Upgrading

ReArch follows a rolling update strategy. The Docker Compose files configure update policies that replace service replicas one at a time, with automatic rollback on failure.

Docker Swarm Update

To update all ReArch services to the latest version:

# Update each service individually
docker service update --image ghcr.io/rearch-engineer/rearch-frontend:latest rearch_frontend
docker service update --image ghcr.io/rearch-engineer/rearch-backend:latest rearch_backend
docker service update --image ghcr.io/rearch-engineer/rearch-mcp-proxy:latest rearch_mcp-proxy

Or redeploy the entire stack (this also picks up Docker Compose file changes):

docker stack deploy -c docker-compose-traefik.yml rearch

Note

Conversation containers are not affected by ReArch upgrades. Running containers continue to operate on their previously built images. Users will need to start new conversations to use any updated container templates.

Before Upgrading

1. Check the Changelog for breaking changes or migration steps.
2. Back up MongoDB — mongodump the rearch database.
3. Back up Keycloak — Export the realm or back up the PostgreSQL database.

Rollback

If an update causes issues, Docker Swarm’s built-in rollback reverts to the previous image:

docker service rollback rearch_backend
docker service rollback rearch_frontend
docker service rollback rearch_mcp-proxy

Database Migrations

ReArch does not use a formal migration system. Schema changes are applied automatically by the backend on startup via Mongoose model definitions. In rare cases where a manual migration is needed, it will be documented in the changelog with specific instructions.