Upgrading ScyllaDB clusters

Upgrading ScyllaDB clusters¶

Upgrading your ScyllaDB cluster to a newer version is automated by Scylla Operator and performed without any downtime. It is as simple as updating the ScyllaDB image reference in your ScyllaDB cluster specification.

Warning

ScyllaDB version upgrades must be performed consecutively, meaning you must not skip any major or minor version on the upgrade path. Before upgrading to the next version, ensure the entire ScyllaDB cluster has been successfully upgraded. For details, refer to the Upgrade procedure in ScyllaDB’s documentation.

Caution

Before upgrading ScyllaDB, ensure the target version is supported by the version of Scylla Operator you are using. Refer to the support matrix for information on version compatibility.

Upgrade via GitOps (kubectl)¶

To upgrade your ScyllaDB cluster using GitOps (kubectl), adjust the ScyllaDB image tag/reference to the target one in your ScyllaDB cluster specification and re-apply the manifest.

apiVersion: scylla.scylladb.com/v1
kind: ScyllaCluster
metadata:
  name: scylladb
spec:
  version: 2025.3.3 # Specify the target ScyllaDB image tag.
  # ...

After reapplying the manifest, wait for your ScyllaCluster to roll out.

kubectl wait --for='condition=Progressing=False' scyllacluster.scylla.scylladb.com/scylladb
kubectl wait --for='condition=Degraded=False' scyllacluster.scylla.scylladb.com/scylladb
kubectl wait --for='condition=Available=True' scyllacluster.scylla.scylladb.com/scylladb

apiVersion: scylla.scylladb.com/v1alpha1
kind: ScyllaDBCluster
metadata:
  name: dev-cluster
spec:
  scyllaDB:
    image: docker.io/scylladb/scylla:2025.3.3 # Specify the target ScyllaDB image reference.
  # ...

After reapplying the manifest, wait for your ScyllaDBCluster to roll out.

kubectl --context=${CONTROL_PLANE_CONTEXT} wait --for='condition=Progressing=False' scylladbcluster.scylla.scylladb.com/dev-cluster
kubectl --context=${CONTROL_PLANE_CONTEXT} wait --for='condition=Degraded=False' scylladbcluster.scylla.scylladb.com/dev-cluster
kubectl --context=${CONTROL_PLANE_CONTEXT} wait --for='condition=Available=True' scylladbcluster.scylla.scylladb.com/dev-cluster

Upgrade via Helm¶

Important

Scylla Operator does not yet support Helm installation path for managed multi-datacenter ScyllaDB clusters.

To upgrade your ScyllaDB cluster using Helm, upgrade your Helm release with the target ScyllaDB image tag/reference.

helm upgrade scylla scylla/scylla --reuse-values --set=scyllaImage.tag=2025.3.3

After upgrading the release, wait for your ScyllaCluster to roll out.

kubectl wait --for='condition=Progressing=False' scyllacluster.scylla.scylladb.com/scylladb
kubectl wait --for='condition=Degraded=False' scyllacluster.scylla.scylladb.com/scylladb
kubectl wait --for='condition=Available=True' scyllacluster.scylla.scylladb.com/scylladb

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