How to Upgrade Netbox

In this post I will cover the process to upgrade a Netbox installation running in Docker. I will be upgrading from version 3.7.4 to version 4.3.4

When upgrading Netbox, as the software is based on Django it does a database upgrade so you have to follow this guide when moving between versions.

Guide to upgrading Netbox

When upgrading from earlier versions you have to follow these upgrade steps instead of going from one version directly to another.

When upgrading Netbox here are some key rules

You cannot skip a major version jump — for example, jumping from 2.10 straight to 3.x is not supported; you must land on a 2.11.y first

Final patch levels are crucial — always upgrade to the highest patch of your minor version before moving to the next major.

Schema migrations are consolidated — which is why major-version jumps require this sequential approach.

Please refer to this guide: https://netboxlabs.com/docs/netbox/installation/upgrading/

In my example of moving from 3.7.4 to latest I have to follow this approach

Ugrade Netbox Docker

This is the path I will be following based on the above information

Backup everything — DB, config files, media, scripts, etc.

From 3.7.4, upgrade to 3.7.8.

Upgrade from 3.7.8 to 4.0.11.

Apply successive upgrades: 4.0.11 → 4.1 latest → 4.2 latest → 4.3.4.

How update Netbox

1. Backup Netbox PostgreSQL Database

Whenever you are performing an upgrade always backup your current database.

To backup a Netbox database use the following command

# Replace with your actual DB name, user, and path
PGPASSWORD=netbox \
pg_dump -U netbox -h localhost -Fc netbox > /opt/backups/netbox_$(date +%F).dump

Netbox Upgrade Tips

Netbox Upgrade with Plugins

I found this great video on how to perform a Netbox Upgrade when you have Plugins

Netbox Upgrade Documentation

The netbox documentation can be found below

https://netbox.readthedocs.io/en/stable

The specific page for upgrading netbox is below

https://netbox.readthedocs.io/en/stable/installation/upgrading