Upgrade channels
Overview
Maintaining the latest version NGINX Plus, operating system (OS), and other software dependencies is a key feature offered by F5 NGINX as a Service for Azure (NGINXaaS). The Upgrade Channel is an upgrade path to which you can subscribe your NGINXaaS deployment to control the timing of software upgrades. The following channels are available:
| Channel | Description |
|---|---|
| preview | Selecting this channel automatically upgrades your deployment to the latest supported version of NGINX Plus and its dependencies soon after they become available. We recommend using this setting to try out new capabilities in deployments running in your development, testing, and staging environments. |
| stable | A deployment running on this channel will receive updates on NGINX Plus and its dependencies at a slower rate than the Preview channel. We recommend using this setting for production deployments where you might want stable features instead of the latest ones. This is the default channel if you do not specify one for your deployment. |
Note:
All channels will receive continuous updates related to OS patches, and security fixes.
Availability of new features
NGINX Plus and related modules
| Channel | Availablity of NGINX Plus and related modules |
|---|---|
| preview | No sooner than 14 days of a new NGINX Plus release. |
| stable | No sooner than 45 days of a new NGINX Plus release. |
A new version of NGINX Plus and its related modules is first introduced to the preview channel, where it is goes through our acceptance testing. Once we have baked the software in the preview channel for a reasonable time, it is eventually graduated to the stable channel. The actual promotion timelines can vary, and you can view our Changelog for latest updates.
Changing the upgrade channel
To change the upgrade channel on your deployment using the Azure Portal:
- Select NGINX Upgrades in the left menu.
- Choose the desired Upgrade Channel from the dropdown menu.
- Click Submit.