Catalog Updates
When a newer version of a catalog application becomes available, Kovra notifies you and provides a guided update flow. This page explains how to check for updates, apply them, and handle pre-update backups.
Overview
Applications deployed from the Kovra catalog are versioned. When the catalog maintainers publish a new version, your deployed applications can be updated in-place. The update process:
- Detects available version upgrades
- Lets you choose a target version
- Optionally creates a database backup before updating
- Applies the update and tracks progress via the events timeline
Checking for Updates
There are two places where Kovra surfaces available updates:
Update Badge on Application Cards
On the applications list, any app with a pending update displays an Update badge next to its catalog tag. This gives you an at-a-glance view of which applications need attention.
Update Banner on Application Detail Page
When you open an application that has an available update, a banner appears at the top of the page showing the current version and the latest available version, along with an Update Now button.
Updating an Application
To update an application to a newer catalog version:
- Click Update Now from the banner on the application detail page, or click the Update badge on the application card.
- The Update Application dialog opens, showing:
- Current Version — Your application’s installed version
- Target Version — A dropdown to select the version to update to (defaults to the latest)
- Chart version — The underlying Helm chart version for the selected target
- Select the desired target version from the dropdown.
- Click Update to start the process.
The platform applies the new version configuration and triggers a deployment sync. You can monitor progress on the Events tab.
Pre-Update Database Backups
If your application uses a database, Kovra can create an automatic backup before applying the update. This ensures you have a restore point in case the new version introduces issues.
When the backup option is available:
- A Create backup before update checkbox appears in the update dialog
- The backup runs before any version changes are applied
- If the backup fails, the update is aborted and your application remains on the current version
- Backups are stored according to your configured backup storage settings
You can view and manage backups from the Backups section of your application.
Tracking Update Progress
After initiating an update, the Events tab on your application detail page shows a timeline of update activities:
- Update initiated — The update process has started, showing source and target versions
- Backup created — A pre-update backup was successfully completed (if enabled)
- Configuration updated — The application configuration has been updated to the new version
- Sync triggered — The deployment sync has been triggered
- Update completed — The application is running the new version
Each event includes a timestamp and relevant details so you can trace exactly what happened during the update.
Troubleshooting
Backup Failed
If a pre-update backup fails:
- The update is automatically aborted
- Your application remains on the current version
- Check your backup storage configuration is valid and has sufficient space
- Review the Events tab for error details
- You can retry the update once the backup issue is resolved
Update Failed
If the update itself fails after backup:
- Your database backup is preserved
- Check the Events tab for specific error messages
- Common causes include:
- Incompatible configuration between versions
- Resource constraints on the target cluster
- Network connectivity issues during sync
- You can restore from the pre-update backup if needed, then retry
Version Not Available
If you don’t see an expected version in the target dropdown:
- The catalog maintainers may not have published it yet
- Check the Catalog page for available versions
- Contact your platform administrator if you believe a version is missing