Updating | Fliks docs

The update check#

Any admin sees an update button in the web client's top bar when a newer server release exists; it opens the release notes. It only checks; it never installs anything by itself, on any install method. There is no background polling: the server asks the project's public GitHub releases only when the web client asks it, and caches the answer for six hours, so it costs nothing per page load. Set the FLIKS_DISABLE_UPDATE_CHECK=1 environment variable (on Docker or a source install) to turn off the outbound request entirely, if you'd rather update on your own schedule without Fliks phoning out for it. The TrueNAS app sets it for you.

Database migrations#

You never run a migration by hand. In production, pending migrations run automatically the moment the new backend starts up, before it accepts any request. This is true on every install method, since they all run the same backend. Take a backup first anyway: a migration that changes the schema can't be rolled back by starting the old version again.

Docker#

bash

docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

This pulls the new image (whatever tag your docker-compose.yml points at, :latest unless you pinned a version) and recreates the container. The database container is untouched unless you also changed its image tag.

Windows and macOS#

Neither the Windows tray app nor the macOS menu-bar app updates itself. Download the newer installer or .dmg from the latest release and run it the same way you did the first time:

Windows: the installer replaces the app under %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Fliks; your data under %LOCALAPPDATA%\Fliks is untouched.
macOS: quit Fliks, drag Fliks Server from the new .dmg over the one in Applications, and relaunch; your data under ~/Library/Application Support/Fliks is untouched.

From source#

Pull the new tag or commit, then rebuild and restart both halves:

bash

cd client && npm ci && npx ng build --configuration=production
cd ../backend && npm ci && npm run build

Restart node dist/main with the same environment as before (including NODE_ENV=production); migrations run as part of that startup.

TrueNAS#

Updates surface through TrueNAS SCALE's own app-update mechanism (Apps > Installed shows an available update); it pulls the new image the same way the plain Docker install does.