> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.release.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.release.com/guides-and-examples/advanced-guides/upgrade-a-cluster.md).

# Upgrade a cluster

You can upgrade the version of Kubernetes that runs your clusters directly from your Release control panel. Note that this will put your cluster into maintenance mode for 30-60 minutes. Downtime is not expected, but you should not perform upgrades during critical or peak hours.

## Steps

1. From **Configuration**, navigate to **Clusters** and select the cluster you want to upgrade.

![](https://585411240-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-M1neGLLQ0sDXeK6ooSo%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-93460ab767e1c7031787699ccd1767dc88ee85a5%2Fupgrade-cluster-button.png?alt=media)

2. On the Cluster Info page, you can view the current version of the cluster. If an upgrade is available, you will see the **Upgrade Cluster** button under the **Actions** dropdown. Press **Upgrade**.

![](https://585411240-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-M1neGLLQ0sDXeK6ooSo%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-2702f8c3767aae7d2c6479b7b1430555408b6184%2Fupgrade-cluster-version.png?alt=media)

3. You'll see a confirmation dialog. Press **Confirm**.

![](https://585411240-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-M1neGLLQ0sDXeK6ooSo%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-8cef304542950ab46927a939f9eb018ad65a3812%2Fupgrade-cluster-confirm.png?alt=media)

4. Your cluster will go into maintenance mode and then automatically go back into "Running" once the upgrade is complete.

## Troubleshooting and notes

Note that you can only upgrade one version at a time. In order to upgrade, for example, from 1.19 to 1.21, you will first have to upgrade to 1.20.

While the cluster is in maintenance mode, you may not be able to perform deployments or builds in that cluster, but your services should continue running.

If the **Upgrade Cluster** button is grayed out, it means we do not currently support an automatic upgrade path from your current cluster version. In this case, you can continue using your current version or reach out to us to help you upgrade your cluster.

For AWS clusters, we support AWS EKS versions as closely as possible. You can read more about the supported versions and end-of-life dates [on AWS](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/eks/latest/userguide/kubernetes-versions.html).

If your cluster stays in maintenance mode for more than one hour or shows any unexpected errors, please contact Release support.

{% hint style="info" %}
Note that users with "member" permissions cannot perform cluster upgrades. They will not see the **Upgrade Cluster** button and will need to ask a user with "owner" permissions to perform the upgrade instead.
{% endhint %}


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