. This is a topic that's obviously top of mind for a lot of folks and this PR has become a great focal point for the discussion.

[AsdarhTheBest]

As other users mentioned in the alternative PR #8825, this approach of extending --before misses the feature of excluding packages, patterns and specific versions of packages, which is possible with pnpm's minimumReleaseAgeExclude:

• feat: add minimum package age policy to prevent supply chain attacks #8825 (comment)

Maybe it makes sense to reconsider this alternative PR #8825, as it follows the standard patterns introduced by pnpm and Bun (although original minimumReleaseAge naming credit goes to Renovate).

Yuuuup, I made a Github account only for joining this discussion cuz was interesting, I was searching for if npm has a minimum age release rule or something and found this.

I comply with @karlhorky . @wraithgar you should reconsider re-opening #8825 PR. Implements a minimum release age policy very similar as pnpm's and Bun's.

Not pretending to ofend, this PR is really good, but I don't think that is what the community wants to see on NPM. After all, the final usser/developer is the one who wants to code without caring about vulnerabilities in dependencies/sub-dependencies and set a minimum required age for the releases of the packages and with that, they can be "safer" in some way.

As many people say in #8825, the feature implemented at this PR, has no form of excluding packages from this policy.

In my point of view as a developer, I would prefer having the possibility of excluding some packages.
Example:

• Express: Minimum release age
• React: Maybe, I dont want to include this policy, so exclude the package.

I believe both implementations should be implemented, but for a more complete implementation, in my opinion and that of several users and even contributors, the best option currently would be to implement PR #8825. However, I also don't want this PR to be closed, as it can also be improved beforehand, allowing both implementations to work harmoniously together.

[kaezone]

I'm generally in agreement here as well - the other PR looks quite a bit more robust.

This PR was intended as the minimum necessary to extend the current functionality to help reduce a risk I'm working on (and presumably one many other dev shops face), but the other one provides quite a bit more in terms of QOL.

For what it's worth, I primarily work in the .NET appsec and GRC spaces, so I'd tend to lean towards the opinion of those who spend more time in the JS/TS ecosystem :)

[wraithgar]

Naming of the parameter aside, the approach in #8825 is not correct. This is a parameter that is parsed in npm-pick-manifest. The cli itself just gets the intent from the user and passes it down. npm-pick-manifest is where the "get me a package based on this spec" logic lives, and this before param then limits the time frame of available versions it can "see". Arborist, pacote, and the cli don't care about any of that.

This is one of the reasons extending before makes sense. It already does what we want.

I realize we are getting bogged down a bit in the naming of the parameter, and not the implementation. I don't think anyone involved doesn't want this, it's just a matter of having it work where it is supposed to. There is also the matter of the exclusion option, which is a bit out of scope for this initial extension of the feature.

[tounsils]

New to the repo here — really appreciate the thoughtful discussion on this PR. Extending --before at the npm-pick-manifest level makes sense architecturally, and it’s helpful to see the tradeoffs discussed so clearly. I agree that starting with a well-defined, consistent minimum-age mechanism and iterating later (e.g. exclusions) feels like a pragmatic path forward. Thanks to everyone involved for the transparency and context.