Feature Request: Less updates to Docker

Product Support Self-hosting

AI-generated summary

In the discussion of a feature request to reduce Docker updates, vel expressed the difficulty of upgrading Docker on shared hosting plans due to required server reboots and administration work. However, Stephen and pfaffman clarified that a server restart is not necessary, as only the Discourse Docker image needs to be updated, not the Docker runtime. pfaffman offered a service for automatic rebuilds and noted that other devices, such as phones and desktops, require more frequent updates.

1

When Discourse prompts to upgrade I see a message like this:

Your Discourse installation is out of date. [Click here to upgrade.]

I’m guessing maybe 1 in 3 times it requests to upgrade it also says to upgrade Docker needs to be upgraded:

You are running an old version of the Discourse image.

Upgrades via the web UI are disabled until you run the latest image.

To do so log in to your server using SSH and run:

However, it’s not always possible for those on shared hosting plans. The administration work required to reboot the server and restart services can be time consuming.

It would be helpful not to have to upgrade Docker to upgrade Discourse.

2

Can you elaborate on your setup? A server restart should never be needed. If you’re using the standard install on a vps this shouldn’t be a problem.

You aren’t being asked to upgrade the docker runtime, it’s an upgrade to the discourse docker image.

3

You don’t need to reboot the server, just launch a new container. If you don’t want to spend your time that way, I’ll do it for you Redirecting…

Your phone and desktop computer require much more frequent updates.