How to check compatibility between EKS Kubernetes version and AWX Operator/AWX?

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I would like a reliable method to verify that the Kubernetes version running on Amazon EKS is officially compatible with the version of AWX Operator / AWX that we are using.

  • I’m not sure which documents or release pages to check, or when an upgrade becomes mandatory or strongly recommended.

:scroll: What I’ve Checked So Far

  1. AWX Operator Release Notes

:red_question_mark: Questions

  1. Is there an officially maintained compatibility matrix (EKS minor ←→ AWX Operator / AWX) beyond the scattered notes above?
  2. When should we plan an upgrade?
    • E.g., Operator minor behind two releases?
    • EKS entering extended support?

Any links, success stories, or official guidance would be highly appreciated.
Thanks for your time!

2

Hi,
I’m not an expert but here’s how I proceed since years :

  • When a new version is released, I’m looking if there’s major evolution from my current version (awx and awx-operator), depends on what’s new, i’m testing the release apart from my current production setup.

  • Else, i still keep in mind to update/upgrades the whole chain :
    k8s version > k8s components (in my case metalLB/ingress-nginx) > helm chart (awx-operator)

I try to still have the most updated K8s version my platform and components allow.

  • Then
    I first backup my AWX configuration using awx export cli
    Then, I upgrade awx-operator

If i face an issue, so I simply rollback with Helm.
I used to perform 2 upgrades per year, however, as AWX is currently completely refactored, next time will probably be a fresh new installation :slight_smile:

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Thanks a lot for sharing your approach — this is super helpful!

Your upgrade strategy sounds well-balanced, especially the part about decoupling the Kubernetes upgrades from AWX upgrades and keeping a clear backup/rollback flow via Helm and awx export.
That gives me some confidence that AWX Operator upgrades can be managed relatively safely even without a strict compatibility matrix.

I agree that with the recent AWX architecture changes, it may make more sense to treat upcoming versions as fresh setups rather than traditional upgrades.

Really appreciate your practical insight!

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Yeah, honestly i learnt K8s basics when i first deployed AWX, and thanks to k8s/helm you can safely try to update/upgrade or even duplicate your instance without breaking anything, just keep a backup somewhere in case of need but if you understand the workflow, it’s ok :slight_smile:

My approach is probably not the best and the most automated, but it fit my needs (we’re a very small team).
I remember some others posts (about awx db backup) where people used to get external database, then perform whole database backup. It’s another option.