Panel Updates

Panel Updates

BetterDesk can update itself through Settings → Updates in the web panel, or via betterdesk.sh / betterdesk.ps1.

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Native install (recommended flow)

1. Log in as super_admin or server_admin
2. Open Settings → Updates
3. Review available version and changelog preview
4. Run Preflight (checks disk space, build tools, server binary)
5. Click Install — panel downloads GitHub changes, merges .env keys, rebuilds Go server if needed, restarts services

What is preserved

• Database files (auth.db, db_v2.sqlite3, PostgreSQL data)
• User passwords and TOTP secrets
• SSL certificates and API keys
• Operator secrets in .env (only missing keys appended from .env.example)

Update channels

Channel	Branch	Use
Stable	main	Production (default)
Development	dev	Latest work-in-progress

Switch under Settings → Updates → Update channel, or via installer script.

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Script-based update

# Linux
sudo ./betterdesk.sh   # option 2 — Update

# Windows
.\betterdesk.ps1       # option 2 — Update

Script updates also clear stale panel warning banners from failed in-panel attempts.

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Docker (GHCR images)

When running pre-built images from GHCR (docker-compose.quick.yml):

• In-panel Install is disabled — use image pull instead
• Panel shows pull instructions:

docker compose pull && docker compose up -d

Each console image embeds its build commit; startup syncs data/.update_sha.

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Troubleshooting updates

Symptom	Fix
Red banner after successful script update	Update to latest build — banner cleared on script/Docker success (#192)
Go server build failed	Check preflight; use Rebuild server binary in Updates
Permission errors on /opt/	Run panel update as root or fix ownership
Stale server binary	Updates force full server source sync before compile

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See also

• Installation — fresh install paths
• Troubleshooting — post-update issues
• Update flow doc