Service updates

In general, the services we provide are automatically updated when new patch versions are available. This is the case, for example, when Lizmap is upgraded from version 3.9.0 to 3.9.1. The same applies to QGIS, for example from 3.44.0 to 3.44.1, or to PostgreSQL, for example from 17.0 to 17.1.

However, upgrades to major or minor versions are not automatic. Depending on what these new versions provide, they may introduce significant changes that require modifications to your Lizmap themes, your JavaScript scripts for Lizmap, your QGIS projects, or even your PostGIS SQL functions.

This is why upgrading to these major and minor versions requires your approval.

In general, when updates are proposed, it means that a series of tests has been carried out to ensure compatibility with add-ons and with QGIS.

Requesting a version upgrade for Lizmap or QGIS

When a new version of Lizmap or QGIS is available, buttons appear in the Lizmap administration interface to request a version upgrade. This request is automatically recorded and notified to both our team and yourself, but it is not carried out immediately.

The update is usually performed fairly quickly by our team, on the same day or the following day, depending on any emergencies or unforeseen circumstances.

Lizmap or QGIS updates cause only a few seconds of service interruption.

The Lizmap update is irreversible. You will need to check and possibly adapt your themes and JS scripts. If your chosen subscription allows you to have several Lizmap instances, we recommend using one of them to test your themes, scripts and projects before switching all your Lizmap instances to the new version.

The QGIS update can potentially be reversed, but the interface does not allow you to request this. We consider that the latest QGIS LTR version is always more relevant than the previous one.

After a QGIS update, it is recommended to have projects generated with the same version of QGIS Desktop, and therefore to update them, for performance reasons. In the meantime, however, QGIS and Lizmap are able to correctly interpret projects from a previous version.

PostgreSQL version upgrade

Upgrading to a major PostgreSQL version, for example from 16 to 17, is always a time-consuming operation, because it requires going through a database migration process that can take more or less time depending on the volume of your data, the power of the hardware, and also the internal storage changes introduced by the new PostgreSQL version. This can take from 5 minutes to several hours.

It has also happened that a PostGIS version upgrade, for example from version 2 to version 3, required changes to stored procedures or SQL queries, such as deprecated functions being removed, which requires intervention on your part.

Indeed, we do not modify the content of your databases unless you ask us to do so as part of a paid service.

This is why a PostgreSQL version upgrade is generally an operation that we perform only on request, or when changing subscription plan.

However, we may perform the version upgrade on our own initiative when the version in use is no longer maintained by the PostgreSQL developers or is too old, and only if our migration tools do not detect any issue in the content of your database or any required changes that would need intervention on your part.

In all cases, we will notify you and decide on an intervention date with you.

Version upgrade for other services

Regarding the other services we provide, such as QFieldCloud or Superset, patch version upgrades are also transparent for you. However, for major version upgrades, we decide on an intervention date with you. As with Lizmap or PostgreSQL, these version upgrades may cause service interruptions lasting several minutes, and may also require changes for which intervention on your part is necessary, for example on your data or projects.

System component updates

Updates to the operating system and system services that run your applications are carried out transparently and regularly in order to keep the service stable and secure. You do not need to worry about them.

These updates may cause service interruptions, ranging from a few microseconds to less than 10 minutes for the largest updates. However, they are always carried out at times when activity on our services is at its lowest, generally in the evening. This should not have too much impact on your users.

If, despite this, these service interruptions are critical for you, even in the middle of the night, despite the fact that our contracts do not specify high availability for our services, please contact our sales department to see what solution we can offer you.