HF PanelDocsv1.0.0

Compatibility

The operating systems HF Panel runs on and until when, the supported upgrade paths, what an update keeps, and how to go back.

Which systems HF Panel runs on, which updates are supported, what an update keeps and how to go back to the version you had. For what a version number means, see Release policy.

Supported operating systems

HF Panel installs on these 64-bit releases (amd64 or arm64). The installer stops on any other system with "HF Panel needs Ubuntu 22.04, 24.04 or 26.04 LTS, or Debian 12 or 13".

System Its maker's security updates end HF Panel
Ubuntu 22.04 LTS April 2027 (standard support) supported
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS April 2029 (standard support) supported
Ubuntu 26.04 LTS April 2031 (standard support) supported
Debian 12 June 2028 (Debian LTS; regular security support ended June 2026) supported
Debian 13 around August 2028 (regular), June 2030 (Debian LTS) supported

The dates are the operating systems' own and can change; check Canonical's and Debian's pages. HF Panel supports a system for as long as its maker publishes security updates for it. Plan to move a server off a system before that date: a server without the operating system's security updates is not safe to run, whatever HF Panel does.

Interim Ubuntu releases (for example 26.10) are not supported. See System requirements for the hardware, the network and what the installer checks.

Upgrade paths

From To How
any 1.x release any newer release in one step: HF Panel updates, or the install command again (Updating). You don't need to install the releases in between
a release before 1.0.0 1.0.0 or newer in one step; the update runs the installer again with your saved settings and moves the panels and HF Mail from PHP to one program (Updating to 1.0.0)
a newer release an older release not supported: the update refuses ("This server already has HF Panel …, newer than … — nothing to do")
one operating system release the next (for example Ubuntu 22.04 to 24.04) not tested in place: set up a new server and move the accounts

With more than one server, update the main server first. A main server refuses to move accounts to a server that runs an older version.

What an update keeps

Kept Replaced
Every setting (/etc/hostfog/config.json and the rest of /etc/hostfog) the program files in /usr/local/hostfog
The panel database (/var/lib/hostfog/hostfog.sqlite), upgraded in place the panel's and HF Mail's interface files
Accounts, websites and their files, email, databases, DNS zones and backups the server agent and its commands
Sign-in sessions the web server settings of every website, written again from the panel's data
The server key that protects backup destination passwords (/etc/hostfog/secrets.key)
The default PHP version for websites, and every other PHP version
Your edits to service configuration files (packages keep edited files)

The update checks the new program first: if it can't run on the server, the update stops before anything changes. While the files are replaced, the previous copy is kept until the end, so a failed update leaves a complete old copy in /usr/local/hostfog/*.old. Running the update again on an up-to-date server changes nothing.

Going back (rollback)

An update can't be undone by installing the older release: the update refuses an older version, and an older version cannot read a database a newer one has upgraded. Setting HOSTFOG_ALLOW_DOWNGRADE=1 forces it, but does not undo the database changes.

The supported way back is a snapshot:

  1. Before an update, make a copy of the panel's data (hf-panel panel-backup) and take a snapshot of the server at your provider while it is quiet.
  2. If the new release causes a problem, restore the snapshot from your provider's console, then run hf-panel health and sign in.

Everything that changed between the snapshot and the rollback is lost (new accounts, new email, changed websites), so keep the time between the two short and update the least busy server first.

To undo one thing rather than the whole server:

What How
The panel database hf-panel panel-backups, then hf-panel panel-restore <name>
A service configuration file edited in the panel Server Admin › System › Config files › History
A customer's files, databases or email the customer's own backups (Control Panel › Files › Backups)