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In the dynamic world of computer vision, staying current with technology advancements is not just beneficial—it's critical. This is particularly true for organizations that use self-hosted solutions for the Computer Vision Annotation Tool (CVAT.ai).
Regular updates to such a tool are essential for several reasons: security, improved functionality, ensuring compatibility, and maintaining operational efficiency. This article explores why regularly updating your self-hosted CVAT.ai solution is crucial for maintaining a competitive edge and operational reliability.
This article is divided into two parts: the first addresses 'why' regular updates are necessary, and the second explains 'how' to implement these updates effectively.
Improved Security: One of the most compelling reasons to regularly update your self-hosted CVAT is to enhance security. Although the latest version of CVAT.ai is secure, the threat landscape constantly evolves. New vulnerabilities are discovered daily, and the CVAT.ai Team releases patches to mitigate these risks. By staying updated, you safeguard your system against vulnerabilities that malicious actors could otherwise exploit. Regular updates are crucial for maintaining the integrity of your data and ensuring the privacy of the information processed by CVAT.
Access to Latest Features: CVAT is continuously improved by a community of developers who add new functionalities and enhancements. These updates can include everything from improved annotation algorithms, support for new formats, and enhanced user interfaces to integration capabilities with other tools and platforms.
Compatibility and Integration: As your IT environment evolves, new versions of dependent software and hardware are introduced. Regularly updating CVAT ensures compatibility with other software tools and infrastructure changes. For example, updates may be needed for CVAT.ai to operate smoothly with newer versions of browsers, operating systems, or integrations with third-party APIs and services. Maintaining an updated system prevents disruptions caused by compatibility issues, which can be costly and time-consuming to resolve after the fact.
Operational Reliability: Regular updates introduce new features and improvements, including optimizations that enhance CVAT's performance and stability. These optimizations can lead to faster load times, improved response times, and more efficient data processing, enhancing the system's overall reliability. For businesses relying heavily on computer vision technologies, operational reliability is non-negotiable.
Before we delve into the procedure, it’s important to note that the steps described here apply only to standard CVAT.ai standard public images.
If you have created a custom image that we need to be aware of, we assume you are technically proficient and can handle the necessary updates tailored to your image.
Before making any changes to your CVAT installation, it's essential to back up your data. This ensures you can restore your system to its previous state if something goes wrong during the update.
For more information, see CVAT.ai Backup Guide.
You need to stop the currently running version of the application to avoid potential conflicts.
Use the Docker compose command to stop the running CVAT.ai container.
Once the system is halted, you can safely update the software by pulling the latest changes from the CVAT GitHub repository. You must download the entire source code, not just the Docker Compose configuration file.
If you have custom configurations, such as a database managed outside Docker, you must ensure these are compatible with the new version. Review your configurations and make necessary adjustments to ensure they work with the new version of CVAT. In some cases, you need to build images locally; see this Guide for details.
After updating the software and adjusting your customizations, you can start the new version of CVAT.
Start CVAT container: Use Docker commands to run the new CVAT containers; see the Upgrade Guide for details.
Sometimes, you may need to update custom external components or manually handle migration scripts.
And that's it!
You now have new updates CVAT.ai with all necessary security improvements and features!
Updating and managing CVAT can sometimes feel complex, mainly when you're focused on annotating and training models for your work or research. If you'd prefer to leave the sysadmin and DevOps tasks to someone else, CVAT offers installation support and help managing Enterprise self-hosted solutions. Explore our enterprise proposals and plans to find the right level of support for your needs. Alternatively, consider using our online version—it's always up-to-date and secure, so you can focus solely on annotating without hassle.
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