Self-Upgrade

Dagu includes a built-in upgrade command to update to the latest version directly from the command line.

Overview

The dagu upgrade command downloads and installs the latest version of Dagu, using SHA256 checksum verification.

Basic Usage

# Upgrade to latest version
dagu upgrade

# Check if update is available (no installation)
dagu upgrade --check

# Upgrade to specific version
dagu upgrade --version v2.11.0

# Preview changes without installing
dagu upgrade --dry-run

# Skip confirmation prompt
dagu upgrade -y

Command Options

Flag	Short	Description	Default
--check		Check for updates without installing	false
--version	-v	Upgrade to specific version	latest
--dry-run		Preview changes without installing	false
--backup		Create backup before upgrading	false
--yes	-y	Skip confirmation prompt	false
--pre-release		Include pre-release versions	false

Installation Methods

The upgrade command automatically detects how Dagu was installed:

Method	Self-Upgrade	Recommended Action
Binary download	Yes	dagu upgrade
Go install	No	Reinstall with the script installer or a released binary
Homebrew	No	brew upgrade dagu
Snap	No	snap refresh dagu
Container (Docker, Podman, Kubernetes)	No	Pull the latest image

Dagu treats an install as a container when /.dockerenv or /run/.containerenv exists, or when KUBERNETES_SERVICE_HOST is set.

If the install directory is not writable, the command fails with a permission error that suggests running with sudo, or as Administrator on Windows.

How It Works

1. Version Check: Fetches latest release from GitHub API
2. Download: Downloads platform-specific archive with retry logic
3. Verification: Validates SHA256 checksum
4. Backup (optional): Creates .bak file of current binary
5. Installation: Atomically replaces the binary
6. Restart Hint: Prints how to restart Dagu so running processes use the new binary

Restarting After an Upgrade

dagu upgrade does not restart running Dagu processes, because a restart can stop running workflows. After a successful upgrade, it prints the restart command for the background service the Dagu installer set up:

Restart Dagu to use the new version:
  sudo systemctl restart dagu

Service	Detected By	Command
macOS launchd agent	~/Library/LaunchAgents/local.dagu.server.plist	launchctl kickstart -k gui/$(id -u)/local.dagu.server
Linux systemd system service	/etc/systemd/system/dagu.service	sudo systemctl restart dagu
Linux systemd user service	~/.config/systemd/user/dagu.service	systemctl --user restart dagu
Windows service	dagu-service.xml next to the binary	Restart-Service Dagu

When no installer service is found, it prints Restart any running Dagu processes to use the new version.

Supported Platforms

• macOS: amd64, arm64
• Linux: 386, amd64, arm64, armv6, armv7, ppc64le, s390x
• Windows: 386, amd64, arm64

Update Notifications

Dagu caches update check results for 24 hours. When automatic checks are enabled, an available update appears as a notification in the web UI. The notification shows the update command for the detected installation method, such as dagu upgrade or brew upgrade dagu. Container installs show no command.

When the binary a running server started from is replaced, by dagu upgrade or a package manager, the web UI shows a restart notice instead, with the restart command from Restarting After an Upgrade when one is found.

Automatic checks are controlled by the main server config and are enabled by default:

check_updates: true

Disable them with check_updates: false or DAGU_CHECK_UPDATES=false.

This only affects update notifications in the web UI. Restart notices and manual commands such as dagu upgrade and dagu upgrade --check still work.

Examples

Check for Updates

dagu upgrade --check

Output:

Current version: v2.11.0
Latest version:  v2.11.1

An update is available. Run 'dagu upgrade' to update.

Dry Run

dagu upgrade --dry-run

Output:

Dry run - no changes will be made

Current version: v2.11.0
Target version:  v2.11.1

The following changes will be made:
  - Download: dagu_1.30.3_darwin_arm64.tar.gz (25.3 MB)
  - Verify:   SHA256 checksum
  - Replace:  /usr/local/bin/dagu

Upgrade with Backup

dagu upgrade --backup

Creates /usr/local/bin/dagu.bak before replacing.

Upgrade to Specific Version

dagu upgrade --version v2.11.0

Include Pre-releases

dagu upgrade --pre-release

Security

• All downloads are verified using SHA256 checksums from checksums.txt
• Archives are validated to prevent path traversal attacks
• Binary replacement is atomic to prevent corruption