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Upgrading and Migrating DreamFactory

Current Version & Changelog​

The current stable release of DreamFactory is v7.7.1. For the full list of releases, version history, and release notes, see the DreamFactory GitHub Releases page.

Each release includes a changelog describing new features, bug fixes, and any breaking changes. Before upgrading, review the changelog for your target version to identify any actions required on your end (e.g., PHP version changes, .env configuration additions, or deprecated API behaviors).

To check the version currently running on your instance, log in to the DreamFactory admin panel and navigate to System > Config > System Info, or run this from the DreamFactory root directory:

grep "'version'" config/app.php

The System Info page also shows your license level (for example GOLD or OPEN SOURCE). Note it before you upgrade — it is the quickest way to confirm afterwards that a commercial instance is still running its commercial edition.

Upgrade Path by Version​

Use the table below to identify the appropriate upgrade method based on your current and target versions:

From VersionTo VersionMethodNotes
4.x5.xIn-place (git pull)PHP 7.4+ required; run php artisan migrate --seed
5.x6.xIn-place (git pull)Review .env for new required variables; check deprecated connectors
6.x7.xIn-place or fresh migrationPHP 8.3+ required; significant dependency updates — test in staging first
7.0–7.67.7.xIn-place (check out the release tag)Laravel 11 → 13; PHP 8.3+; commercial installs need the 7.7.x composer files. See Upgrading to 7.7.x
AnyCross-serverFull migration (see below)Use the Major Version Migration process to copy .env and system database

Breaking changes to watch for:

  • 3.x → 4.x: System database schema changed significantly — a fresh migration is required; data can be re-imported via the 4.x import tools.
  • 5.x → 6.x: Several legacy connectors were removed; verify your active services are still supported.
  • 6.x → 7.x: PHP minimum version bumped to 8.1 (8.3 from 7.0.1 onward); Composer 2 required; some deprecated API behaviors removed.
  • 7.6.x → 7.7.x: The framework moves from Laravel 11 to Laravel 13, which changes the default cache store and several configuration files. CACHE_STORE must be set in .env — see Upgrading to 7.7.x.

Upgrading to 7.7.x​

DreamFactory 7.7.0 and 7.7.1 are in-place upgrades from any earlier 7.x release, using the Minor Version Upgrade process below. The upgrade path 7.6.0 → 7.7.0 → 7.7.1 has been validated on Ubuntu 24.04 with PHP 8.3, Nginx and a MariaDB system database, for both open source and commercial (Gold) installs. Read these notes before you start:

  • PHP 8.3 or later. 7.7.x runs on Laravel 13, which requires PHP 8.3+. If you are still on an older PHP version, upgrade PHP before you start.

  • Commercial installs need the composer files for the new version. Your commercial edition is defined by the composer.json, composer.json-dist and composer.lock files DreamFactory provided for your current version. Before upgrading, request the matching set for your target version (for example 7.7.1) from DreamFactory support. If you skip this, composer install installs the open source edition: every command succeeds, but the commercial connectors (Oracle, SQL Server, Snowflake, SAML, Limits, Agents, and others) disappear and the license shows OPEN SOURCE.

  • CACHE_STORE must be set in .env. Laravel 13's config/cache.php falls back to the database cache store when CACHE_STORE is not set, and the DreamFactory system database has no cache table. Without the variable, every request fails with Table 'dreamfactory.cache' doesn't exist, including admin login. Installer-built instances already have CACHE_STORE=file; check yours before upgrading:

    grep '^CACHE_STORE' .env

    If nothing is returned, add CACHE_STORE=file (or redis / memcached if you use one of those).

  • Configuration files are replaced. Checking out the new release replaces the tracked files in config/, app/ and public/ — including the new config/cache.php with 'serializable_classes' => true (see Configuration Notes for Laravel 13-Based Releases). Local edits to those files are saved by git stash; re-apply them by hand rather than with git stash pop.

  • New in 7.7.1: the System API MCP daemon. The df-system-mcp-server package is installed with every full edition. The system_mcp service type needs that daemon running (vendor/dreamfactory/df-mcp-server/scripts/start-system-daemon.sh, Node.js required); until it is started, requests to a system_mcp service return a 503 with setup instructions. Nothing else depends on it.

Pre-Upgrade Checklist​

Before starting any upgrade, complete these steps to ensure you can recover if something goes wrong:

  1. Back up the .env file — this file contains your APP_KEY, database credentials, and all environment-specific configuration. Without it, encrypted data is unrecoverable.

    cp /opt/dreamfactory/.env /opt/dreamfactory/.env.backup.$(date +%Y%m%d)

  2. Back up the system database — the system database stores all your API configurations, roles, scripts, and user accounts. Use the Step 2: Back Up the System Database instructions below for your database type.

  3. Note your PHP version — confirm the target DreamFactory version supports your current PHP installation:

    php --version

  4. Note custom scripts and connectors — list any event scripts, scripted services, or custom connectors you've added so you can verify they still function after the upgrade.

  5. Check scheduled jobs and cron tasks — if you use DreamFactory's scheduler or have external cron jobs calling DreamFactory APIs, document them before upgrading.

  6. Test in a staging environment first — if possible, clone your instance to a staging server and run the upgrade there before applying it to production.

  7. Commercial installs: get the composer files for the target version — request the composer.json, composer.json-dist and composer.lock for the version you are upgrading to from DreamFactory support, and note your current license level on System > Config > System Info.

Rolling Back an Upgrade​

If an upgrade fails or causes unexpected behavior, restore your previous state using the backups created in the Pre-Upgrade Checklist:

Step 1: Restore the application files​

If you made a file-based backup (cp -r dreamfactory dreamfactory.backup), restore it. This is the most reliable option because it also restores vendor/ and your commercial composer files:

sudo mv /opt/dreamfactory /opt/dreamfactory.failed
sudo cp -a /opt/dreamfactory.backup /opt/dreamfactory

Otherwise, check out the release you were running before and reinstall its dependencies, as the user that owns the installation (see Step 2). On a commercial install, copy the previous version's composer files back in before running composer install:

cd /opt/dreamfactory
sudo -u dreamfactory git checkout <previous-version-tag>   # e.g. 7.6.0
sudo -u dreamfactory composer install --no-dev --ignore-platform-reqs

Step 2: Restore the system database​

Use your database-specific method to restore the dump.sql backup:

# MySQL example
mysql -u root -p dreamfactory < /path/to/dump.sql

# PostgreSQL example
psql -U root -d dreamfactory < /path/to/dump.sql

Step 3: Restore the .env file​

cp /opt/dreamfactory/.env.backup.YYYYMMDD /opt/dreamfactory/.env

Step 4: Clear caches and restart​

sudo -u dreamfactory php artisan optimize:clear
sudo systemctl restart php8.3-fpm   # match your PHP version
sudo systemctl restart nginx

After restoring, verify the admin panel loads correctly and your APIs respond as expected.

This guide covers two different scenarios for updating your DreamFactory installation:

  • Minor Version Upgrades: In-place updates for patch releases and minor versions (e.g., 7.0.0 → 7.1.0)
  • Major Version Migration: Complete migration to a new server or environment, typically for major version changes or infrastructure updates

Choose the appropriate section based on your needs. Most users will use the minor version upgrade process for routine updates.

Minor Version Upgrades

For minor version upgrades and patch releases, you can perform an in-place upgrade of your existing DreamFactory installation. This process uses Git, Composer, and Laravel's Artisan commands to update your current environment.

Prerequisites​

  • Backup Required: Always perform complete backups before upgrading
  • Git Repository: Your DreamFactory installation must be a Git repository
  • Command Line Access: Shell/SSH access to your server
  • Commercial composer files: For commercial installs, the composer.json, composer.json-dist and composer.lock for your target version, provided by DreamFactory support

Upgrade Process​

Step 1: Create Backups​

Navigate to one level above your DreamFactory directory (typically /opt/dreamfactory) and create a file backup:

cd /opt
sudo cp -a dreamfactory dreamfactory.backup

Create a database backup, reference for methods found here.

Step 2: Prepare for Upgrade​

Navigate to your DreamFactory installation directory:

cd /opt/dreamfactory

Find the user that owns the installation:

stat -c '%U' /opt/dreamfactory

Run every git, composer and php artisan command in this guide as that user. On servers built with the DreamFactory installer this is dreamfactory, which is what the examples below use; substitute your own user if it differs. Running these commands as root (or with plain sudo) causes two problems:

  • Git refuses to work in a directory owned by another user (fatal: detected dubious ownership in repository).
  • Files created under storage/, bootstrap/cache/ and vendor/ become owned by root. The web server can then no longer write its cache, which surfaces as HTTP 500 errors such as file_put_contents(.../storage/framework/cache/data/...): Failed to open stream, and later composer install runs fail part-way with Could not delete .../vendor/....

Stash any local changes to preserve modifications:

sudo -u dreamfactory git stash
note

On a commercial install, git stash also stashes the commercial composer.json, composer.json-dist and composer.lock, because they replace the open source versions tracked in the repository. That is expected — you will copy in the files for the new version in Step 4. Do not run git stash pop after the upgrade: it would conflict with the new release's files.

Step 3: Update Source Code​

Fetch the release tags and check out the version you are upgrading to:

sudo -u dreamfactory git fetch origin --tags
sudo -u dreamfactory git checkout 7.7.1   # replace with your target version

Checking out a release tag works on every install, including those created with the installer's "Install a specific version" option. Those installs are cloned from a single tag and have no master branch, so git checkout master fails with pathspec 'master' did not match. Using the tag also lets you upgrade one version at a time, for example 7.6.0 → 7.7.0 → 7.7.1.

tip

If your install tracks the master branch, git checkout master followed by git pull origin master also works, but it always takes you to the newest release rather than to a version you choose.

Step 4: Install the Commercial Composer Files (commercial installs only)​

Copy the composer files DreamFactory provided for your target version into the installation directory, replacing the existing ones:

sudo cp /path/to/license-files/composer.{json,json-dist,lock} /opt/dreamfactory/
sudo chown dreamfactory:dreamfactory /opt/dreamfactory/composer.{json,json-dist,lock}
warning

If you skip this step, composer install installs the open source edition from the repository's own composer files. Every command still succeeds, so nothing looks wrong until you notice that the commercial connectors (Oracle, SQL Server, Snowflake, SAML, Limits, Agents, and others) are gone and System > Config > System Info shows the license as OPEN SOURCE. Copying the correct files in and re-running Step 5 restores them.

Step 5: Update Dependencies and Run Migrations​

Update Composer dependencies:

sudo -u dreamfactory composer install --no-dev --ignore-platform-reqs

Run database migrations:

sudo -u dreamfactory php artisan migrate --seed --force

--force is needed when APP_ENV=production; without it, Laravel asks for confirmation, and a non-interactive session cancels the migration silently.

Clear the application cache and the cached configuration, routes and views:

sudo -u dreamfactory php artisan optimize:clear

Step 6: Reset Ownership and Permissions​

Make sure the web server can write to the storage and cache directories. Replace dreamfactory:dreamfactory with your installation's user and group:

sudo chown -R dreamfactory:dreamfactory storage/ bootstrap/cache/
sudo chmod -R 2775 storage/ bootstrap/cache/

Do this after the Composer and Artisan commands, so it also fixes anything they created.

Step 7: Restart PHP-FPM and the Web Server​

Restart PHP-FPM so it loads the new code. Installer-built servers enable OPcache with opcache.validate_timestamps=0, so until PHP-FPM is restarted it keeps serving the previous version — the API continues to report the old version number even though the upgrade has finished. Adjust the service name to your PHP version:

sudo systemctl restart php8.3-fpm

Then restart the web server. For Nginx (DreamFactory default):

sudo systemctl restart nginx

For Apache (if Apache runs PHP through PHP-FPM, restart PHP-FPM as well, as above):

sudo systemctl restart apache2

Troubleshooting​

fatal: detected dubious ownership in repository​

You are running git as a different user from the one that owns /opt/dreamfactory. Run it as the owner instead, for example sudo -u dreamfactory git status (see Step 2).

git checkout master fails with pathspec 'master' did not match​

Your install was cloned from a single release tag. Check out the target release tag instead, as described in Step 3.

Composer Install Errors​

If Composer fails with Could not delete .../vendor/..., part of vendor/ is owned by another user (usually root, from an earlier composer install run as root). Composer stops part-way through, leaving vendor/ partly updated, so fix the ownership and run the install again:

sudo chown -R dreamfactory:dreamfactory /opt/dreamfactory
sudo -u dreamfactory composer install --no-dev --ignore-platform-reqs

For other Composer errors, clear the Composer cache:

sudo -u dreamfactory composer clear-cache

Remove vendor directory and reinstall:

sudo rm -rf vendor/
sudo -u dreamfactory composer install --no-dev --ignore-platform-reqs

Commercial Connectors Missing or License Shows OPEN SOURCE​

The open source composer files were used. Copy the commercial composer.json, composer.json-dist and composer.lock for your target version into /opt/dreamfactory (Step 4), then repeat Steps 5–7.

Table 'dreamfactory.cache' doesn't exist​

CACHE_STORE is not set in .env, so Laravel 13 falls back to the database cache store. Add CACHE_STORE=file (or your Redis/Memcached store) to .env, then run:

sudo -u dreamfactory php artisan config:clear
sudo systemctl restart php8.3-fpm

HTTP 500 with Failed to open stream under storage/framework/cache​

Cache files were created by root. Reset ownership as described in Step 6.

The Old Version Is Still Reported After Upgrading​

PHP-FPM is still serving cached bytecode. Restart it as described in Step 7.

Migration Command Not Found​

Clear compiled cache files:

sudo rm -rf bootstrap/cache/*.php storage/framework/cache/data/*

Retry the composer install:

sudo -u dreamfactory composer install --no-dev --ignore-platform-reqs

Verification​

After completing the upgrade:

  1. Check DreamFactory version and license on System > Config > System Info. A commercial instance should show the same license level as before the upgrade.
  2. Test your APIs to ensure they're functioning correctly
  3. Verify user access and permissions are intact
  4. Check system logs (storage/logs/dreamfactory.log) for any errors

Major Version Migration

For major version changes or when migrating to a new server/environment, you'll need to migrate your DreamFactory instance completely. This process focuses on transferring two critical components: the .env file and the DreamFactory system database.

Why These Components Matter​

.env File​

Contains essential configuration settings including:

  • The APP_KEY (critical for data encryption)
  • Database credentials
  • Caching preferences
  • API keys
  • Environmental settings

DreamFactory System Database​

Stores all your configuration data:

  • User accounts
  • Scripts
  • API configurations
  • System-level metadata

Migrating these components ensures your new instance contains all original configurations, eliminating manual recreation.

File Transfer Reference​

CLI File Transfer Methods by Deployment Type

FROM remote TO local

scp <user>@<remote-server>:/path/to/file local-destination/

Example: scp root@192.168.1.100:/opt/dreamfactory/.env .

FROM local TO remote

scp local-source <user>@<remote-server>:/path/to/destination/

Example: scp dump.sql root@192.168.1.100:/opt/dreamfactory/

Migration Process​

Step 1: Back Up the .env File​

Navigate to the DreamFactory root directory:

cd /opt/dreamfactory

Copy the .env file to your local machine (see File Transfer Reference for deployment-specific commands):

scp <user>@<remote-server>:/opt/dreamfactory/.env .

Tip: Store the .env file in a secure location to recover from any migration issues.

Step 2: Back Up the System Database​

Use the system database credentials from the .env file to create a backup:

Backup Methods by Database Type
mysqldump -u root -p --databases dreamfactory --no-create-db > dump.sql

Replace root with your database user and dreamfactory with your database name if different.

Transfer the backup file to a secure external location:

scp <user>@<remote-server>:/opt/dreamfactory/dump.sql .

Step 3: Prepare the New DreamFactory Instance​

  1. Set up a new server with a clean operating system installation
  2. Follow the DreamFactory installation guide for your platform
  3. Complete the initial setup by creating an administrator account (this will be replaced with migrated data)

Step 4: Additional Configuration​

MySQL Specific Configuration​

If upgrading MySQL versions (e.g., 5.6 to 5.7+), you may need to disable strict mode by opening config/database.php and adding 'strict' => false under the MySQL configuration section.

General Configuration​

Ensure all system dependencies are up to date. DreamFactory 7.x requires PHP 8.3 or later.

Step 5: Import the System Database​

Transfer the dump.sql file to the new server:

scp dump.sql <user>@<new-server>:/opt/dreamfactory/

Clear the default database schema:

php artisan migrate:fresh
php artisan migrate:reset

Import the database backup:

Import Methods by Database Type
mysql -u root -p dreamfactory < dump.sql

Run database migrations to apply schema updates:

php artisan migrate --seed

Edit the .env file and replace the APP_KEY with the value from your old instance:

APP_KEY=YOUR_OLD_APP_KEY_VALUE

Clear caches to finalize the configuration:

php artisan cache:clear
php artisan config:clear

Configuration Notes for Laravel 13-Based Releases​

config/cache.php must allow class unserialization

Laravel 13 added a serializable_classes key to config/cache.php and ships it as false, which prevents any PHP class from being restored from the cache. That default is unsafe for DreamFactory, which caches objects — database schema and event scripts among them.

Under false, cached objects come back as __PHP_Incomplete_Class and fail at the first property access. The symptom is distinctive: an endpoint answers 200 on the first request after a cache clear, then 500 on every request after it, because the first request populates the cache and the second reads it back.

// config/cache.php
'serializable_classes' => true,

This affects the redis, file, database, array, dynamodb and storage cache stores — all the ones that serialize through PHP. Switching stores is not a workaround.

DreamFactory's own config/cache.php sets 'serializable_classes' => true from 7.7.0 onward, and an in-place upgrade that checks out the release tag installs that file. A config/cache.php without the key (as in 7.6.x and earlier) is also unaffected. Check the setting if your instance uses a config/cache.php that did not come from the DreamFactory release — for example a customized copy re-applied after the upgrade, or the stock Laravel 13 file.

CACHE_STORE must be set in .env

From 7.7.0, config/cache.php falls back to the database cache store when CACHE_STORE is not set (7.6.x and earlier fell back to file). The DreamFactory system database has no cache table, so every request — including admin login — then fails with SQLSTATE[42S02]: ... Table 'dreamfactory.cache' doesn't exist.

Installer-built instances already set CACHE_STORE=file. If yours does not, add it (or redis / memcached) to .env, then run php artisan config:clear and restart PHP-FPM. This applies to both in-place upgrades and migrations that carry an older .env forward.

Migration Verification​

Log in to the new DreamFactory instance using credentials from the migrated environment. Verify that:

  1. All user accounts are present and accessible
  2. API configurations are intact
  3. Scripts and custom logic are functioning
  4. Database connections work properly
  5. System settings match your original configuration

Congratulations! Your DreamFactory instance has been successfully migrated.