Upgrading the cluster

A running Kubernetes cluster can be upgraded to a higher version by increasing the Kubernetes version in the cluster's configuration file and reapplying it using the upgrade action.

Export the cluster configuration

Exporting the current cluster configuration is optional, but strongly recommended to ensure that changes are made to the latest version of the configuration. The cluster configuration file can be exported using the export command.

kubitect export config --cluster my-cluster > cluster.yaml

Upgrade the cluster

In the cluster configuration file, change the Kubernetes version.

cluster.yaml

kubernetes:
  version: v1.24.5 # Old value: v1.23.6
  ...

Apply the modified configuration using upgrade action.

kubitect apply --config cluster.yaml --action upgrade

The cluster is upgraded using the in-place strategy, i.e., the nodes are upgraded one after the other, making each node unavailable for the duration of its upgrade.