The rule is simple: backup first, update second, one version at a time. Evolution API depends on an unofficial library that follows WhatsApp’s changes, so new versions appear at a pace you do not control. What you control is when you update and what you have saved if it goes wrong.
What has to be copied
| What |
Why |
| The database (PostgreSQL or MySQL) |
It holds the instances and the data. It is the copy that counts most. See backups with mysqldump and pg_dump. |
| The instance volumes |
The sessions that the compose file tells Docker to keep. Without them, the database copy may not be enough to come back linked. |
| The settings file |
It holds the API key and the passwords. Without it you cannot recreate the service. Keep it somewhere private, off the server. |
| The compose file |
It says which version was running and how it was put together. |
A copy that sits on the same server protects against your own mistake, not against losing the server. Take it off. For the options, see backing up a VPS: snapshots or files.
Updating, step by step
| 1 |
Make the backup of the database, the volumes and the files, and check that you can open it.
|
|
| 2 |
Read the release notes in the project’s repository. Look for changes that break the configuration, renamed settings and warnings about the database.
|
|
| 3 |
Change the image version in the compose file to the one you chose. Prefer a specific version to following “latest”.
|
|
| 4 |
Pull and recreate: docker compose pull then docker compose up -d.
|
|
| 5 |
Read the logs with docker compose logs -f. The API must start without errors and the instances must come back linked.
|
|
| 6 |
Test for real: send a message and receive another through the webhook before you call the update good.
|
|
|
Going back is not always just swapping the version. If the new version changed the database, the old one may no longer understand it. That is why the backup comes before the update: restoring that copy and going back to the previous version is the safe way back. For the general principle, see updating a Docker application without losing data.
|
When to update
| 1 |
When there is a problem the new version fixes, such as an instance stuck on “connecting”. See the usual causes.
|
|
| 2 |
When there is a security fix.
|
|
| 3 |
Outside usage hours. The update interrupts the service for a while, and messages arriving in that gap can be lost.
|
|
|
Each time an update works, note the version and the date. Next time something fails, knowing the last good one saves hours. And test a restore once, on a rehearsal server, before you need it for real. Maintenance is yours, as the Support Policy says.
|
|
Need room for backups and a rehearsal server? Have a look at the VPS plans.
See VPS servers
|
RECOMMENDED PRODUCT Web hosting with cPanel Domain and SSL included, daily backups and the panel you already know. from KSh858.00/mo (3-year plan, with coupon) See plans |
Angola
Brasil
Kenya
Moçambique
Nigeria
Portugal
South Africa
United Kingdom
United States
International
