Upgrading to a new release

When a new version of Mastodon comes out, it appears on the GitHub releases page. Please mind that running unreleased code from the master branch, while possible, is not recommended.

Mastodon releases correspond to git tags. Before attempting an upgrade, look up the desired release on the GitHub releases page. The page will contain a changelog describing everything you need to know about what's different, as well as specific upgrade instructions.

To begin, switch to the mastodon user:

su - mastodon

And navigate to the Mastodon root directory:

cd /home/mastodon/live

Download the releases’s code, assuming that the version is called v3.1.2:

git fetch --tags
git checkout v3.1.2

Now execute the upgrade instructions that are included in that version's release notes on GitHub. Because different releases require different instructions, we do not include any instructions on this page.

You can safely skip intermediate releases when upgrading from an old version. You do not need to individually check them out. However, you do need to keep track of the instructions with each release. Most instructions overlap, you just need to make sure you execute everything at least once.

After you have executed the instructions from the release notes, switch back to root:

exit

Restart background workers:

systemctl restart mastodon-sidekiq

And reload the web process:

systemctl reload mastodon-web
The reload operation is a zero-downtime restart, also called “phased restart”. As such, Mastodon upgrades usually do not require any advance notice to users about planned downtime. In rare cases, you can use the restart operation instead, but there will be a (short) felt interruption of service for your users.

Rarely, the streaming API server is also updated and requires a restart:

systemctl restart mastodon-streaming
The streaming API server is updated very rarely, and in most releases, does not require a restart. Restarting the streaming API leads to an increased load on your server as disconnected clients attempt to reconnect or poll the REST API instead, so avoid it whenever you can.
That’s all! You’re running the new version of Mastodon now.

Last updated February 28, 2020 · Improve this page
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