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Upgrading Grafana

Upgrading Grafana provides access to new features, performance improvements, and security fixes. This guide covers upgrade strategies, procedures, and best practices.

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Before you begin

Before upgrading your Grafana instance, ensure you have:
  • A complete backup of your Grafana database and configuration files
  • Reviewed the release notes and upgrade guide for your target version
  • Tested the upgrade in a non-production environment
  • Planned maintenance window if downtime is required

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Understanding Grafana versioning

Grafana follows semantic versioning (MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH):
  • Major releases (for example, 11.0 to 12.0) - Once yearly, may include breaking changes
  • Minor releases (for example, 12.1 to 12.2) - Feature updates, minimal breaking changes
  • Patch releases (for example, 12.1.0 to 12.1.1) - Bug fixes and security patches

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Upgrade strategies

Choose an upgrade strategy based on your organization’s needs:

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Rolling upgrade strategy

Upgrade to each minor version sequentially:
  • Advantages: Smaller changelogs, easier troubleshooting, lower risk
  • Disadvantages: More frequent upgrades required
  • Example: 12.1 → 12.2 → 12.3 → 12.4

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Major version upgrade strategy

Upgrade once per year to major versions:
  • Advantages: Fewer upgrades, longer testing periods
  • Disadvantages: Larger changelogs, more potential breaking changes
  • Example: 11.0 → 12.0 → 13.0

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Patch-only strategy

Apply only security and bug fix patches:
  • Advantages: Minimal changes, highest stability
  • Disadvantages: Miss new features, limited support lifecycle
  • Example: 12.1.0 → 12.1.1 → 12.1.2

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Version support lifecycle

Grafana versions receive support for a limited time:
  • Current major version - Full support with features, bug fixes, and security patches
  • Previous major version - Security and critical bug fixes for 12 months
  • Older versions - No support, upgrade recommended
Plan upgrades to stay within the support window.

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Upgrade preparation

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Review release documentation

Before upgrading, review:

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Create a backup

Always back up before upgrading: 
# Backup database (PostgreSQL example)
pg_dump -h localhost -U grafana -d grafana -F c -f grafana-pre-upgrade.dump

# Backup configuration
cp -r /etc/grafana /backup/grafana-config-$(date +%Y%m%d)
Refer to the backup and restore guide for detailed procedures.

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Check plugin compatibility

Verify that installed plugins are compatible with the target version: 
grafana-cli plugins list-versions <PLUGIN_ID>
Replace <PLUGIN_ID> with your plugin identifier. Update incompatible plugins before or immediately after upgrading.

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Test in non-production

Test the upgrade in a development or staging environment:
  1. Restore a production database backup to the test environment
  2. Upgrade the test instance
  3. Verify dashboards, data sources, and alerts function correctly
  4. Test key workflows and integrations
  5. Review logs for errors or warnings

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Upgrade procedures

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Package manager upgrade (Linux)

For installations using package managers: Debian/Ubuntu (APT): 
# Update package list
sudo apt-get update

# Upgrade Grafana
sudo apt-get upgrade grafana

# Restart service
sudo systemctl restart grafana-server
RHEL/CentOS (YUM/DNF): 
# Upgrade Grafana
sudo yum update grafana
# or
sudo dnf update grafana

# Restart service
sudo systemctl restart grafana-server

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Binary upgrade

For binary installations: 
# Download new version
wget https://dl.grafana.com/oss/release/grafana-12.4.0.linux-amd64.tar.gz

# Stop Grafana
sudo systemctl stop grafana-server

# Extract new version
tar -zxvf grafana-12.4.0.linux-amd64.tar.gz

# Replace binary files (preserve data and config)
sudo cp -r grafana-12.4.0/* /usr/share/grafana/

# Start Grafana
sudo systemctl start grafana-server

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Docker upgrade

For containerized deployments: Docker: 
# Pull new image
docker pull grafana/grafana:12.4.0

# Stop current container
docker stop grafana

# Remove old container (volumes are preserved)
docker rm grafana

# Start new container
docker run -d \
  --name grafana \
  -p 3000:3000 \
  -v grafana-data:/var/lib/grafana \
  grafana/grafana:12.4.0
Docker Compose: 
# Update docker-compose.yml
services:
  grafana:
    image: grafana/grafana:12.4.0
    # ... other configuration
Then apply the update: 
docker-compose down
docker-compose up -d

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Kubernetes upgrade

For Kubernetes deployments using Helm: 
# Update Helm repository
helm repo update

# Upgrade Grafana
helm upgrade grafana grafana/grafana \
  --version 8.0.0 \
  --namespace monitoring \
  --reuse-values

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Database migrations

Grafana automatically runs database migrations on startup when upgrading.

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Migration process

When Grafana starts after an upgrade:
  1. Detects database schema version
  2. Applies pending migrations in order
  3. Locks database during migration (configurable)
  4. Logs migration progress
  5. Starts normally after successful migration

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Migration settings

Configure migration behavior in grafana.ini: 
[database]
# Lock database during migrations
migration_locking = true

# Timeout for acquiring migration lock (seconds)
locking_attempt_timeout_sec = 0

# Skip all migrations on startup
skip_migrations = false
Refer to conf/defaults.ini:201 for database migration settings.

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Migration monitoring

Monitor migration logs during upgrades: 
sudo journalctl -u grafana-server -f
Successful migrations log messages like: 
info: Executing migration "add_column_foo_to_bar"
info: Migration completed successfully

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Plugin upgrades

Upgrade plugins after upgrading Grafana.

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Upgrade all plugins

Upgrade all installed plugins: 
grafana-cli plugins upgrade-all
Refer to pkg/cmd/grafana-cli/commands/upgrade_all_command.go for the CLI implementation.

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Upgrade specific plugin

Upgrade a single plugin: 
grafana-cli plugins upgrade <PLUGIN_ID>
Replace <PLUGIN_ID> with the plugin identifier. Refer to pkg/cmd/grafana-cli/commands/upgrade_command.go:15 for the CLI implementation.

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Restart after plugin upgrade

Restart Grafana after upgrading plugins: 
sudo systemctl restart grafana-server

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Post-upgrade verification

After upgrading, verify functionality:

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Check service status

Verify Grafana is running: 
sudo systemctl status grafana-server

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Check application logs

Review logs for errors: 
sudo journalctl -u grafana-server -n 100

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Verify database connectivity

Test the health endpoint: 
curl http://localhost:3000/api/health
Expected response: 
{
  "database": "ok",
  "version": "12.4.0"
}

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Test dashboards

  • Open key dashboards and verify they load correctly
  • Check that panels render data
  • Verify variables and templating work

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Test data sources

  • Navigate to Configuration → Data Sources
  • Test connectivity for critical data sources
  • Verify queries return expected data

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Verify alerts

  • Check alert rules are evaluating
  • Verify notifications are being sent
  • Review alert history for anomalies

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Rollback procedures

If you encounter issues after upgrading, you can roll back.

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Database rollback considerations

Database migrations are generally not reversible. To roll back:
  1. Stop the upgraded Grafana instance
  2. Restore the database backup from before the upgrade
  3. Restore previous Grafana binary/package
  4. Restore previous configuration files
  5. Start Grafana with the previous version
Important: Don’t downgrade database schema. Always restore from backup.

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Rollback procedure

# Stop Grafana
sudo systemctl stop grafana-server

# Restore database (PostgreSQL example)
psql -h localhost -U postgres -c "DROP DATABASE grafana;"
psql -h localhost -U postgres -c "CREATE DATABASE grafana OWNER grafana;"
pg_restore -h localhost -U grafana -d grafana grafana-pre-upgrade.dump

# Downgrade package (Debian/Ubuntu example)
sudo apt-get install grafana=11.6.0

# Restore configuration if needed
sudo cp /backup/grafana-config-20260309/grafana.ini /etc/grafana/

# Start Grafana
sudo systemctl start grafana-server

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Upgrade best practices

  • Backup first - Always create a complete backup before upgrading
  • Test thoroughly - Test upgrades in non-production environments
  • Read documentation - Review release notes and upgrade guides
  • Check compatibility - Verify plugin and integration compatibility
  • Plan maintenance - Schedule upgrades during low-traffic periods
  • Monitor closely - Watch logs and metrics during and after upgrade
  • Have rollback plan - Prepare rollback procedures before starting
  • Stay current - Regularly upgrade to stay within support lifecycle
  • Document process - Record upgrade steps and any issues encountered

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Breaking changes

Major and some minor releases may include breaking changes:
  • API endpoint changes
  • Configuration option deprecations
  • Plugin API updates
  • Database schema changes
  • Feature removals
Always review the breaking changes documentation for your target version.

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Getting help

If you encounter issues during an upgrade:

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Next steps

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