Change to git branching for NetBox development

[jeremystretch]

To simplify NetBox development, we've decided to make some changes to the project's long-standing git branches. Prior to the v4.2.0 release, the project utilized three permanent branches:

• master - Always represents the current stable release
• develop - Any work intended for the next patch release of the current minor version
• feature - Feature work & breaking changes intended for the next minor release (e.g. v4.3)

We are replacing the develop branch with a new branch named main. This will serve as the project's default branch. Additionally, the master branch will no longer be used.

Beginning with the v4.2.0 release, only the following branches will be maintained long-term:

• main
• feature

All work on the current minor release will be performed in the main branch, and (as before) all feature work planned for the upcoming minor release will be performed in the feature branch. Please see issue #13366 for further discussion on this topic.

[click0]

What branch will the demo site be running on?
I use it to test translations.

[jeremystretch]

The demo instance will continue running the most recent stable release after being rebuilt each night.

[candlerb]

How will you maintain a system that uses a git checkout but wants to stay on the latest release code? Will you have to do "git fetch" followed by "git checkout vX.Y.Z" to select an explicit tagged version?

[jeremystretch]

That's correct. git describe --tags --abbrev=0 will return the most recent tag for the branch.

[candlerb]

Will it become safe to track main continuously - in particular, that any migrations will not be changed? Or will the rule still be that upgrades are only supported from tagged release to tagged release?

[jeremystretch]

The new main branch will essentially function the same as the current develop branch; it will always have the most recent accepted changes between releases. To ensure suitability for production, users should always check out a release tag. (Any potentially breaking database migrations typically go in the next minor release, in the feature branch.)

[LazevAnton]

[niask11]

You need to do git fetch --tags to update the tags as well.

git switch -c main will be correct?

[candlerb]

If you switch to the main branch then you're effectively on what was develop before. This means most of the time you will be part-way between releases, not on the latest release. I would suggest you are less likely to get any support if you report a problem with anything which is not a release, so this isn't a good idea unless you're prepared to pitch in with debugging it yourself.

[niask11]

@candlerb but if there's no master branch any more, how to update netbox by git? always use git fetch and then manually checkout for the latest release? This is the only way if I want to use stable releases only?

[candlerb]

if there's no master branch any more, how to update netbox by git?

Sigh: exactly as has already been said.

"git fetch --tags" updates all the remote tracking branches - so in your .git subdirectory you have a local copy of everything on the remote server (all commits, all branches, all tags).

"git checkout v4.2.0" then checks out that version in your local filesystem. Then you run ./upgrade.sh as usual. Job done.

The difference is that you have to know (or find) the name of the tag for the latest release. Jeremy gave the command to do that above.

The instructions have also been updated here.

[niask11]

@candlerb ok, now it's clear though I don't understand the idea to remove the release repository. Thanks for detailed explanations!

[LazevAnton]

[candlerb]

Sigh. This is the last time I will say it.

Do "git fetch --tags" followed by "git checkout v4.2.0" followed by "./upgrade.sh"

Do not do anything else. Do not do "git pull". Do not pass Go, and do not collect $200. Please see the official instructions here:
https://netboxlabs.com/docs/netbox/en/stable/installation/upgrading/#option-b-check-out-a-git-release

[LazevAnton]

[candlerb]

The owner of all those relations should be "netbox" (or whatever username the netbox application uses to connect to the database), not "postgres".

Possibly ALTER DATABASE netbox OWNER TO netbox; will fix it, or maybe you have to do it at the relation level.

[LazevAnton]

yeap you was wright. Thx a lot!

[candlerb]

Please don't delete questions after you've asked them. It removes all context from the answers, it makes it impossible for other people to make sense of the thread, and it is extremely rude.

[LazevAnton]

what i need to do with that after update?

[LazevAnton]

I get this error after trying to log in

[LazevAnton]

fixed #18313 (comment)
fix this globally in the next release please