DevCompass vs npm audit
Where the two overlap, and what DevCompass adds on top.
On this page
DevCompass does not replace npm audit — both check your dependencies against known-vulnerability data, and you should keep running npm audit as part of your normal workflow. DevCompass is a complement that runs the same kind of CVE check plus several things npm audit structurally doesn't do at all.
What npm audit does
npm audit checks your installed dependency tree against npm's advisory database and reports known vulnerabilities, with npm audit fix able to bump affected packages automatically. It ships with npm itself, requires no setup, and is the right first line of defense for every Node.js project.
What DevCompass adds
DevCompass uses OSV (with optional NVD enrichment for CVSS scores) for the same class of CVE check, then adds:
- License-conflict detection — flags GPL/AGPL-family dependencies that could impose obligations on your own license.
- Unused-dependency detection — finds installed packages nothing in your code actually imports.
- Historical health trends — snapshots your dependency health over time so you can see whether things are improving or decaying.
- AI-suggested alternatives — optional, provider-agnostic suggestions for replacing risky or deprecated packages.
- Safe auto-fix with automatic backup and rollback —
npm audit fixcan bump a package without a safety net;devcompass fixclassifies risk, previews changes, and can undo them.
| Capability | npm audit | DevCompass |
|---|---|---|
| CVE scanning | Yes | Yes (OSV + NVD) |
| License conflicts | No | Yes |
| Unused dependency detection | No | Yes |
| Historical health trends | No | Yes |
| AI-suggested alternatives | No | Yes |
| Safe auto-fix w/ rollback | Partial | Yes, with automatic backup |
See the full Features breakdown, or get started with npm install -g devcompass.