// troubleshooting guide · penpot
Penpot Not Starting After Upgrade
- Status
- Workaround available
- platforms:
- Self-hosted Docker
- updated:
- November 15, 2026
- reports:
- 5
- Method
- how we research
RUNBOOK · penpot/self-hosted-not-starting-after-upgrade3 FIXES
// quick answer
After a self-hosted upgrade, check volume names, Postgres version, env vars and container logs; most failures are compose mismatches.
Most likely fix: Compare against the new compose file
How to fix it
// try these in order, the most common fix is first
FIX 1Compare against the new compose file
- 01Back up volumes and the database first
- 02Diff your docker-compose.yaml with the release one
- 03Ensure the assets volume maps to /opt/data/assets
Did this fix it?FIX 2Check config
- 01Rename PENPOT_ASSETS_* to PENPOT_OBJECTS_STORAGE_*
- 02Set PENPOT_PUBLIC_URI on frontend, backend and exporter
- 03Recreate with docker compose up -d --pull always --force-recreate
Did this fix it?FIX 3Read the logs
- 01docker compose logs penpot-backend
- 02docker compose logs penpot-frontend
Did this fix it?
Symptoms
Bad gateway, blank page, missing data or assets after updating.
Why it happens
- C-01Renamed volumes between compose files
- C-02Deprecated PENPOT_ASSETS_* variables renamed in 2.11
- C-03Wrong Postgres version
- C-04Wrong PENPOT_PUBLIC_URI
// this guide also covers
- penpot not starting after upgrade
- penpot bad gateway
- penpot self host error
Still not working?
If Penpot keeps failing, you're not alone. See every Penpot problem users report or the alternatives people switch to.
Have an app idea? Our small team builds any software: web and mobile apps, games, desktop, AI tools. Price agreed together.
Talk to us