# Updates ## Support lifecycle policy At CARTO, we are committed to providing reliable, secure, and high-quality support for all our users. To ensure the best experience, our support services are available **only for CARTO Self-hosted versions released within the past 12 months**. Maintaining your installation on an up-to-date version is essential to: * Guarantee **optimal performance** of the platform. * Ensure **security and compliance** through the latest patches. * Benefit from **continuous improvements**, including new features and resolved issues. {% hint style="danger" %} We strongly recommend that all users ***regularly update their CARTO installations***. Doing so not only secures continued eligibility for support services but also allows you to take full advantage of CARTO’s latest capabilities and innovations. {% endhint %} Keeping your environment current is the best way to maximize the value of your CARTO deployment while ensuring stability, security, and a seamless user experience. ## Upgrade Selfhosted version Follow the steps below if you're using an Orchestrated container deployment in Kubernetes. {% hint style="danger" %} **Warning: Version rollbacks are not supported** CARTO Self-Hosted does **not support** rolling back to previous versions. This includes: * Using `helm rollback` to revert to an older release * Installing a previous chart version after upgrading * Downgrading the `appVersion` in any way **Why?** Database schema migrations run automatically during upgrades and are designed to be forward-only. Rolling back the application while the database remains at a newer schema version will cause: * Application errors due to schema mismatches * Potential data corruption * Features becoming non-functional {% endhint %} {% hint style="danger" %} **If an upgrade fails:** Contact CARTO Support immediately. Do not attempt to rollback. If you must restore to a previous state, you will need to restore from a database backup taken **before** the upgrade and reinstall the matching chart version. {% endhint %} ## Pre-upgrade requirements {% hint style="info" %} Important: **Always Back Up Your Databases Before Upgrading** {% endhint %} Before performing any upgrade to a new CARTO Self-Hosted version, you **must** create a backup of your databases: 1. **Backup the following databases:** * `carto` - Main CARTO metadata database (PostgreSQL) - **Required** * `aiproxy` - AI Proxy database (PostgreSQL) - ***Only if AI features are enabled*** 2. **Verify backups are complete and restorable** before proceeding with the upgrade. 3. **Document the current chart version** (`helm list -n `) in case you need to reinstall. This is your only recovery path if an upgrade fails. Without a pre-upgrade backup, rolling back to a previous working state is not possible. ## Upgrade Single VM deployment To upgrade your CARTO Self-Hosted deployment, simply access the Admin Console and check for any available updates. ### Install upgrade 1. Login to the **Admin Console**. 2. Click on "**Check for Updates**" link. 3. If there are [new SelfHosted version availabile](https://docs.carto.com/carto-self-hosted/release-notes), you will see it in the "New version available" section in the **Admin Console**. 4. Wait for the **Preflight Checks** to *Complete*.
5. Click on the blue **"Deploy"** button to deploy your new version. 6. Monitor the progres in the **"Details"** section. {% hint style="info" %} Once the update has been downloaded and all the preflight checks have completed successfully, initiate the upgrade process by clicking the “Deploy” button. Upon completion of the deployment, your single VM deployment will be successfully updated to the latest version. {% endhint %} ## Upgrade Orchestrated container deployment (Kots in K8s) Follow the steps below if you're using an Orchestrated container deployment in Kubernetes. ### Install upgrade 1. Login to the **Admin Console**. 2. Click on "**Check for Updates**" link. 3. If there are [new SelfHosted version availabile](https://docs.carto.com/carto-self-hosted/release-notes), you will see it in the "New version available" section in the **Admin Console**. 4. Wait for the **Preflight Checks** to *Complete*.
5. Click on the blue **"Deploy"** button to deploy your new version. 6. Monitor the progres in the **"Details"** section. {% hint style="info" %} Once the update has been downloaded and all the preflight checks have completed successfully, initiate the upgrade process by clicking the “Deploy” button. Upon completion of the deployment, your CARTO Deployment i K8s with Kots will be successfully updated to the latest version. {% endhint %} ### (Optional) Upgrade Kots admin-console In some cases, you may need to update the **KOTS Admin Console** to ensure compatibility with the latest CARTO Self-Hosted release or to receive important fixes. This process should always be performed **independently of the CARTO upgrade** to avoid conflicts or delays. **When should I upgrade KOTS?** * **When required by the Admin Console during the upgrade process**: If your Kots version is below our minimum version you'll have to upgrade the Admin Console version before upgrading CARTO. You can view our `minKotsVersion` value [here](https://github.com/CartoDB/carto-selfhosted-helm/blob/74700450648ae82bc65cb29b19bf02dedb31e6e3/manifests/kots-app.yaml#L29C1-L30C1). * **Release notes notification**: We recommend upgrade KOTS when explicitly required in the CARTO release notes. These notes will clearly specify the **exact version** of KOTS that has been validated by CARTO. * **Do not upgrade on your own**: Avoid upgrading KOTS independently (e.g., every X months). Running unvalidated versions may introduce incompatibilities. **Steps to upgrade KOTS:** 1. Update the Kots version in your local machine to match the one specified in the release notes: ``` export VERSION="" curl https://kots.io/install/${VERSION} | bash ``` 2. Update the Kots version in the cluster: ``` kubectl kots admin-console upgrade -n ```