Updating

Updating

How to update TREK to a newer version without losing data.

Before You Update

Back up your data first. Go to Admin Panel → Backups and create a manual backup, or copy your ./data and ./uploads directories to a safe location. See Backups for details.

Image Tags

Tag	Example	Behavior
latest	mauriceboe/trek:latest	Always the newest release across all major versions
Major version	mauriceboe/trek:3	Latest release pinned to that major version
Full version	mauriceboe/trek:3.4.0	Exact release; never changes

Use latest or a major-version tag if you want updates on each redeploy. Use a full version tag for explicit control — update by changing the tag, not by re-pulling.

Docker Compose (Recommended)

latest or major-version tag:

docker compose pull && docker compose up -d

This pulls the newest matching image and recreates the container with your existing volumes. Your data is untouched.

Pinned full-version tag:

Edit docker-compose.yml, update the tag in the image: line (e.g. 3.4.0 → 3.4.1), then redeploy:

docker compose up -d

Docker Run

If you started TREK with docker run, pull the new image and replace the container:

docker pull mauriceboe/trek
docker rm -f trek
docker run -d --name trek -p 3000:3000 \
  -v ./data:/app/data \
  -v ./uploads:/app/uploads \
  -e ENCRYPTION_KEY=<your-key> \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  mauriceboe/trek

Tip: Not sure which volume paths you used? Check before removing:

docker inspect trek --format '{{json .Mounts}}'

Helm (Kubernetes)

⚠️ Chart repository moved: The Helm chart is no longer served at https://mauriceboe.github.io/TREK (the project moved from a personal repo to the liketrek organization). The canonical chart URL is now https://chart.liketrek.com — a custom domain (CNAME) for the GitHub Pages site at https://liketrek.github.io/TREK, so it stays stable even if the repository moves again. If your trek repo still points to an old URL, switch it before updating:

helm repo remove trek
helm repo add trek https://chart.liketrek.com

You can check which URL you have configured with helm repo list. Existing releases are unaffected — only the repo URL changes.

To update to the newest chart release:

helm repo update
helm upgrade trek trek/trek

Your existing values and PVCs (data, uploads) are preserved. To pin an exact chart version instead, pass --version <x.y.z>.

See Install-Helm for the full installation walkthrough and values reference.

Database Migrations

TREK runs any pending database migrations automatically at startup. No manual migration steps are required after pulling a new image.

Encryption Key Note

If you are upgrading from a version that predates the dedicated ENCRYPTION_KEY (i.e. you have no ENCRYPTION_KEY environment variable set), TREK automatically falls back to ./data/.jwt_secret on startup and immediately promotes it to ./data/.encryption_key. No manual steps are required — the transition is handled at first boot after the upgrade.

If you want to rotate to a new key at any point (not required for a normal update), see Encryption-Key-Rotation for the full procedure.

Proxmox VE (LXC)

If you installed TREK via the Proxmox VE Community Scripts, run the following command inside the LXC container and select Update when prompted:

bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/community-scripts/ProxmoxVE/main/ct/trek.sh)"

Tip: Always check the community-scripts TREK page to confirm the latest command before running.

The script stops the service, backs up your data and uploads, applies the new release, restores the backup, and restarts. No manual steps required.

To verify the update completed and check for errors:

# Inside the container (pct enter <id> from the Proxmox shell)
journalctl -u trek -n 50

Portainer

Open the Stacks list, click the TREK stack, then click Redeploy.

latest or major-version tag — enable the Re-pull image and redeploy switch before confirming. Portainer pulls the newest matching image and recreates the container.

Pinned full-version tag (e.g. 3.4.0) — edit the stack, update the tag in the image: line, then click Update the stack. No re-pull switch needed; the tag change forces a fresh pull.

See Install-Portainer for the full installation walkthrough.

Unraid

In the Unraid Docker tab, click the TREK container and select Update. Unraid will pull the latest image and restart with the same volumes.

Next Steps

• Backups — schedule automatic backups so you always have a restore point before updates
• Encryption-Key-Rotation — if you need to rotate or migrate the encryption key
• Install-Docker-Compose — switch to Compose for easier future updates