Implement opt-out of automated updates from the Software Center UI

@DavidePrincipi

In a cluster with an active Subscription, overnight automatic application updates are always enabled. Opting out is currently possible only through CLI commands, which is not discoverable and error-prone for administrators. The purpose of this feature is to expose the opt-out choice directly in the Software Center UI, implementing the approved design from #7976.

Proposed solution

Implement the UI approved in the design issue #7976 (Figma mockups):

Add global actions to enable/disable automatic application updates from Software Center > Updates
Add per-application enable/disable automatic updates actions from:
- Software Center > Installed
- Applications section
Add inline notifications reflecting the global automatic updates status
Add an "Updates disabled" status tag for applications excluded from automatic updates
Update empty states and related screens
Replace all "instance" and "apps" labels with "applications"
Add dedicated community states without automatic updates controls (automatic updates are a Subscription feature)

Alternative solutions

Keep the current CLI-only opt-out procedure. Discarded: it is undocumented for most administrators and does not fit the Software Center user experience.

Additional context

The design work, mockups, and review discussion are in #7976 (approved by @DavidePrincipi and @andre8244).

See also

Design issue: Switch-off automated updates in Software Center #7976
Figma mockups: https://www.figma.com/design/OsYqPXdkKJz0tBJRsiQgAf/NethServer-shared-file?node-id=4543-16705
Discussion (planning) https://mattermost.nethesis.it/nethesis/pl/hya7yazcrfbwud5p8ytyaywtbo

@stephdl

@stephdl I started the backend implementation in branch feat-8101, you can open a PR directly on it if you like. https://github.com/NethServer/ns8-core/tree/feat-8101

Backend: automatic update policy (global + per-instance) NethServer/ns8-core@8bc8568

list-modules output now includes, for each app:

apply_updates_is_active (bool) — cluster-wide automatic updates switch
subscription_is_active (bool) — whether a Nethesis subscription is active (use this to show/hide the
automatic-updates UI, since the feature only works with a subscription)
per installed instance, installed[].automatic_updates (bool) — whether that specific instance is opted
into automatic updates (default true)

New action to change both: set-automatic-updates

{
  "apply_updates_is_active": false,
  "instances": { "dokuwiki1": false, "dokuwiki2": true }
}

Both fields are optional — send only what changed. Unknown instance IDs return a validation-failed error
(instance_not_found).

Notes:

Automatically-run updates (nightly apply-updates timer) skip instances with automatic_updates: false;
manual/UI-triggered updates always apply regardless of the policy.
Toggling apply_updates_is_active also re-syncs the systemd apply-updates.timer on the backend — no
extra call needed from the frontend.

Docs: docs/core/updates.md, docs/core/database.md (cluster/module_automatic_update key).

lucia private talk

feat(software-center): restructure updates tab and expose automatic u…

QA — core 3.22.0-dev.1 — Automatic updates opt-out (UI)

Scope: UI testing only. When a step fails, note it and investigate both the
frontend and the backend, since the UI reads list-modules and writes through
the set-automatic-updates cluster action.

PR: NethServer/ns8-core#1283 (backend + frontend), NethServer/ns8-core#1247 (frontend)

Where the controls live

Three pages are involved. They do not expose the same controls, so read this
table before starting: it tells you what must be present on each page, and,
just as important, what must not be there.

Page	URL	Cluster-wide toggle	"Automatic updates disabled" banner	Per-instance toggle + tag	Updates tab
Software center	`/software-center`	yes, page kebab	yes	no	yes
Applications	`/applications-center`	yes, page kebab	yes	yes, row kebab	no
Application instances	`/software-center/app-instances/<app>`	no	no	yes, row kebab	no

Vocabulary used below:

Cluster-wide toggle: the page kebab menu entry Enable / Disable automatic
updates. It switches automatic updates for the whole cluster.
Per-instance toggle: the same entry inside the kebab of a single
application row. It excludes one application from automatic updates.
Updates disabled tag: the tag shown on an application row that has been
excluded.

Subscription gates everything

The whole feature is hidden without an active subscription. The QA therefore
runs in two passes: first without a subscription, to check that nothing leaks,
then with a subscription, to test the feature itself. Do not skip the first
pass, it is the cheapest way to catch a broken condition.

1. Preconditions

Cluster running core:3.22.0-dev.1
No subscription active at this stage
At least 3 application instances installed, 2 of them from the same app
(for example dokuwiki1 and dokuwiki2)
At least 1 instance with an update available (use add-module ghcr.io/nethserver/dokuwiki:1.1.3)
Browser console open during the whole session, to catch Vue errors

Part A — Without subscription

Nothing related to automatic updates must be visible. Everything else must keep
working exactly as before.

2. Software center (`/software-center`)

The page kebab does not contain Enable / Disable automatic updates
The kebab still contains Go to Core applications and Go to Software
repositories, and both navigate correctly
No Automatic updates disabled banner anywhere on the page
Reload software repositories still works

3. Applications page (`/applications-center`)

The page kebab does not contain the cluster-wide toggle
No application row kebab offers Disable automatic updates
No Updates disabled tag on any row
No Automatic updates disabled banner
The other row actions still work: restart, clone, move, favourites, uninstall

4. Application instances page (`/software-center/app-instances/<app>`)

No per-instance automatic updates entry in any row kebab
No Updates disabled tag
The other row actions still work

5. Updates tab without subscription

The Updates tab lists the available updates normally
The Applications update section is shown, but without the note
saying updates are installed automatically
Update all applications still works, countdown included
Updating a single application still works

Part B — Activate the subscription

6. Activation

Register the cluster in Settings > Subscription
Reload the Software center page
The cluster-wide toggle now appears in the page kebab
It reflects the real state: after a fresh activation automatic updates are
normally enabled, so the entry should read Disable automatic updates
The same entry appears on the Applications page
Per-instance entries appear on the Applications page and on the application
instances page

Part C — Software center, with subscription (`/software-center`)

7. Page toolbar

The cluster-wide toggle label matches the current state
Its icon follows the state: play when disabled, pause when enabled
No per-instance toggle is offered on this page

8. Cluster-wide toggle — disable

Open the page kebab, click Disable automatic updates
The modal refers to the whole cluster and mentions the security risk
The primary button reads Disable
Confirm: the task runs and the modal closes on success
The kebab entry now reads Enable automatic updates
A warning banner Automatic updates disabled appears at the top of the page
Reload the page: banner and kebab label are still consistent

9. Cluster-wide toggle — enable

Click the banner action button Enable automatic updates
The modal states that applications previously excluded stay excluded
The primary button reads Enable
Confirm: the banner disappears and the kebab label flips back
Reopen the modal and click Cancel: nothing changes

10. Modal error and loading behaviour

Test this once here; the same modal component is reused on the other two pages.

While the task runs, the primary button is disabled and the modal shows its
loading state
While the task runs, clicking outside the modal does not close it
Force a failure (for example stop the cluster agent, or cut the network
before confirming): the modal stays open and shows an inline error
Close and reopen the modal: the previous error is gone

11. Updates tab

The update logic itself was not modified: only the layout of this tab changed.
The core and applications updates are now two separate sections, the update
button moved inside the applications section, and the empty state gained a guard
on listing errors. Treat this part as a regression check.

12. Updates available banner

On the All and Installed tabs, a warning banner Updates available
is displayed when updates exist
Its action button switches to the Updates tab
The banner is not displayed while already on the Updates tab
Text is correct when only core updates exist
Text is correct when only application updates exist, singular and plural
Text is correct when both core and application updates exist

Part D — Applications page (`/applications-center`)

13. Page toolbar

The page kebab contains the cluster-wide toggle, in the same state as seen
on the Software center page
Go to Core applications button works
Go to Software center kebab entry works
Disabling the cluster-wide toggle here shows the Automatic updates
disabled banner on this page too
Re-enable it before continuing

14. Per-instance toggle

Each application row kebab offers Disable automatic updates
Pick one instance and disable it: the modal names that instance and says it
can still be updated manually
Confirm: the Updates disabled tag appears on that row only
The other rows keep no tag
Reload the page: the tag is still there
Re-enable it from the same row: the tag disappears and the modal wording is
the enable variant
Leave one instance excluded for the next steps

15. Interaction between the two toggles

This is the part most likely to break, so run it on this page specifically.

Right after using a per-instance toggle, open the page kebab and use the
cluster-wide toggle: the modal must describe the cluster, not the
instance previously selected
Disable the cluster-wide toggle: the per-instance entries and the Updates
disabled tags disappear from every row
Re-enable the cluster-wide toggle: the instance excluded in step 14 still
shows its Updates disabled tag

Part E — Application instances page (`/software-center/app-instances/<app>`)

Reach it from the Software center by clicking an application, then its instances.
Use the application that has two instances.

16. Per-instance toggle

The page kebab does not offer a cluster-wide toggle
No Automatic updates disabled banner is shown on this page
Each instance row kebab offers Disable automatic updates
Disable it on one instance: the tag Updates disabled appears on that
instance only
Go back to /applications-center: the same instance shows the same tag
Change the state from the Applications page, come back here: the state
matches

17. Gating

Disable the cluster-wide toggle from another page, come back here: the
per-instance entries and tags are gone
Re-enable it: they come back with the previous per-instance states

Part F — Cross-cutting checks

18. Manual update still possible

Excluding an instance must never block a manual update: the policy is only
applied to updates started by the apply-updates timer.

Exclude from automatic updates an instance that has an update pending
Update it manually from its row menu: the update runs normally
Run Update all applications from the Updates tab: the excluded instance
is updated too

19. Overnight end-to-end check

The exclusion is only enforced by the apply-updates timer, so it cannot be
observed from the interface alone. This is the one step that leaves the UI, and
it is the real proof that the opt-out works.

The timer runs Tue..Fri 00:00 with a random delay of up to 6 hours, so plan it
on a Monday to Thursday evening and read the result the next morning.

Setup, the evening before:

Subscription active and cluster-wide automatic updates enabled
At least two instances have an update pending
Exclude one of them from automatic updates, from the UI
Leave the other one included
Note both versions, visible in the Applications page
Check the timer is armed: systemctl status apply-updates.timer, and note
the Trigger time
Leave the node powered on for the night

The next morning:

The included instance has been updated: its new version shows in the UI and
no update is listed for it any more
The excluded instance still has its update pending, and still shows the
Updates disabled tag
journalctl -u apply-updates shows the skip line for the excluded instance
Repeat with the cluster-wide toggle disabled: after the night, nothing was
updated at all

Faster variant, if you cannot wait for the night: run systemctl start apply-updates.service and check the same three points. It takes the same code
path as the timer.

20. Subscription removal

Exclude one instance from automatic updates
Remove the subscription in Settings > Subscription
Reload the pages: every automatic updates control and tag disappears again,
as in Part A
Re-register the subscription: the excluded instance still shows its
Updates disabled tag

21. Regressions

Clicking the already active side menu entry produces no NavigationDuplicated
error in the browser console
Cloning an application refreshes the app drawer and lists the new instance
Moving an application to another node updates the drawer accordingly
The wording says "application" instead of "instance" across the Software
center, the Applications page and the clone/move modal
No untranslated key is visible, no raw software_center.* string on screen

22. Cleanup

Re-enable automatic updates on every instance excluded during the tests
Restore the cluster-wide automatic updates toggle to its original value
Restore the subscription to its original state

feat(software-center): restructure updates tab and expose automatic u…

test cases VERIFIED

Released https://github.com/NethServer/ns8-core/releases/tag/3.22.0

Implement opt-out of automated updates from the Software Center UI #8101

Description

Activity

DavidePrincipi commented on Jul 10, 2026

stephdl commented on Aug 4, 2026

stephdl commented on Aug 28, 2026

QA — core 3.22.0-dev.1 — Automatic updates opt-out (UI)

Where the controls live

Subscription gates everything

1. Preconditions

Part A — Without subscription

2. Software center (/software-center)

3. Applications page (/applications-center)

4. Application instances page (/software-center/app-instances/<app>)

5. Updates tab without subscription

Part B — Activate the subscription

6. Activation

Part C — Software center, with subscription (/software-center)

7. Page toolbar

8. Cluster-wide toggle — disable

9. Cluster-wide toggle — enable

10. Modal error and loading behaviour

11. Updates tab

12. Updates available banner

Part D — Applications page (/applications-center)

13. Page toolbar

14. Per-instance toggle

15. Interaction between the two toggles

Part E — Application instances page (/software-center/app-instances/<app>)

16. Per-instance toggle

17. Gating

Part F — Cross-cutting checks

18. Manual update still possible

19. Overnight end-to-end check

20. Subscription removal

21. Regressions

22. Cleanup

nrauso commented on Sep 16, 2026

DavidePrincipi commented on Sep 18, 2026

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