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Regularly update Open WebUI to get the latest features, bug fixes, and security patches.

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Before Updating

Always backup your data before updating to prevent data loss in case of issues.

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Backup Your Data

# Create backup directory
mkdir -p ~/open-webui-backups

# Backup the data volume
docker run --rm \
  -v open-webui:/data \
  -v ~/open-webui-backups:/backup \
  alpine tar czf /backup/open-webui-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S).tar.gz -C /data .

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Docker Updates

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Standard Docker Installation

1

Stop the Container

docker stop open-webui
2

Remove the Container

docker rm open-webui
3

Pull Latest Image

docker pull ghcr.io/open-webui/open-webui:main
4

Start New Container

Run the same docker run command you used initially. For example:
docker run -d -p 3000:8080 \
  --add-host=host.docker.internal:host-gateway \
  -v open-webui:/app/backend/data \
  --name open-webui \
  --restart always \
  ghcr.io/open-webui/open-webui:main

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One-Line Update Script

Create an update script for convenience:
update-open-webui.sh
#!/bin/bash
set -e

echo "Updating Open WebUI..."

# Stop and remove container
docker stop open-webui
docker rm open-webui

# Pull latest image
docker pull ghcr.io/open-webui/open-webui:main

# Start new container
docker run -d -p 3000:8080 \
  --add-host=host.docker.internal:host-gateway \
  -v open-webui:/app/backend/data \
  --name open-webui \
  --restart always \
  ghcr.io/open-webui/open-webui:main

echo "Update complete!"
Make it executable and run: 
chmod +x update-open-webui.sh
./update-open-webui.sh

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Using Watchtower for Automatic Updates

Watchtower automatically updates running Docker containers: 
docker run -d \
  --name watchtower \
  -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock \
  containrrr/watchtower \
  --cleanup \
  --interval 86400 \
  open-webui
This checks for updates daily and automatically updates the open-webui container.

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Docker Compose Updates

1

Pull Latest Images

docker compose pull
2

Restart Services

docker compose up -d

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Docker Compose Update Script

update-compose.sh
#!/bin/bash
set -e

echo "Updating Open WebUI via Docker Compose..."

# Pull latest images
docker compose pull

# Restart with new images
docker compose up -d

# Clean up old images
docker image prune -f

echo "Update complete!"

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Kubernetes Updates

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Update Deployment Image

1

Update Image Tag

Edit your deployment manifest or use kubectl:
kubectl set image deployment/open-webui \
  open-webui=ghcr.io/open-webui/open-webui:main \
  -n open-webui
2

Monitor Rollout

kubectl rollout status deployment/open-webui -n open-webui
3

Verify Update

kubectl get pods -n open-webui
kubectl logs -f deployment/open-webui -n open-webui

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Rollback if Needed

If the update causes issues: 
kubectl rollout undo deployment/open-webui -n open-webui

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GitOps (ArgoCD/Flux)

If using GitOps:
  1. Update the image tag in your Git repository
  2. Commit and push changes
  3. ArgoCD/Flux will automatically sync the changes
spec:
  template:
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: open-webui
        image: ghcr.io/open-webui/open-webui:v0.2.0  # Update this

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Python pip Updates

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Update to Latest Version

pip install --upgrade open-webui

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Update with All Dependencies

pip install --upgrade --force-reinstall open-webui

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Update to Specific Version

pip install open-webui==0.2.0

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Check Current Version

pip show open-webui

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Version-Specific Updates

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Updating from Ollama WebUI

If you’re updating from the old Ollama WebUI:
1

Backup Data

The database will be automatically migrated from ollama.db to webui.db.
# Backup just in case
cp /app/backend/data/ollama.db /app/backend/data/ollama.db.backup
2

Update Container

Follow the standard Docker update process. The migration happens automatically on first run.

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Major Version Updates

For major version updates, check the changelog for:
  • Breaking changes
  • New required environment variables
  • Database migrations
  • Configuration changes

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Checking for Updates

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Current Version

Check your current version: 
docker exec open-webui cat /app/package.json | grep version

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Latest Available Version

# Check GitHub releases
curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/open-webui/open-webui/releases/latest | grep tag_name

# Check Docker Hub
curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/open-webui/open-webui/releases/latest | jq -r '.tag_name'

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Version Update Check

Open WebUI can automatically check for updates if enabled: 
ENABLE_VERSION_UPDATE_CHECK=true

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Update Frequency Recommendations

  • Production: Update monthly or when security patches are released
  • Development: Update weekly to get latest features
  • Critical Security Updates: Apply immediately

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Database Migrations

Open WebUI automatically runs database migrations on startup when ENABLE_DB_MIGRATIONS=true (default).

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Manual Migration Control

To disable automatic migrations: 
ENABLE_DB_MIGRATIONS=false

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Verify Migration Status

Check logs after update: 
# Docker
docker logs open-webui | grep migration

# Kubernetes
kubectl logs deployment/open-webui -n open-webui | grep migration

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Troubleshooting Updates

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Update Fails to Start

  1. Check logs for errors:
docker logs open-webui
  1. Verify environment variables are still set correctly
  2. Check for breaking changes in release notes

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Database Migration Errors

If migration fails:
  1. Restore from backup
  2. Check GitHub Issues
  3. Try disabling migrations temporarily:
ENABLE_DB_MIGRATIONS=false

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Configuration Issues

If configuration seems lost:
  1. Verify volume is mounted correctly:
docker inspect open-webui | grep Mounts -A 10
  1. Check data directory permissions:
docker exec open-webui ls -la /app/backend/data

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Rolling Back

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Docker Rollback

# Stop current version
docker stop open-webui
docker rm open-webui

# Pull specific older version
docker pull ghcr.io/open-webui/open-webui:v0.1.123

# Start with older version
docker run -d -p 3000:8080 \
  -v open-webui:/app/backend/data \
  --name open-webui \
  ghcr.io/open-webui/open-webui:v0.1.123

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pip Rollback

pip install open-webui==0.1.123

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Update Notifications

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Subscribe to Updates

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GitHub Watch

  1. Go to https://github.com/open-webui/open-webui
  2. Click “Watch” → “Custom” → “Releases”
  3. Get notified of new releases

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Best Practices

1

Test in Staging

Test updates in a staging environment before applying to production.
2

Backup First

Always backup your data before updating.
3

Read Release Notes

Check the changelog for breaking changes and new features.
4

Plan Downtime

Schedule updates during low-usage periods.
5

Monitor After Update

Watch logs and user feedback after updating.

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Automated Update Pipeline

For production deployments, consider this workflow:
.github/workflows/update-open-webui.yml
name: Update Open WebUI

on:
  schedule:
    - cron: '0 2 * * 0'  # Weekly on Sunday at 2 AM
  workflow_dispatch:  # Manual trigger

jobs:
  update:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Backup Data
        run: |
          # Your backup script
          
      - name: Update Docker Container
        run: |
          docker pull ghcr.io/open-webui/open-webui:main
          docker stop open-webui
          docker rm open-webui
          # Restart with new image
          
      - name: Verify Health
        run: |
          sleep 30
          curl -f http://localhost:8080/health || exit 1
          
      - name: Notify on Failure
        if: failure()
        run: |
          # Send notification (email, Slack, etc.)

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Next Steps

Docker Deployment

Docker deployment guide

Kubernetes

Kubernetes deployment

Environment Variables

Configuration reference

Troubleshooting

Common issues and solutions