nimbus-eth2/docs/the_nimbus_book/src/keep-updated.md

# Upgrade / downgrade Nimbus

Make sure you stay on the lookout for any critical updates to Nimbus. This best way to do so is through the **announcements** channel on our [discord](https://discord.com/invite/XRxWahP). The release page can be found [here](https://github.com/status-im/nimbus-eth2/releases/).

!!! note
    If your beacon node is already running, you'll need to restart it for the changes to take effect.

To update to the latest version, either download the binary or compile the beacon node release (see below).

!!! tip
    To check which version of Nimbus you're currently running, run `build/nimbus_beacon_node --version`

## Binaries

Open the latest [Nimbus release](https://github.com/status-im/nimbus-eth2/releases/latest) and download the file that corresponds to your operation system and machine.

Once downloaded, unpack the binaries in the same folder as your current version, overwriting the existing files.

```sh
wget <insert download link here>
tar -xzf nimbus-eth2_Linux_arm64v8*.tar.gz --strip-components 1 -C nimbus-eth2
rm nimbus-eth2_Linux_arm64v8*.tar.gz
```

## Build from source

Upgrading Nimbus when built from source is similar to the installation process.

Run:

```sh
# Download the updated source code
git pull && make update
```

Followed by:

```sh
make -j4 nimbus_beacon_node
```

Now, restart your node.

!!! tip
    In order to minimise downtime, we recommend updating and [rebuilding](./build.md) the beacon node **before restarting**.

## Urgency guidelines

As of `v1.4.0`, releases are marked with the following tags:

`low-urgency`: update at your own convenience, sometime within our normal update cycle of two weeks

`medium-urgency`: may contain an important stability fix, it is better to update sooner rather than later

`high-urgency`: update as soon as you can, this is a critical update required for Nimbus to function correctly


## Install a specific version

*Occassionally you may need to either upgrade or downgrade to a specific version of Nimbus.*

To pull a specific version of Nimbus (e.g. `v1.3.0`), run:
```sh
git checkout v1.3.0 && make update
```

Followed by:

```sh
make nimbus_beacon_node
```

Now, restart your node.

!!! note
    Alternatively, you can grab the appropriate binary release - create a backup of your `build` folder, then download the appropriate binary from here: [https://github.com/status-im/nimbus-eth2/releases/tag/v1.3.0](https://github.com/status-im/nimbus-eth2/releases/tag/v1.3.0)

### Go back to stable

If you need to go back to the latest (stable) version, run:
```sh
git checkout stable &&  make update
```

Followed by

```sh
make nimbus_beacon_node
```

Don't forget to restart your node.