This guide covers the upgrade process for Stable nodes, including upgrade procedures and rollback strategies.
For complete version history and upgrade details, see Version History.
Upgrade types
Soft upgrades (non-breaking)
- Can be performed at any time
- Backward compatible
Hard upgrades (breaking)
- Requires upgrade at specific height
- Not backward compatible
Emergency upgrades
- Critical security fixes
- Immediate action required
- May require chain halt
Standard upgrade procedure
Step 1: preparation
# Check current version
stabled version --long
# Backup critical data
cp -r ~/.stabled/config ~/stable-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d)/
# For validators only: Backup validator state
cp ~/.stabled/data/priv_validator_state.json ~/stable-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d)/
# Check disk space (need 2x current data size)
df -h ~/.stabled
Step 2: download new binary
# For v1.2.0-rc1 upgrade (January 22, 2026)
# Choose your architecture:
# Linux AMD64
BINARY_URL="https://stable-data-dist.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/testnet/binary/stabled-1.2.0-rc1-linux-amd64-testnet.tar.gz"
# OR Linux ARM64
BINARY_URL="https://stable-data-dist.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/testnet/binary/stabled-1.2.0-rc1-linux-arm64-testnet.tar.gz"
# Download new binary
wget $BINARY_URL
# Extract to temporary location
tar -xvzf stabled-1.2.0-rc1-linux-*.tar.gz -C /tmp/
# Verify new version
/tmp/stabled version --long
For soft upgrades
# Stop node
sudo systemctl stop ${SERVICE_NAME}
# Backup current binary
sudo mv /usr/bin/stabled /usr/bin/stabled.backup
# Install new binary
sudo mv /tmp/stabled /usr/bin/stabled
sudo chmod +x /usr/bin/stabled
# Verify installation
stabled version --long
# Start node
sudo systemctl start ${SERVICE_NAME}
# Monitor logs
sudo journalctl -u ${SERVICE_NAME} -f
For hard upgrades
# Monitor for upgrade height
while true; do
HEIGHT=$(curl -s localhost:26657/status | jq -r '.result.sync_info.latest_block_height')
echo "Current height: $HEIGHT"
if [ $HEIGHT -ge $UPGRADE_HEIGHT ]; then
break
fi
sleep 10
done
# Node will halt automatically at upgrade height
# Wait for halt message in logs
sudo journalctl -u ${SERVICE_NAME} -f | grep "UPGRADE"
# Once halted, perform upgrade
sudo systemctl stop ${SERVICE_NAME}
sudo mv /usr/bin/stabled /usr/bin/stabled.backup
sudo mv /tmp/stabled /usr/bin/stabled
# Start with new binary
sudo systemctl start ${SERVICE_NAME}
Step 4: post-upgrade verification
# Check node status
curl -s localhost:26657/status | jq '.result'
# Verify version
curl -s localhost:26657/status | jq '.result.node_info.version'
# Check peers
curl -s localhost:26657/net_info | jq '.result.n_peers'
# Monitor sync status
watch -n 2 'curl -s localhost:26657/status | jq ".result.sync_info"'
# Check for errors
sudo journalctl -u ${SERVICE_NAME} --since "10 minutes ago" | grep -i error
Cosmovisor setup (automated upgrades)
Cosmovisor automates the upgrade process for coordinated upgrades.
Installation
# Install cosmovisor
go install cosmossdk.io/tools/cosmovisor/cmd/cosmovisor@latest
# Or download binary
wget https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/releases/download/cosmovisor%2Fv1.7.0/cosmovisor-v1.7.0-linux-amd64.tar.gz
tar -xzf cosmovisor-v1.7.0-linux-amd64.tar.gz
sudo mv cosmovisor /usr/bin/
Configuration
# Set environment variables
cat >> ~/.bashrc <<EOF
export DAEMON_NAME=stabled
export DAEMON_HOME=$HOME/.stabled
export DAEMON_RESTART_AFTER_UPGRADE=true
export DAEMON_ALLOW_DOWNLOAD_BINARIES=true
export UNSAFE_SKIP_BACKUP=false
EOF
source ~/.bashrc
# Create directory structure
mkdir -p $DAEMON_HOME/cosmovisor/genesis/bin
mkdir -p $DAEMON_HOME/cosmovisor/upgrades
# Copy current binary to genesis
cp /usr/bin/stabled $DAEMON_HOME/cosmovisor/genesis/bin/
# Create systemd service
sudo tee /etc/systemd/system/cosmovisor.service > /dev/null <<EOF
[Unit]
Description=Cosmovisor daemon
After=network-online.target
[Service]
Environment="DAEMON_NAME=stabled"
Environment="DAEMON_HOME=$HOME/.stabled"
Environment="DAEMON_RESTART_AFTER_UPGRADE=true"
Environment="DAEMON_ALLOW_DOWNLOAD_BINARIES=true"
User=$USER
ExecStart=/usr/bin/cosmovisor run start --chain-id stabletestnet_2201-1
Restart=always
RestartSec=3
LimitNOFILE=65535
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
EOF
# Enable and start
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable cosmovisor
sudo systemctl start cosmovisor
Upgrade with Cosmovisor
# For each upgrade, create directory (use the upgrade name from the proposal)
mkdir -p $DAEMON_HOME/cosmovisor/upgrades/v1.2.0-rc1/bin
# Place new binary
cp /path/to/new/stabled $DAEMON_HOME/cosmovisor/upgrades/v1.2.0-rc1/bin/
# Cosmovisor will automatically switch at upgrade height
Rollback
# Stop node
sudo systemctl stop ${SERVICE_NAME}
# Backup current state (in case needed)
cp -r ~/.stabled/data ~/.stabled/data.failed
# Restore from snapshot before upgrade
cd ~/.stabled
rm -rf data/
tar -I lz4 -xf ~/snapshots/pre-upgrade-snapshot.tar.lz4
# Restore previous binary
sudo mv /usr/bin/stabled.backup /usr/bin/stabled
# Start node
sudo systemctl start ${SERVICE_NAME}
Emergency procedures
# If chain halts unexpectedly
# 1. Check Discord for instructions
# 2. Export state at last known good height
stabled export --height <last_good_height> > export.json
# 3. Wait for coordinated restart instructions
Next steps
Last modified on April 23, 2026