# Candler vs GitHub Dependabot

Source: https://candler.app/compare/dependabot

Dependabot puts dependency alerts inside GitHub. Candler brings supplied WordPress plugin versions and selected GitHub lockfile dependencies into a shared team review workflow. Dependabot is the more direct fit when your main task is reviewing dependency alerts within GitHub.

Editorial comparison by Candler. Based on vendor documentation, not a hands-on benchmark. Last reviewed: 2026-10-29. Plans and vendor access may change.

| Topic | Candler | GitHub Dependabot |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Main job | Shared WordPress and GitHub inventory, findings, and team decisions. | Dependency vulnerability alerts in GitHub repositories. |
| Inputs in scope | WordPress plugin versions; root composer.lock and package-lock.json. | The repository dependency graph for supported ecosystems. |
| Review context | Team findings, source details, decision history, and configured alert destinations. | Repository alerts with affected files, severity, and available fix details. |
| Connection today | Optional read-only preview for selected repositories. | Remains a separate GitHub feature. |

## Choose Dependabot for a GitHub-centered workflow

GitHub documents alerts when the dependency graph changes or a new advisory is added. Alerts show affected files and fix information when available. This makes Dependabot useful when the people responsible for updates already work in the repository.

Check GitHub’s supported ecosystems for your project. Candler’s narrower root-lockfile importer should not be treated as a replacement for every dependency input GitHub supports.


## Choose Candler for a mixed WordPress and GitHub inventory

A team may manage WordPress sites for clients alongside PHP and JavaScript applications in GitHub. Candler gives those supplied inventories the same review language: matched, clean, and not checked, with source details and a record of decisions.

V1 still requires exact software versions. It does not discover installed WordPress plugins from a site address and does not import nested or unsupported lockfiles.


## Can they work together?

Yes. An optional read-only Dependabot preview imports original reports after the owner approves alert access for selected repositories. It shows source evidence and comparison links to related local findings. The preview sends no alerts.

GitHub report states and Candler review decisions remain separate. A GitHub dismissal does not mark a local finding fixed. Unknown versions, nested manifests, and ambiguous links stay visible. Keep existing GitHub alerts enabled.


## Before you switch or add another tool

Use one repository to compare coverage, source identifiers, fixed versions, and who receives notifications. The preview retains supplied GitHub report state and evidence; it does not migrate review decisions or write them back. Acknowledging an item in one product does not change it in the other.


## Sources

- [GitHub: Dependabot alerts](https://docs.github.com/en/code-security/concepts/supply-chain-security/dependabot-alerts)
- [GitHub: Dependabot alerts API and permissions](https://docs.github.com/en/rest/dependabot/alerts)

## More about Candler

- [How Candler works](https://candler.app/how-it-works)
- [Security and coverage](https://candler.app/security)
- [Roadmap](https://candler.app/roadmap)
- [Data sources and licenses](https://candler.app/data-sources)