How To Update Shopware 6 Through Shell

In the following article, we shed light on how to upgrade your Shopware 6 website to the latest version through the shell. Please, pay heed to the fact that every Shopware update falls within the ambit of experienced specialists already familiar with the challenge. If you already have such skills or want to gain them within the test environment, you’ve come to the right place. Below, we shed light upon the key prerequisites necessary for every update. You will learn to secure your Shopware 6 update and maintain the extension compatibility. After that, we proceed to the upgrade procedure in the shell. It consists of the following steps: unzip the update and provide it to the system, execute and complete the update, flush caches, validate changes, and update the extensions. So, let’s run through the preparations and see how to update Shopware 6 in the shell. You can find more materials about the platform in our Cookbook.  

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How To Secure Shopware 6 Update

The most important security rule for every update, no matter you apply it in the shell, browser, or administration, is that you need to backup your e-commerce website. It will help you easily restore your Shopware 6 installation if something goes wrong during the upgrade process.

However, Shopware does not create backups for you. You need to enable the backup creation on your server manually. Although a hosting partner is usually responsible for that, it is always good to contact them to figure out the nuances.

And as we’ve already mentioned, a test environment is another essential part of the update. Install the update there first to see how safe the process is and what improvements it brings. If something gets spoiled, it won’t affect your production website. We explain how to create a test environment in this guide: How To Create Test Environment For Shopware 6.

As for the system requirements, they may vary depending on the update. Check them before applying any changes. You can find the list of the latest system requirements here.

Maintain The Extension Compatibility

Another vital aspect of any update is related to third-party extensions. Check whether they are compatible with the version of your Shopware update. If not, upgrade or uninstall the insufficient modules. If you don’t do that, you may need to recover your e-commerce website from the backup due to the failed upgrade caused by incompatible plugins. So, how to maintain the extension compatibility in Shopware 6?

You need to check whether the modules are compatible with the update. Visit the Shopware Store, open the Auto-Updater in the admin, or proceed to your Shopware Account at Licenses to see this information. If their current versions don’t support the update, upgrade the extensions. If the latest module version is incompatible, contact the extension provider and discuss the issue.

How To Update Shopware 6 Through Shell

We need to emphasize that this tutorial is made for professionals already familiar with the shell. If you’ve never worked with the shell, try another way to update Shopware. 

Since the shell executes commands without further inquiry, you should use it only if you know what you’re doing! Even if you are familiar with the tool, don’t forget to create the backup and use your test environment first.

I: Get the update archive

You can get the update as follows: 

1. Find the correct Shopware version in the changelog;
   
   
2. Download the zip archive (update);
3. Unpack the update;
4. Copy all its files to your Shopware installation by FTP, overwriting the existing files.

At the same time, it is possible to upload and unzip the zip file through the hoster’s control panel. This approach tends to be faster.

II: Launch the update

Now, you need to use the shell to navigate to the main directory of your shop. You can run the update via the wizard or with a single command.

Update Shopware 6 via the wizard

Use the following command to launch the update wizard:

You will see the following welcome message when the updater starts:

Press ENTER to launch the update: the system will update the database, deleting old files and flushing the cache afterward.

If the update is successful, you need to remove the /update-assets directory to set the shop live again. Use the following command:

Next, remove the update.json file after the update. Use this command:

That’s it! Before going any further, let’s explore another approach.

Update Shopware with a single command

It is also possible to avoid the wizard when updating Shopware 6 through the shell. Use the following parameters:

• –quiet – execution in the background
• –no-interaction – no interaction

Also, you need to remove the /update-assets directory. You can add the corresponding command after the above parameters. In this case, the update command would look as follows:

III: Flush browser cache

You need to flush your browser cache to access the administration correctly. Please, delete your browser cache: cache and offline website data.

IV: Validate the update

Now, it is necessary to check whether your shop works correctly. Open its frontend and review the functionality. If any problems occur, do the following:

• Visit your Shopware Admin;
• Go to Settings -> System -> Cache & Indexes;
• Clear the caches there.

Also, it may be necessary to delete the /var/cache/prod_xxxxxxxxxxxx directory, where xxxxxxxxxxxx is the revision of your Shopware version.

V: Install the extension updates

The very final step of your Shopware 6 update in the browser is to check what extension upgrades are available. If you find any, initiate the process to complete the update of your e-commerce website.

Also, check how to update Shopware 6 in the browser and administration.

Shopware 6 Essentials FAQ

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