Vultr DocsLatest Articles

How to Upgrade the Cluster Version for Vultr Kubernetes Engine Cluster

Updated on December 9, 2024

Upgrading a Vultr Kubernetes Engine (VKE) cluster version involves updating both the control plane and worker nodes to a newer Kubernetes version. This ensures that your cluster benefits from the latest features, improvements, and security patches. Vultr Kubernetes Engine simplifies the upgrade process, allowing you to maintain your VKE cluster’s efficiency and compatibility with new Kubernetes releases.

Follow this guide to upgrade your VKE cluster version on your Vultr account using the Vultr Customer Portal, API, or CLI.

  • Vultr Customer Portal
  • Vultr API
  • Vultr CLI

  1. Navigate to Products and click Kubernetes.

  2. Click your target VKE cluster to open its management page.

  3. Click Manage Upgrades.

    Button to open the cluster upgrades page

  4. If any upgrades are available for the VKE cluster, they will be displayed on the left side with an Start Upgrade button.

  5. Click Start Upgrade, the upgrade procedure may take a few minutes.

    Button to start a cluster upgrade

  1. Send a GET request to the List Kubernetes Clusters endpoint and note the target VKE cluster's ID.

    console 
    $ curl -X GET "https://api.vultr.com/v2/kubernetes/clusters" \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer ${VULTR_API_KEY}" \
    -H "Content-Type: application/json"

  2. Send a GET request to the Kubernetes Available Upgrades endpoint to list all the available upgrades.

    console 
    $ curl "https://api.vultr.com/v2/kubernetes/clusters/<cluster-id>/available-upgrades" \
    -X GET \                                   
    -H "Authorization: Bearer ${VULTR_API_KEY}

  3. Send a POST request to the Start Kubernetes Cluster Upgrade endpoint to start the VKE cluster upgrade.

    console 
    $ curl "https://api.vultr.com/v2/kubernetes/clusters/afba2c99-7d3e-4dc3-95a5-1c8ff9627b4f/upgrades" \
    -X POST \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer ${VULTR_API_KEY}" \
    -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
    --data '{
        "upgrade_version" : "v1.30.0+1"
    }'

  1. List the available VKE clusters in your Vultr account and note the target VKE cluster's ID.

    console 
    $ vultr-cli kubernetes list --summarize

  2. List all the available upgrades for the target VKE cluster.

    console 
    $ vultr-cli kubernetes upgrades list <cluster-id>

  3. Start the upgrade procedure for the target VKE cluster.

    console 
    $ vultr-cli kubernetes upgrades start <cluster-id> --version v1.30.0+1