Add update checker management command and documentation by lvb05 · Pull Request #3127 · intelowlproject/IntelOwl

lvb05 · 2025-12-20T22:20:37Z

This PR adds a basic update check mechanism for IntelOwl.
It allows to verify whether the running instance is behind the latest published GitHub release.

Included changes

Added api_app/core/update_checker.py for version fetch + comparison logic
Added Django management command: check_updates
Added settings keys (UPDATE_CHECK_URL, version reuse via existing VERSION)
Updated README with usage + configuration notes

How to use

python manage.py check_updates

The command will:

fetch the latest GitHub release tag
normalize version strings
compare against the locally configured version
log whether a new version is available

No version upgrade happens automatically.
Fixes #2876

Notes

UPDATE_CHECK_URL is now environment configurable
local version comes from existing VERSION secret setting
no new dependencies added
cron / job scheduler usage referenced in docs if periodic checking is desired.

Checklist

v6.4.0

fgibertoni

Hey @lvb05 thanks for your contribution. Can you please compile the checklist in PR template ? It contains many important step to follow before asking for a review.

lvb05 · 2025-12-24T13:49:09Z

Hey @lvb05 thanks for your contribution. Can you please compile the checklist in PR template ? It contains many important step to follow before asking for a review.

I’ve added and completed the PR checklist in the description.
Please let me know if anything needs adjustment. Thanks!

fgibertoni · 2025-12-30T15:45:31Z

I can tell you've not read it carefully since your PR is pointing to the master branch.
Please read it carefully and adjust accordingly.

lvb05 · 2026-01-04T05:54:02Z

Hi @fgibertoni,
I’ve updated the PR to target the develop branch and fixed the formatting issues.
All checks are green for now.
Thanks for your time!

fgibertoni

Hey, thanks for your PR! Looking good overall 😃
Please address the pipeline for errors.

api_app/management/commands/check_updates.py

api_app/core/update_checker.py

fgibertoni

Looking good, thanks!
@mlodic for last check on expected results, otherwise we can merge this.

mlodic

can you please show an example output of this command? a screenshot

Also there's no cronjob here but only the management command even if we agreed on that in the issue. This won't be run by the normal user manually, we need something that runs automatically and notify the user.

Also, the cronjob would need to add a notification through the current notification system. In that way, the user would see that notification in the GUI at the top right as a message.

mlodic · 2026-01-09T07:24:17Z

README.md

 All info about installation, usage, configuration and contribution can be found [here](https://intelowlproject.github.io/docs/)

+
+### Update Checker


we cannot pollute the ReadMe with this content. Please remove this line and add this instead with a new PR in the Installation section: https://github.com/intelowlproject/docs/blob/main/docs/IntelOwl/installation.md

Thanks for highlighting this
I’ve restored the README to its original state. I’ll add the Update Checker documentation under the Installation section in the docs repository (as suggested) via a separate PR.

lvb05 · 2026-01-10T14:49:54Z

Hi, I’ve tested the check_updates management command in a local IntelOwl Docker setup. It was executed inside the intelowl_uwsgi container.

lvb05 · 2026-01-10T15:05:17Z

For this PR, I kept the update checker as a management command only, mainly to introduce and validate the core logic first.
This shouldn’t be something users run manually. The next step would be to run it automatically (via cron or Celery beat) and send a notification through the existing GUI notification system.
Since that involves scheduler decisions and tighter integration with notifications, I think its better with a follow-up PR. Happy to implement that next if thats fine?

mlodic · 2026-01-10T17:13:42Z

We won't merge this PR with these changes only because they are actually incomplete work, by themselves they don't help solving the issue.

So we can merge to the project only an implementation that contain all the necessary changes

lvb05 · 2026-01-10T18:45:38Z

Before implementing the automatic update check, I want to confirm some things.
Should the “update available” notification be treated as a global/admin-level state or something user/org-specific, and should it be persistent until upgrade or just informational when detected? From an integration point of view, should this reuse the existing user_events_manager, or be handled as a separate system-level notification? Finally, for scheduling and delivery, is Celery beat the preferred mechanism(IntelOwl already use this), and is a GUI notification expected, or is a log/admin-level message sufficient?

mlodic · 2026-01-11T08:24:28Z

the “update available” notification should be treated as a global/admin-level and persistent until upgrade
It would be great to reuse the user_events_manager to simplify the integration. If this makes impossible to treat the notification ad global (so contradicts the previous point), I don't think it is a problem, it is better to re-use the actual flow than creating complete new integrations for just this case.
Celery beat is good - A GUI notification would be great. However when you say log/admin level message, what do you mean? Cause that could be an option in case you have a good idea

lvb05 · 2026-01-12T07:43:54Z

By log/admin-level message, I mean a complementary signal, not a replacement for the GUI.
The idea would be to always surface the update via a persistent GUI notification, but also log it at INFO/WARNING level when detected. This is useful for headless/API-only deployments and for operational observability (logs/alerts), and also acts as a safe fallback if the GUI event creation fails.
I was thinking to implement the GUI notification as the primary mechanism and adding a structured log message alongside it.

mlodic · 2026-01-12T10:05:50Z

I was thinking to implement the GUI notification as the primary mechanism and adding a structured log message alongside it.

Fine with this, thanks!

lvb05 · 2026-01-16T11:03:25Z

Summary of current status

This PR adds a persistent backend state for update checks and refactors the logic to be idempotent and admin/global scoped.
A Celery task is implemented to allow running the update check asynchronously, but it is not scheduled yet.
GUI notification rendering and Celery Beat scheduling are intentionally deferred, pending confirmation on UX and scheduling expectations.

Once aligned, I’ll add GUI integration, periodic scheduling, and documentation in a follow-up PR.
The full backend logic is implemented.
What remains is how and when it should be executed automatically.

mlodic · 2026-01-30T07:32:11Z

I'll review as soon as I can

mlodic · 2026-01-30T17:24:14Z

there are still conflicts and, as mentioned, this requires GUI changes otherwise it won't make a lot of sense adding this as a feature

lvb05 · 2026-01-31T07:53:04Z

there are still conflicts and, as mentioned, this requires GUI changes otherwise it won't make a lot of sense adding this as a feature

Yep I'll add a frontend system update panel and an API endpoint '/system/update-check/ ' to expose update status. Let me know if you’d like any specific fields or UI adjustments.
Thanks

lvb05 · 2026-02-02T11:02:32Z

Hi!
All CI checks are passing now. I’ve addressed the requested changes.
I will open a separate PR for documentation updates.
Let me know if any further adjustments are needed.

mlodic

we need a showcase about how this actually works to be able to merge this, otherwise we don't know the outcome

mlodic · 2026-02-03T19:19:45Z

api_app/models.py

 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)


+# UpdateCheckStatus (replace the existing class in api_app/models.py)


I don't understand this comment, can you please explain?

mlodic · 2026-02-03T19:19:55Z

api_app/models.py

 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)


+class UpdateCheckStatus(models.Model):


this has not been addressed

mlodic · 2026-02-03T19:21:30Z

frontend/src/components/common/SystemUpdatePanel.jsx

+      </div>
+
+      {data.update_available ? (
+        <div style={styles.updateBox}>A new system update is available!</div>


please show GUI screenshots/video fpr both cases

lvb05 · 2026-02-06T15:02:21Z

Hi!
I’ve attached

Authenticated API responses for both cases (update available / system up to date)
Dashboard screenshots showing the UI behavior in both scenarios

The update checker persists its state via the UpdateCheckStatus model (added in migration 0072_update_check_system.py).
Plus, I already added the migrations for that in 0072 in that pr.

Proof-

mlodic · 2026-02-06T16:29:16Z

thanks for showcasing it, it really helps. The change is fine, just one thing: I think this should be shown in the Home page, just before the "IntelOWl News" section and, in case we have the most recent version, it should not render anything because it would uselessly clutter the page.
In this way the user would get the message in the Home without cluttering the Dashboards. Thoughts?

lvb05 · 2026-02-06T17:06:08Z

thanks for showcasing it, it really helps. The change is fine, just one thing: I think this should be shown in the Home page, just before the "IntelOWl News" section and, in case we have the most recent version, it should not render anything because it would uselessly clutter the page. In this way the user would get the message in the Home without cluttering the Dashboards. Thoughts?

That makes sense. To keep things simple and avoid duplication, I can move the entire System Updates component to the Home page and render it only when an update is available.
This way, the Home page stays clean when the system is up to date, and we don’t need separate “summary” and “detail” components. I can implement this.

lvb05 · 2026-02-06T20:45:01Z

Hi! Done with all the refinements. Check once @mlodic @fgibertoni

mlodic · 2026-02-07T13:15:44Z

that's nice, thanks

lvb05 · 2026-02-08T05:09:02Z

Thanks for the merge! @mlodic @fgibertoni
I also wanted to check if you’re okay with me opening a separate PR to update the documentation related to this change. Please let me know if there’s anything specific you’d like covered there.

mlodic · 2026-02-08T15:32:04Z

feel free to open a PR about it

…ect#3127) * Add update checker management command, settings, and docs * Format update checker with black and branch update * Fix linting issues and improve update checker command output * Fix ruff linting issues * Restore README.md (remove update checker documentation) * Fix formatting in update checker management command * Add persistent update check status model * Fix trailing whitespace in UpdateCheckStatus docstring * Use persistent state for update checks and add Celery task * Add admin GUI notification for update availability and formatting * Add IntelOwl update check system with model, migration, scheduler and unit tests * style: fix import ordering per ruff * fix: apply black formatting on tasks.py * fix(update-checker): safe lazy imports and robust version handling * fix(update-checker): prevent duplicate notifications and improve version handling * Restore intel_owl/tasks.py to upstream version * Add automated update check system with celery task, model, command and tests * fix: use __latest__ for django_celery_beat migration dependency * Fix migration 0072: use literal 'days' instead of IntervalSchedule.DAYS in historical model * Fix update-check notifications to work correctly with transactions and tests * Fix update checker tests to use UserEventQuerySet notifications and immediate execution in testing * Apply Black formatting after rebase * Fix ruff formatting issue in commons settings * Fix ruff formatting * . * . * Add system update panel and API endpoint * Fix lint issues and adjust tests * Add system update panel UI and fix lint/format issues * Fix Prettier formatting for update checker components * correct formatting and comments * system update notification show up on Home * style change in notification --------- Co-authored-by: Daniele Rosetti <55402684+drosetti@users.noreply.github.com>

drosetti and others added 2 commits May 20, 2025 14:33

Merge pull request intelowlproject#2849 from intelowlproject/develop

987765d

v6.4.0

Add update checker management command, settings, and docs

067ab3a

fgibertoni reviewed Dec 23, 2025

View reviewed changes

lvb05 changed the base branch from master to develop December 31, 2025 11:43

Format update checker with black and branch update

618f293

fgibertoni requested changes Jan 5, 2026

View reviewed changes

api_app/management/commands/check_updates.py Outdated Show resolved Hide resolved

api_app/core/update_checker.py Outdated Show resolved Hide resolved

api_app/core/update_checker.py Outdated Show resolved Hide resolved

lvb05 added 2 commits January 8, 2026 23:27

Fix linting issues and improve update checker command output

eef5c15

Fix ruff linting issues

7c59a39

lvb05 requested a review from fgibertoni January 8, 2026 19:24

fgibertoni reviewed Jan 8, 2026

View reviewed changes

mlodic requested changes Jan 9, 2026

View reviewed changes

Restore README.md (remove update checker documentation)

47ac868

lvb05 requested review from fgibertoni and mlodic January 10, 2026 15:06

lvb05 added 5 commits January 12, 2026 15:59

Fix formatting in update checker management command

0b12155

Add persistent update check status model

f07a054

Fix trailing whitespace in UpdateCheckStatus docstring

21dd0e2

Use persistent state for update checks and add Celery task

14c37da

Add admin GUI notification for update availability and formatting

bfce6ca

lvb05 and others added 6 commits January 31, 2026 00:17

Merge branch 'develop' into feature/update-checker-2876

7e17a87

Apply Black formatting after rebase

bff38e5

Fix ruff formatting issue in commons settings

26f956b

Fix ruff formatting

c570770

.

6f43f7e

.

034ea13

lvb05 added 4 commits February 2, 2026 01:05

Add system update panel and API endpoint

9bc6ee1

Fix lint issues and adjust tests

81a1e98

Add system update panel UI and fix lint/format issues

09f9796

Fix Prettier formatting for update checker components

eae37cf

mlodic reviewed Feb 3, 2026

View reviewed changes

correct formatting and comments

a554277

lvb05 requested a review from mlodic February 6, 2026 16:08

lvb05 added 2 commits February 7, 2026 00:17

system update notification show up on Home

a8dec4f

style change in notification

c1364d1

mlodic approved these changes Feb 7, 2026

View reviewed changes

mlodic merged commit 2093b46 into intelowlproject:develop Feb 7, 2026
9 checks passed

lvb05 mentioned this pull request Feb 17, 2026

Add Update Checker documentation to Installation page intelowlproject/docs#52

Merged

2 tasks

		All info about installation, usage, configuration and contribution can be found [here](https://intelowlproject.github.io/docs/)


		### Update Checker

		logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)


		# UpdateCheckStatus (replace the existing class in api_app/models.py)

		logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)


		class UpdateCheckStatus(models.Model):

Uh oh!

Conversation

lvb05 commented Dec 20, 2025 • edited Loading Uh oh! There was an error while loading. Please reload this page.

Uh oh!

Included changes

How to use

Notes

Checklist

Uh oh!

fgibertoni left a comment

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Uh oh!

lvb05 commented Dec 24, 2025

Uh oh!

fgibertoni commented Dec 30, 2025

Uh oh!

lvb05 commented Jan 4, 2026

Uh oh!

fgibertoni left a comment • edited Loading Uh oh! There was an error while loading. Please reload this page.

Uh oh!

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

fgibertoni left a comment

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Uh oh!

mlodic left a comment

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Uh oh!

mlodic Jan 9, 2026

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Uh oh!

lvb05 Jan 10, 2026

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Uh oh!

lvb05 commented Jan 10, 2026

Uh oh!

lvb05 commented Jan 10, 2026

Uh oh!

mlodic commented Jan 10, 2026

Uh oh!

lvb05 commented Jan 10, 2026

Uh oh!

mlodic commented Jan 11, 2026

Uh oh!

lvb05 commented Jan 12, 2026

Uh oh!

mlodic commented Jan 12, 2026

Uh oh!

lvb05 commented Jan 16, 2026 • edited Loading Uh oh! There was an error while loading. Please reload this page.

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

mlodic commented Jan 30, 2026

Uh oh!

mlodic commented Jan 30, 2026

Uh oh!

lvb05 commented Jan 31, 2026

Uh oh!

lvb05 commented Feb 2, 2026

Uh oh!

mlodic left a comment

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Uh oh!

mlodic Feb 3, 2026

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Uh oh!

mlodic Feb 3, 2026

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Uh oh!

mlodic Feb 3, 2026

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Uh oh!

lvb05 commented Feb 6, 2026

Proof-

Uh oh!

mlodic commented Feb 6, 2026

Uh oh!

lvb05 commented Feb 6, 2026

lvb05 commented Dec 20, 2025 •

edited

Loading

fgibertoni left a comment •

edited

Loading

lvb05 commented Jan 16, 2026 •

edited

Loading

lvb05 commented Feb 6, 2026 •

edited

Loading