Upgrade a Kubernetes cluster

You can perform a Kubernetes cluster version upgrade to get the latest Kubernetes features and make sure that your cluster is secure and stable.

Implications for cluster APIs

Kubernetes version upgrades might change the Kubernetes API and features. Please check the official Kubernetes documentation to find the latest changes.

Implications for applications

We use a rolling update approach, where the update procedure terminates the existing worker nodes one by one and creates new worker nodes. While rolling upgrades won’t stop all nodes at once, they can still have performance implications for your users if you don't have any spare capacity.

Best practices

• Plan upgrades and learn if deprecated APIs are removed in the target version.
• Test your upgrades in a non-production environment before attempting an upgrade in production.
• Use our Kubernetes logging feature to see what’s happening during an upgrade.

How to upgrade a cluster

To upgrade the Kubernetes version of a cluster, perform the following steps:

Step 1. Select a cluster

Open the Managed Kubernetes tab in the Cloud section and select a cluster from the list.

If a newer version of Kubernetes is available for the cluster, a Change link will appear beside the version under General Info.

Click the Change link to start the update.

A pop-up window will open where you can select a new version.

Step 2. Initialize the cluster upgrade

Select a new version and click the Change button.

Warning: Downgrade is only supported for one patch version down (e.g., from 1.24.9 to 1.24.8).

Warning: Changing your cluster version will take several minutes, during which API access to the cluster may be unstable.

Clicking on the Change button will open another popup that asks you to confirm the version upgrade. Click on the Yes, upgrade button to start the upgrade.

When the update starts, both popups will close. You’ll see a loading indicator when the update is in progress.

Step 3. Finalize

After the update, check that the version under General Info matches your selected version.