Published
Feb 8, 2021
Updated
May 25, 2022
One of the most important and possibly the only task you need to do on a self-managed server such as a Digital Ocean Droplet is needing to upgrade the distribution. When you log in you will see the message that there are packages to upgrade and X upgrades are security.
Image
![ubuntu modules update message in terminal](/sites/default/files/styles/media_article_full_width_1000w_/public/2021-05/distribution%20package%20updates.png?itok=AmbREHgI)
If you see that then you can run the below script on the command line. In some cases, you may need to confirm certain parts of the upgrade by typing Y and enter so best to stick around. It normally only takes 5 - 10 minutes to complete. You can use the time to tackle a small task while it performs the upgrade.
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade