Upgrading PostgreSQL

Keeping your PostgreSQL version up to date ensures better performance, security, and access to the latest features. This guide explains how to handle minor upgrades and the current limitations for major upgrades on RayDB.

Minor Upgrades

Minor upgrades (e.g., from 15.2 → 15.3) include security patches and bug fixes. These can be performed automatically or manually.

Automatic Minor Upgrades

By default, RayDB enables automatic minor upgrades to keep your cluster secure and stable.
Upgrades occur during scheduled maintenance windows with minimal downtime.

Manual Minor Upgrades

To manually trigger a minor upgrade:

Log in to the RayDB Dashboard.
Navigate to the Clusters section and select the cluster you want to upgrade.
Go to the Maintenance tab.
Click Upgrade Now to apply the latest minor release.

Major Upgrades

Major upgrades (e.g., from 14.x → 15.x) require significant internal changes and are not supported at this time.

Future Support for Major Upgrades

We are actively evaluating options to introduce major version upgrades safely. If you require an upgrade path, consider:

Logical Dump and Restore: Using pg_dump and pg_restore to migrate data.
Application-Level Migration: Running a parallel cluster with the new version and switching traffic over.

Best Practices

Monitor Maintenance Windows: Automatic upgrades occur during predefined time slots to minimize impact.
Test in a Staging Environment: Before applying manual upgrades, test on a non-production cluster.
Enable Backups: Ensure backups are in place before initiating any upgrade.

For further assistance, check the Backup & Restore documentation.