Upgrade your servers the right way. Learn how to upgrade from CentOS 7 to AlmaLinux 8 or CloudLinux 7 to CloudLinux 8 safely using ELevate with real steps and commands. Our cPanel Live Support Team is always here to help you.
How to Safely Upgrade From CentOS 7 to AlmaLinux 8 or CloudLinux 7 to CloudLinux 8
If you’ve been running older servers for years, the pressure to move to newer OS versions has probably been building up. And now, with CentOS 7 nearing its end and CloudLinux 7 aging fast, it’s finally time to act. That’s where the ELevate project steps in, making the upgrade far less painful than you think.
Until recently, the only “safe” option was to spin up a fresh server, migrate accounts, and hope nothing broke. However, ELevate changed that. Not only does it let you perform an in-place upgrade, but it also keeps your cPanel or Plesk setup intact. As a result, you save time, save cost, and avoid the long downtime that usually comes with full server rebuilds.
Overview
- What Exactly Is ELevate?
- Why Bother Upgrading?
- The Actual Upgrade Steps
What Exactly Is ELevate?
The ELevate project combines Red Hat’s Leapp framework with community-driven migration metadata. Simply put, it gives you a structured, predictable path to shift between major versions of RHEL-based systems. Even better, the CloudLinux variant builds on top of the AlmaLinux team’s work, giving you the tools to handle the upgrade from CentOS 7 to AlmaLinux 8 or CloudLinux 7 to CloudLinux 8 without ripping your server apart.
When cPanel entered the picture with cPanel ELevate, things got even smoother. Although a cPanel server has many moving parts, this script ties everything together so the upgrade stays stable from start to finish.
Why Bother Upgrading?
To begin with, in-place upgrades cut downtime dramatically. While migrating accounts can take hours, ELevate usually wraps up in about 90 minutes. Moreover, you don’t lose your custom tweaks, your business rules, or the years of configuration history sitting on that server. And as security becomes more important by the day, moving off an outdated OS ensures you’re still getting vital updates.
The Actual Upgrade Steps
Before starting, take a complete backup of your accounts. After all, no upgrade should ever begin without it.
Then, log in as root via SSH or WHM Terminal and run:
yum update
/scripts/upcp
shutdown -r nowOnce the reboot finishes, get back into the server and download the cPanel ELevate script:
wget -O /scripts/elevate-cpanel https://raw.githubusercontent.com/cpanel/elevate/release/elevate-cpanel; chmod 700 /scripts/elevate-cpanelNext, check for blockers:
Fix whatever comes up, then run the check again. When it finally reports:
There is no known blockers to start the elevation process.
start the upgrade:
/scripts/elevate-cpanel --startThe process will take multiple reboots, and some may take longer than usual. However, don’t interrupt anything. If you want to see what’s happening, run:
/scripts/elevate-cpanel --statusConclusion
If you’ve been delaying the upgrade, now is the right time to move. Not only is the process more reliable than ever, but the benefits, speed, safety, and long-term stability, are too strong to ignore. And once you switch, you’re set for years of smoother updates and better support.
