How to update to latest 2.x instead of 3.0?

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In a discussion titled “How to update to latest 2.x instead of 3.0?” under the Installation category, jonom asks how to upgrade their Discourse 2.8.11 installation to the latest 2.x version (2.8.14) without jumping to 3.0, as the web updater only offers 3.0. Falco replies that Discourse no longer supports versions older than the current stable release, and thus doesn’t document or recommend staying on 2.x. jonom explains his hesitation stems from potential breaking changes and lack of bandwidth to handle new features like chat, though he notes chat isn’t enabled by default. He also asks whether his Ubuntu 18 server can run Discourse v3 in Docker. Falco clarifies that Discourse doesn’t follow SemVer — every 2.X release was considered a major release — and that the current Docker image is incompatible with 2.x and contains EOL software if pinned. jonom confirms he understands and plans to take a snapshot before upgrading to v3, assuming Ubuntu 18 can handle the latest Docker image. He thanks Falco for the help.

1

I have a Discourse installation running 2.8.11. I’d like to hold off on upgrading to 3.0 for now and only upgrade to the latest in the 2.x line (currently 2.8.14).

The web-based updater only allows updating to 3.0 - is there a way to stay on the 2.x line or update to a specific version instead?

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2

We don’t offer support for versions old than the current stable version, so that isn’t documented nor recommended.

3

Thanks for your reply. I thought given the major version bump I would hold off on updating in case of any breaking changes, or kinks that need to be ironed out. I also don’t have the bandwidth to answer questions about the new features like chat right now, but it looks like that won’t be enabled automatically so that’s fine.

I guess since Discourse runs in a Docker container, if my server (Ubuntu 18) can run Discourse v2 it should be able to run Discourse v3?

4

Discourse does not follow the SemVer spec. Every 2.X release was also a major release.

We ship the Discourse Docker image, and we ensure it’s compatible with both the default release channel (Discourse 3.1 at the moment) and the stable release channel (Discourse 3.0 at the moment). This image isn’t compatible with Discourse 2.x anymore, and pinning to an old image is not recommended as it contains EOL software in it.

5

Thanks @Falco, what I was really asking with that question though is if Ubuntu 18 should be able to run the latest Discourse Docker image and thus Discourse v3… I’m assuming yes. I’ll take a snapshot and give it a go :slight_smile: thanks for your help.