Updating VolNinja

New versions of VolNinja bring fixes, improvements, and new features. Because VolNinja runs on your own machine, updates happen there — but you never have to go looking for them. When a new version is available, VolNinja tells you right inside the trading app.

How you apply it depends on how you installed VolNinja (see Installing & Starting VolNinja):

VolNinja Desktop on a Mac or Windows PC — one click. VolNinja updates itself and restarts.
Docker on a VPS, Linux, or an Intel Mac — one command, volninja update.

This page explains how you'll know an update is waiting, the difference between a recommended and a required update, and exactly how to apply one on either path.

How you'll know

When the version you're running falls behind the current one, a banner appears across the top of the trading app — above your Dashboard and every other screen. There are two kinds, and they behave very differently.

Update available (recommended)

A quiet, informational banner:

Update available (1.0.3 → 1.0.5). Update now

This is a gentle nudge. Nothing is paused — your positions, templates, and strategies keep working exactly as before. You can update at your convenience; the next time you have a calm moment outside market hours is ideal.

Update required

A prominent, highlighted banner:

Update required (1.0.1 → 1.0.5) — new positions are paused until you update. Update now

A required update means your version has fallen below the minimum VolNinja supports, so opening new positions is paused until you update.

Important

A required update pauses only the opening of new positions. You are never trapped: closing a position, closing or rolling a single leg, and expiring or otherwise managing anything you already hold all keep working normally. If a strategy is running, it can still exit and manage existing positions — it just can't open new ones until you update.

The version numbers in both banners (for example 1.0.3 → 1.0.5) show what you're running now and what's available, so you can see how far behind you are.

On a Docker install there is no button to press, so the banner tells you the command instead: Run volninja update on your machine.

Before you update

Applying an update briefly restarts VolNinja — while it restarts, nothing is being monitored and no automation runs. So the calmest time to update is when the market is closed and you are flat: no open positions, and nothing in the middle of being placed.

Warning

On the desktop app, the update starts the moment you click — there is no second confirmation. Don't click Update now or Check for Updates… while you hold live positions or have a working order, unless you have a good reason to. Wait until you're flat and the market is closed.

A required update is more urgent — new positions stay paused until you apply it — so don't put it off. But you still choose the moment: VolNinja never updates itself unattended, on either install path. Nothing happens until you click or run the command.

Updating the desktop app

You can start the update from any of three places, whichever is closest to hand:

Update now in the update banner at the top of the trading app.
Check for Updates… in the VolNinja window (the menu bar / system tray control panel).
Check for Updates… in the menu bar / system tray menu itself.

All three do the same thing. VolNinja fetches the new version, installs it over the running copy, and restarts itself. You don't download anything or run an installer.

Then reload the trading app in your browser. The banner is gone, and if a required update had paused new positions, opening them works again immediately.

Tip

Check for Updates… is also how you check when there is no banner. If you're already on the newest version, VolNinja simply tells you You're up to date and nothing else happens.

Two things to know:

This machine has to be connected to your account. Updates come through your subscription, so the menu item stays greyed out and reads Check for Updates… (pair first) until you've paired. That's the one-time setup covered in Device pairing.
Your trading data is snapshotted for you. When the new version starts for the first time, VolNinja takes a snapshot of your trading database before it makes any changes to it, and keeps the two most recent snapshots.

Updating a Docker install

Updating is one command — volninja update — run in a terminal on the machine where VolNinja is installed. It's the same volninja command you used to install and start VolNinja. If it looks like a busy moment, it asks you to confirm before continuing — type y to go ahead or n to stop. This applies to every update, required ones included.

Mac / Linux

Open the Terminal app (on a Mac: Applications → Utilities, or search "Terminal" with Spotlight).
Run:
```
volninja update
```
Wait for it to finish. When you see Update complete, reload the trading app in your browser — the update banner will be gone.

Windows

On Windows, this path runs VolNinja inside WSL, so run the command from your WSL terminal, exactly as you did when installing.

Open your WSL terminal — search the Start menu for Ubuntu (or WSL).
Run:
```
volninja update
```
Wait for Update complete, then reload the trading app in your browser.

Tip

Always run volninja commands from the WSL terminal, not from PowerShell or Command Prompt.

On a cloud server (VPS)

If you run VolNinja on a VPS, connect to the server over SSH and run volninja update there. It works the same way — see the VPS notes in the installation guide for connecting.

What `volninja update` does for you

You don't need to babysit the process, but here is what happens, in order:

Checks whether it's a calm moment — market closed, no open positions, nothing in flight. If it looks busy, it asks you to confirm before continuing — for every update, required ones included.
Backs up your trading database before touching anything. (Backing up needs VolNinja running — if it can't be reached, VolNinja tells you so and asks whether to update without a backup.)
Downloads and applies the new version and restarts VolNinja.
Confirms it came back up healthy.
Rolls back automatically — restoring your backup and the previous version — if anything goes wrong, so a failed update never leaves you stranded.

The whole thing usually takes a couple of minutes, most of which is the new version downloading in the background.

Important

On both paths, your trading data always stays on your machine, and it's snapshotted automatically before the new version changes anything. Nothing about your positions, templates, or strategies is sent to the cloud during an update — the cloud only tells your machine which version to move to.

After updating

Reload the trading app in your browser. The update banner should be gone, and if a required update had paused new positions, opening them works again immediately. Your positions, templates, strategies, and history are all exactly where you left them.

If an update doesn't go through

On the desktop app:

Check for Updates… is greyed out — it reads (pair first), which means this machine isn't connected to your account yet. Connect it from the VolNinja window (Device pairing), and the item enables itself.
"Couldn't start the update, please try again shortly" — VolNinja couldn't reach the update service. Check that you're online, then try again. If it keeps failing, use Check for Updates… in the menu bar / tray menu, which works even when the trading app isn't reachable.
You clicked twice and nothing extra happened — that's deliberate. Only one update can run at a time; the second click is ignored rather than starting a second one.
Nothing happens and the setup page opens instead — the machine isn't paired. Finish pairing on that page, then try again.
The trading app doesn't come back — give it a moment: VolNinja restarts and its database may need a little longer than usual on the first start of a new version. If Engine in the VolNinja window doesn't turn green, see Troubleshooting.

On a Docker install:

You chose not to proceed — if VolNinja warned it wasn't a calm moment and you answered no, it stops with nothing changed. Re-run volninja update when you're ready, and confirm the prompt to continue.
"Can't reach the appliance" — VolNinja isn't running, so it can't check whether it's a calm moment or back up your database. It warns you and asks whether to proceed without a backup. The safe answer is no: start it with volninja start, confirm with volninja status, then update normally so you get a backup first. Only say yes if you understand you'd be updating with no backup to fall back on.
The update rolled itself back — VolNinja restored your previous version and your data, so you're safe to keep trading. Try again later, and if it keeps happening, see Troubleshooting or contact support.

For anything else, the Troubleshooting & FAQ page covers the common issues.