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The update command updates your oForum installation to the latest release from GitHub.

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Usage

oforum update
The update command requires sudo privileges if oForum is installed system-wide (e.g., in /usr/local/bin).

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How It Works

The update command:
  1. Downloads install script - Fetches the latest installer from GitHub
  2. Checks privileges - Automatically uses sudo if not running as root
  3. Runs installer - Executes the install script to download and replace the binary
  4. Verifies installation - The new binary is placed in /usr/local/bin/oforum

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Update Mechanism

Under the hood, the update command runs: 
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/arcten/oforum/main/install.sh | sudo sh
The install script:
  • Detects your OS and architecture
  • Downloads the appropriate binary from GitHub releases
  • Replaces the existing /usr/local/bin/oforum binary
  • Sets executable permissions

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Privileges

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System Installation (Default)

If oForum is installed in /usr/local/bin/ (system-wide), you need sudo: 
oforum update
The command automatically prompts for your password: 
⟳ Updating oforum...

[sudo] password for user:

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User Installation

If you installed oForum in a user-writable location (e.g., ~/bin), no sudo is needed: 
oforum update
No password prompt appears.

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Output

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Successful Update

oforum update
Output: 
⟳ Updating oforum...

Downloading latest release...
Installing to /usr/local/bin/oforum
✓ Updated to v0.0.3

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Already on Latest Version

⟳ Updating oforum...

Current version: v0.0.2
Latest version: v0.0.2
Already up to date.

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Update Failed

⟳ Updating oforum...

✗ Update failed: curl: (6) Could not resolve host: github.com

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Verification

After updating, verify the new version: 
oforum version
Output: 
oforum v0.0.3
Run 'oforum update' to check for updates

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Safety

The update process is designed to be safe:
  • Atomic replacement - Binary is downloaded fully before replacing the old one
  • Automatic backup - Most systems keep the old binary until reboot
  • No data loss - Only the binary is updated; database and configuration are unchanged
  • No downtime - Running servers continue until restarted
After updating, restart any running oForum servers to use the new version.

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Restart Server After Update

The update only replaces the binary. Restart the server to use the new version:

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Manual Restart

# Stop running server (Ctrl+C)
oforum serve

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Systemd

sudo systemctl restart oforum

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Docker

docker compose down
docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

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Rollback

If the update causes issues, you can roll back to a previous version:

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Manual Rollback

  1. Download specific version: 
    VERSION=v0.0.2
ARCH=$(uname -m)
OS=$(uname -s | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]')

curl -L "https://github.com/arcten/oforum/releases/download/${VERSION}/oforum_${OS}_${ARCH}" \
  -o oforum
chmod +x oforum
sudo mv oforum /usr/local/bin/
  2. Verify: 
    oforum version

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Troubleshooting

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Permission Denied

Error: 
✗ Update failed: Permission denied
Solution: The command should automatically use sudo, but if it doesn’t: 
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/arcten/oforum/main/install.sh | sudo sh

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Network Error

Error: 
✗ Update failed: Could not resolve host: github.com
Solution: Check internet connection and try again: 
ping github.com
oforum update

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Binary Not Found After Update

Error: 
oforum version
bash: oforum: command not found
Solution: The binary may have been installed to a different location. Find it: 
find /usr -name oforum 2>/dev/null
Then move it to /usr/local/bin: 
sudo mv /path/to/oforum /usr/local/bin/

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Update Hangs

If the update appears stuck:
  1. Press Ctrl+C to cancel
  2. Check GitHub status: https://www.githubstatus.com/
  3. Try again later or install manually

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Manual Installation

If automatic updates don’t work, install manually: 
# Download latest release
curl -L "https://github.com/arcten/oforum/releases/latest/download/oforum_linux_amd64" \
  -o oforum

# Make executable
chmod +x oforum

# Move to PATH
sudo mv oforum /usr/local/bin/

# Verify
oforum version
See Installation for detailed instructions.

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Automatic Updates

For production deployments, consider automating updates:

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Cron Job

Check for updates weekly: 
# Edit crontab
crontab -e

# Add line (runs Sundays at 3 AM)
0 3 * * 0 /usr/local/bin/oforum update && systemctl restart oforum

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Systemd Timer

Create /etc/systemd/system/oforum-update.timer: 
[Unit]
Description=oForum Update Check

[Timer]
OnCalendar=weekly
Persistent=true

[Install]
WantedBy=timers.target
Create /etc/systemd/system/oforum-update.service: 
[Unit]
Description=Update oForum

[Service]
Type=oneshot
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/oforum update
ExecStartPost=/bin/systemctl restart oforum.service
Enable: 
sudo systemctl enable --now oforum-update.timer
Automatic updates can introduce breaking changes. Always test updates in staging first.

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Checking for Updates

Before updating, check what’s new: 
# Check current version
oforum version

# Check latest release
curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/arcten/oforum/releases/latest | \
  grep '"tag_name"' | cut -d'"' -f4

# View release notes
curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/arcten/oforum/releases/latest | \
  grep '"body"'
Or visit: https://github.com/arcten/oforum/releases
  • version - Check installed version
  • serve - Start server (restart after updating)

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