When upgrading from 7.21.9 to 8.12, do I need to upgrade to each release?

[C-Robert.Kato]

I was tasked to Upgrade Bitbucket and we are currently on v7.29.9.  Do I need to upgrade to 7.29.10 or move straight to 7.29.16, or can I move straight to version 8?  Once I'm in version 8, will I need to go to v8.0.1 or move to v8.0.5 before proceeding to 8.1?  

[Luiz Elias]

Hi @C-Robert.Kato ,  welcome to the Community! It is nice to have you here!

You can move straight to the latest version, 8.13, from your current 7.21.9.

However, there are a few prerequisites.

1. Version 8 is not supported on Windows.
2. Please check if your installed plugins are supported (if you have any installed)
3. Please check the installed version for:
   1. Java
   2. Git
   3. Database

You can find more information about the supported versions here: Bitbucket 8.13 - Supported Platforms. 

Upgrade Process:

The Bitbucket upgrade is a standard process and needs to be well-planned & executed as advised in the Bitbucket server upgrade guide document. This document details the backup strategy, rollback, and upgrade steps.

As highlighted in the document, it is essential to emphasise the importance of the two points for the Bitbucket upgrade.

• Data integrity is essential for Bitbucket applications. The <BITBUCKET-HOME> file system should always be in sync with the Database. Therefore, during the backup step, please shut down the Bitbucket application(to remove all active DB connections) and back up both the <BITBUCKET-HOME> directory & the DB. This is a very critical milestone. In the event of any rollback, we can use this backup to restore the application without any data integrity issues.
• Always test the upgrade on a staging instance before performing it in production. In case you run into any issues during the upgrade in the staging instance, you can reach out to us and get it clarified, thereby avoiding problems such as while upgrading the Production instance.

Sample upgrade steps:

Please look at the steps below on how to perform the upgrade. Just to let you know, this is just a general guideline.

For official upgrade guidelines, please refer to the Bitbucket server upgrade guide.

1. Shut down the Bitbucket application and make sure there are no Active connections in the DB.
2. Back up the <BITBUCKET-HOME> directory and the DB. At this point, both the home directory & DB will be in sync and can be used for rollback if required.
3. Upgrade Git to the latest supported version.
4. (Optional Step - but recommended) Upgrade Java to the latest and the Database to any of the latest Supported Versions.
5. Download the Bitbucket v8.13 installer from the Bitbucket server - Download Archives, execute the installer, and follow the instructions to complete the upgrade.
6. Start the Bitbucket application and perform a sanity check.

Best Regards,

Luiz | Atlassian