Updating Nextflow

This page describes Nextflow release cadence, how to self-update Nextflow, and how select your version of Nextflow.

Releases

A stable version of Nextflow is released in the 4th and 10th month of each year. A edge version of Nextflow is released on a monthly basis. The edge version can be used to access the latest updates and experimental features.

You can find an exhaustive list of releases and updates in the Nextflow changelog.

Self-update

To update to the latest stable release of Nextflow, run the self-update command:

nextflow self-update

To use the latest edge release, set NXF_EDGE=1 when you self-update Nextflow:

NXF_EDGE=1 nextflow self-update

Warning

Nextflow will update its executable during the self-update process. The update can fail if the Nextflow executable is in a directory with restricted permissions.

Version selection

The NXF_VER environment variable can be used to define which version of Nextflow to use. To switch to a specific version of Nextflow for a single run, set the NXF_VER environment variable in your execution command. For example:

NXF_VER=23.10.0 nextflow info

To set a specific version of Nextflow for a terminal session, export the NXF_VER environment variable. For example:

export NXF_VER=23.10.0

To set a specific version of Nextflow for your user profile, add the above NXF_VER export command to your shell configuration file, such as ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc, and restart your session.

Tip

You can use NXF_VER to switch to an edge release. For example:

NXF_VER=24.06.0-edge nextflow info

Warning

Nextflow will update its executable during the self-update process. The update can fail if the Nextflow executable is in a directory with restricted permissions.