How to upgrade Askbot

NOTE: always back up the database and customized files before upgrading!

These instructions assume that you are working with a Unix-like OS, such as Linux or MacOS and a Python environment.

1) Introduction.

Currently Askbot supports major versions of Django 3.x. Versions 0.11.x and later require Python 3.6-3.10, and earlier versions require Python 2.7. See the compatibility table at the end of this document.

Askbot versions start with 0, for example 0.11.2. Versions with different second numbers should be considered as different major versions.

When upgrading across multiple major versions, upgrade one major version at a time, by upgrading to the latest release of each major version (explained in the section 2 below).

For example, when upgrading from 0.7.x to 0.11.x, it is best to upgrade to 0.8.x first, then to 0.9.x, and so on.

The best practice is to first make a test migration by creating a new database with your current content, then put your site in maintenance mode and run the production migration.

2) Database migrations.

Configure a fresh uncustomized installation of Askbot of desired version.

First, decide which version of Python is required. For Askbot versions 0.11.0 and later, use Python 3.6-3.10. For earlier versions, use Python 2.7. Then install Askbot.

For example, for the latest 0.11.x run:

pip install ‘askbot<0.12’

Configure this version by running askbot-setup and follow the instructions. During the configuration, point your instance to the database.

Then run the database migrations:

For example, to install the latest 0.11.x run the following command:

pip install ‘askbot<0.12

Then, run the following command to upgrade the database:

python manage.py migrate

When working with versions 0.8.x and earlier, instead run the following command:

python manage.py syncdb –migrate

Repeat the above steps until you have upgraded to the desired major version.

3) Finalize your upgrade.

One your database is migrated, you can integrate your customized settings into the project’s settings.py file.

Finally, collect the static files:

python manage.py collectstatic

Test your migration by running the dev server:

python manage.py runserver

If everything works, your site can be deployed to the production.

4) Compatible versions of Askbot, Django and Python.

The following table shows the compatibility of Askbot versions with Django and Python versions.

Version of Askbot (*)	Version of the Django framework	Version of Python
0.11.x	2.x - 3.x	3.6-3.10
0.10.x	1.8.x	2.7
0.9.x	1.7.x	2.7
0.8.x (*)	1.6.x	2.7
0.7.x	1.5.x	2.7

(*) Versions 0.8.x are exclusively for migrating the database from 0.7.x to 0.9.x, versions 0.8.x should not be used in production.