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netdata_netdata/docs/netdata-agent/versions-and-platforms.md

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Netdata Agent Versions & Platforms

Netdata is evolving rapidly and new features are added at a constant pace. Therefore, we have a frequent release cadence to deliver all these features to use as soon as possible.

Netdata Agents are available in 2 versions:

Release Channel Release Frequency Support Policy & Features Support Duration Backwards Compatibility
Stable At most once per month, usually every 45 days Receiving bug fixes and security updates between releases Up to the 2nd stable release after them Previous configuration semantics and data are supported by newer releases
Nightly Every night at 00:00 UTC Latest pre-released features Up to the 2nd nightly release after them Configuration and data of unreleased features may change between nightly releases

"Support Duration" defines the time we consider the release as actively used by users in production systems, so that all features of Netdata should be working like the day they were released. However, after the latest release, previous releases stop receiving bug fixes and security updates. All users are advised to update to the latest release to get the latest bug fixes.

Binary Distribution Packages

Binary distribution packages are provided by Netdata, via CI integration, for the following platforms and architectures:

Platform Platform Versions Released Packages Architecture Format
Docker under Linux 19.03 and later x86_64, i386, ARMv7, AArch64, POWER8+ docker image
Static Builds - x86_64, ARMv6, ARMv7, AArch64, POWER8+ .gz.run
Alma Linux 8.x, 9.x x86_64, AArch64 RPM
Amazon Linux 2, 2023 x86_64, AArch64 RPM
Centos 7.x x86_64 RPM
Debian 10.x, 11.x, 12.x x86_64, i386, ARMv7, AArch64 DEB
Fedora 37, 38, 39 x86_64, AArch64 RPM
OpenSUSE Leap 15.4, Leap 15.5, Tumbleweed x86_64, AArch64 RPM
Oracle Linux 8.x, 9.x x86_64, AArch64 RPM
Redhat Enterprise Linux 7.x x86_64 RPM
Redhat Enterprise Linux 8.x, 9.x x86_64, AArch64 RPM
Ubuntu 20.04, 22.04, 23.10 x86_64, i386, ARMv7, AArch64 DEB

IMPORTANT: Linux distributions frequently provide binary packages of Netdata. However, the packages you will find in the distributions' repositories may be outdated, incomplete, missing significant features or completely broken. We recommend using the packages we provide.

Third-party Supported Binary Packages

The following distributions always provide the latest stable version of Netdata:

Platform Platform Versions Released Packages Architecture
Arch Linux Latest All the Arch supported architectures
MacOS Brew Latest All the Brew supported architectures

Builds from Source

We guarantee Netdata builds from source for the platforms we provide automated binary packages. These platforms are automatically checked via our CI, and fixes are always applied to allow merging new code into the nightly versions.

The following builds from source should usually work, although we don't regularly monitor if there are issues:

Platform Platform Versions
Linux Distributions Latest unreleased versions
FreeBSD and derivatives 14-STABLE
Gentoo and derivatives Latest
Arch Linux and derivatives latest from AUR
MacOS 13, 14, 15
Linux under Microsoft Windows (WSL) Latest

Static Builds and Unsupported Linux Versions

Netdata's static builds can run on any Linux platform with supported architecture, requiring only a functioning Linux kernel of any version. These self-contained packages include everything Netdata needs to operate effectively.

Limitations of Static Builds

Static builds lack certain features that require specific operating system support, including:

  • IPMI hardware sensors monitoring
  • systemd-journal functionality
  • eBPF-related capabilities

Impact of Platform End-of-Life (EOL)

Important: When a platform is removed from the Binary Distribution Packages list:

  • No automatic transitions occur - Existing native package installations will remain as-is.
  • Your local updater will report the Agent as up-to-date even when newer versions exist.
  • When a new Netdata version is published, you'll see "Nodes are below the recommended Agent version" warnings in the Netdata Cloud UI.
  • You will stop receiving new features, improvements, and security updates.

We strongly recommend upgrading your operating system before it reaches EOL to maintain full Netdata functionality and continued updates.

Migrating from Native Package to Static Build

If upgrading your operating system isn't possible, you can manually switch to a static build. Please note that this process is not officially supported and may result in data loss. However, following these steps should preserve your metrics data and Netdata Cloud connection:

  1. Stop the Netdata Agent using the appropriate method for your platform.

  2. Back up your Netdata configuration and data: /etc/netdata, /var/cache/netdata, /var/lib/netdata, /var/log/netdata.

  3. Uninstall the native package (confirm all prompts with "yes").

    wget -O /tmp/netdata-kickstart.sh https://get.netdata.cloud/kickstart.sh && sh /tmp/netdata-kickstart.sh --uninstall
    
  4. For systemd-based platforms, unmask the Netdata service:

    sudo systemctl unmask netdata
    sudo systemctl daemon-reload
    
  5. Install the static build:

    # For nightly builds
    sh /tmp/netdata-kickstart.sh --static-only --dont-start-it
    
    # For stable release builds
    sh /tmp/netdata-kickstart.sh --static-only --dont-start-it --stable-channel
    
  6. Restore your data from the previous installation:

    # Install rsync if needed (example for Debian/Ubuntu)
    # sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y rsync
    # For RHEL/CentOS/Fedora
    # sudo yum install -y rsync
    
    cd /opt/netdata
    sudo rsync -aRv --delete \
               --exclude /etc/netdata/.install-type \
               --exclude /etc/netdata/.environment \
               /etc/netdata /var/lib/netdata /var/cache/netdata /var/log/netdata ./
    
  7. Start the Netdata Agent to complete the migration.