Upgrade Moodle Docker

16 Sep 2024|2 minute read

I found out that upgrading moodle (running in a Docker container) is not as simple as doing docker pull image.

It requires some more steps, that are properly referenced in the Moodle’s documentation – version 4.4

Backing up Docker volumes

As always, backup everything before doing any kind of updates.

1. Start by stopping the relevant Docker containers

   docker stop moodle mariadb
   

2. Then, back up the Moodle volume (change according to your setup)

   docker run --rm -v ~/moodle-bak:/backups --volumes-from moodle busybox cp -a /bitnami/moodle /backups/latest
   

A quick commands explanation

• docker run: Launches a new Docker container.
• –rm: Automatically removes the container after completion of the task.
• -v ~/moodle-bak:/backups: Mounts the host directory ~/moodle-bak into the container at /backups, allowing file storage on your host.
• –volumes-from moodle: Grants the new container access to the volumes of the existing moodle container.
• busybox: Uses the lightweight BusyBox image, ideal for simple tasks.
• cp -a /bitnami/moodle /backups/latest: Copies the entire /bitnami/moodle directory (preserving file attributes) into /backups/latest on the container, which maps to ~/moodle-bak/latest on your host.

Upgrading Moodle

As per documented, upgrading to the latest moodle version requires the following steps.

1. Backup the existing Moodle folder
   Rename or move your current Moodle folder to a backup location (e.g., moodle-bak).

2. Download and Extract the latest Moodle package
   Obtain the latest moodle.tgz file from the official Moodle sources and extract it.

3. Restore critical files
   Copy essential configuration and custom files from your backup into the new Moodle directory:

   cp moodle-bak/config.php moodle
   cp -pr moodle.backup/theme/mytheme moodle/theme/mytheme
   cp -pr moodle.backup/mod/mymod moodle/mod/mymod
   

4. Set ownership and permissions
   Update the file ownership and permissions as recommended:

   chown -R root:root moodle
   chmod -R 755 moodle
   

   On Debian Linux, you might consider creating a dedicated user for Moodle rather than using the web server user (e.g., www-data).

5. Update Docker configuration
   In your new docker-compose file, replace the Docker volume with a bind mount that points to your Moodle directory on the host. This creates a persistent volume for the upgraded installation.

6. Restart your containers
   Finally, start your Docker Compose setup to bring up the upgraded Moodle instance.