Upgrading

Note: On this page, we use 2.0.0 as a strict version number and 2.x to identify all versions that start with the number 2 (2.0.0, 2.0.1, 2.1.0, etc)

The upgrade process from 1.11.x to 2.x is described in your public/documentation/installation_guide.html file, inside your Chamilo code. The information here is largely redundant. You can see it online at https://campus.chamilo.net/documentation/installation_guide.html. Although we have made extensive tests on similar migrations, because some of the settings of 1.11.x were not yet supported in 2.0.0, we recommend waiting for version 2.1 before upgrading a 1.11.x system, or to be professionally accompanied by official Chamilo providers in this endeavour.

Upgrading from 1.11.x to 2.x

Upgrading from Chamilo 1.11.x to 2.x is a major migration, not a simple update. Chamilo 2.0 was rebuilt on the Symfony framework with a restructured database schema, new API, and different file organization. Plan this migration carefully and try it out on a test environment before rolling out in production.

Before You Begin

1. Read the release notes for Chamilo 2.x to understand what has changed, what is new, and what features from 1.11.x may not yet be available.

2. Back up everything:

   • Full database dump (mysqldump or equivalent).

   • All files in the Chamilo 1.11.x installation directory, especially app/upload/, app/courses/, and main/.

   • Your configuration.php file.

3. Test on a staging server first. Never run the migration directly on your production server.

4. Verify server requirements. Chamilo 2.x has different requirements than 1.11.x (notably, PHP 8.2+). See Server Requirements.

What May Require Manual Attention

Area	Notes
Custom plugins	1.11.x plugins are not compatible with 2.x. They must be rewritten or replaced, which has been partially done in 2.0 and should be complete by 2.1 for official plugins.
Custom themes	1.11.x themes do not work in 2.x. Recreate your branding using the 2.x theming system.
Custom database modifications	Any direct database modifications outside of Chamilo may not be migrated.
SCORM packages	SCORM content should migrate, but test packages individually to verify playback.
External integrations	Any integrations using the 1.11.x API or web services need to be updated to use the 2.x REST-only API using API Platform.

Updating Chamilo 2.0.x

Minor updates within the 2.0 branch are more straightforward.

Update Process

Using a package

1. Back up the database and files.

2. Download the latest 2.0.x version from chamilo.org:

3. Expand locally

For example (adapt to the downloaded version)

unzip chamilo-2.0.1.zip

1. Copy the files over your existing Chamilo installation

   cp -r chamilo/* [your-chamilo-installation-path]/
   cp -r chamilo/.* [your-chamilo-installation-path]/

2. Run database migrations:

   php bin/console doctrine:migrations:migrate --no-interaction

3. Clear the cache:

   php bin/console cache:clear --env=prod
   php bin/console cache:warmup --env=prod

4. Change permissions

Adapt to your web server user:

sudo chown -R www-data: [your-chamilo-installation-path]/var

1. Verify that the platform loads correctly and spot-check key functionality.

Using Git

If you installed Chamilo using Git, you can follow these instructions instead.

1. Back up the database and files.

2. Pull the latest code (or download the new release):

   git pull origin 2.0

3. Update PHP dependencies:

   composer install --no-dev --optimize-autoloader

4. Update JavaScript dependencies and rebuild assets:

   yarn install && yarn build

5. Run database migrations:

   php bin/console doctrine:migrations:migrate --no-interaction

6. Clear the cache:

   php bin/console cache:clear --env=prod
   php bin/console cache:warmup --env=prod

7. Change permissions

Adapt to your web server user:

sudo chown -R www-data: [your-chamilo-installation-path]/var

1. Verify that the platform loads correctly and spot-check key functionality.

Automating Updates

For organizations that manage multiple Chamilo instances, consider scripting the update process:

#!/bin/bash
set -e

# Pull code
git pull origin 2.0

# Dependencies
composer install --no-dev --optimize-autoloader
yarn install && yarn build

# Database
php bin/console doctrine:migrations:migrate --no-interaction

# Cache
php bin/console cache:clear --env=prod
php bin/console cache:warmup --env=prod

echo "Update complete."

Tips

• Always back up before upgrading. Database migrations are not reversible through the Chamilo interface.

• Test on staging first -- especially for the 1.11.x to 2.0 migration, which involves significant data transformation.

• Schedule upgrades during maintenance windows when users are not actively using the platform.

• Subscribe to GitHub releases on Github using the bell icon to be notified of new versions and security patches.

• Web updates are not yet provided in Chamilo 2.0, but this is an ongoing project we hope to be releasing soon.