Configuring Software Auto-Updates

Knowledgebase Article

Configuring Software Auto-Updates

When you install software in your account, one of the most important things is that it is kept up to date in the future. Software that is installed and then not kept updated can become vulnerable to hackers and spammers. For detailed information on this, and how we help protect you from such attacks, please see this article.

If you install an application using our Softaculous application installer in cPanel, you can set it up so that it automatically updates. Here's how:

1. Once you've filled in the details of the application you are looking to install, you'll see a section called 'Advanced'. Press the plus icon on this section to expand it. It should look something like this:

2. Put a check in the Auto Upgrade box. For some applications, such as WordPress, you'll be able to auto upgrade components such as Plugins and Themes. Put a check next to those if you'd like those to be upgraded too. Please note that automatic upgrades of all plugins and themes may not always be possible, but Softaculous will always try to upgrade them if it can.

3. If you're auto-updating, to be cautious, you'll want to ensure that you have a backup of your data, just in case an update breaks anything. This should be set to 'Once Per Day' with 1 backup rotation kept. This is the maximum number of backup retentions that we permit to be stored on shared hosting accounts. If you're looking to store more backups, you may prefer our CodeGuard backup solution which will keep 90 days worth of backups as standard.

When you install your application, Softaculous will then start to ensure that your applications are updated and also maintain a backup in case you need to revert to one.

What about existing installations which are not yet being auto-updated?

If you have existing apps installed which are not automatically being automatically updated, you can manage this from Softaculous. Here's how:

1. First log into Softaculous and then click the "All Installations" button at the top. This should look as follows:

2. You will then see a list of all of your installations. If the software you are looking to have auto-update doesn't appear in the list, it's possible that it was not installed via Softaculous, and will need to be imported into Softaculous so that it can manage it. Please see this article for details on doing this.

3. Assuming the software you want to auto-update is listed, press the edit icon next to it.

4. You will then come to a screen with the application details, and will be able to enable auto-updates in a similar way as is outlined above.

IMPORTANT: In most scenarios, auto-updates works a charm, but there are occasions where updating can cause issues on your site - so read on before you can decide on turning on automatic updates. Let's assume you have WordPress installed, and are using a theme that is currently compatible with the version of WordPress you use. There is a chance that the theme is not yet fully compatible with the new version of WordPress - the developer of that theme may themselves need to make changes to it to ensure it is fully compatible. If you update WordPress and the theme you are using is not yet fully compatible, that update could cause your site to display errors. For this reason, some people prefer to manually update their site, and once done, they can quickly check and make sure that everything works as intended at the same time. Whether you update manually, or whether you use automatic updates - we recommend that you ensure you have a backup of your site. Softaculous can be configured to take backups of your application at regular intervals - so if you turn on auto updates, we strongly recommend that you enable backups in Softaculous. If an update goes wrong, you then have an easy way to roll back to a previous version. You can also generate a full backup of your entire account via your cPanel.