---
title: "How to Safely Update CloudPanel"
description: "The right way to update CloudPanel: take a consistent VPS snapshot first, then run the update command, then verify everything came back up clean."
date: 2026-02-26
categories: ["hosting"]
tags: ["cloudpanel","vps"]
---

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import imgCheck from "../../assets/images/wordpress/CloudPanel-check-version-1024x249.webp";
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import imgSnapshot from "../../assets/images/wordpress/take-snapshot-1024x229.webp";
import imgServices from "../../assets/images/wordpress/CloudPanel-Services-1024x534.webp";

CloudPanel updates have been safe in my experience. I haven't had one break anything. But updates can always go wrong, and a VPS snapshot takes 2 minutes. Do the snapshot. If you're running a production site with orders or live traffic, the snapshot is the thing between you and a bad day.

<YouTubeEmbed
  url="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8-YnNbl89V4"
  label="How to Safely Update CloudPanel"
/>

## Check if an update is available

Log into CloudPanel admin and look at the footer. If a new version is out, you'll see the current version and an "Update Available" notice:

<Picture src={imgCheck} alt="CloudPanel version check in admin footer" />

You can review what changed at the [CloudPanel Changelog](https://www.cloudpanel.io/docs/v2/changelog/).

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## Wait before updating

Unless a bug is actively hurting you, wait 1-2 weeks after a release before updating production servers. Let others find the edge cases first. You can follow the [CloudPanel changelog](https://www.cloudpanel.io/docs/v2/changelog/) and the [CloudPanel forum](https://cloudpanel.forum/) to see if anyone reports problems with a new version.

## Step 1: Take a consistent snapshot

Stop your services first so the snapshot captures a clean state:

```bash
sudo service nginx stop
sudo service mysql stop
```

Power off the VPS from the Hetzner console:

<Picture src={imgPowerOff} alt="Hetzner VPS power off button" />

Go to **Snapshots → Take snapshot**:

<Picture src={imgSnapshot} alt="Hetzner take snapshot button" />

Power the server back on. You now have a restore point.

## Step 2: Run the CloudPanel update

SSH into the server and run:

```bash
clp-update
```

That's it — one command updates CloudPanel to the latest release.

## Step 3: Reboot

```bash
sudo service nginx stop
sudo service mysql stop
reboot
```

## Step 4: Verify

After reboot, check the CloudPanel admin → **Instance** tab. All services should show as running:

<Picture src={imgServices} alt="CloudPanel services status all running" />

Then open one of your sites in a browser and confirm it loads. Check the site error logs in CloudPanel if anything looks off.

If something went wrong and you need to roll back, restore the snapshot from Hetzner's console and your server will be back to its pre-update state.

## Also update the OS

While you're doing maintenance, update Ubuntu packages too:

```bash
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
```

CloudPanel currently supports Ubuntu 24.04, Ubuntu 22.04, Debian 12, and Debian 11. If you're still on Ubuntu 22.04, it will keep working, but new installs should use 24.04.

Don't run `do-release-upgrade` to switch Ubuntu versions on a live CloudPanel server. If you need to move to a newer OS, set up a fresh server and migrate your sites over.