How to Find the Roundcube Version Provided by cPanel and Upgrade Roundcube
Introduction
Roundcube is the webmail application bundled with cPanel for managing email accounts through a web browser. In some environments, administrators may need to verify the installed Roundcube version or perform an upgrade to access new features, bug fixes, or security improvements.
Note: Modern versions of cPanel manage Roundcube automatically through cPanel updates. Manually replacing the bundled Roundcube installation is not recommended because it can be overwritten during future cPanel updates and may lead to compatibility issues. The manual upgrade steps below reflect a legacy procedure used on older cPanel versions.
Prerequisites
Before upgrading Roundcube, ensure the following:
- Root or sudo access to the cPanel server.
- SSH access to the server.
- A backup of the existing Roundcube installation.
- Backup of the Roundcube database and configuration files.
- Sufficient disk space for downloading and extracting the new version.
- Maintenance window (recommended) to avoid interrupting active webmail users.
Step 1: Check the Installed Roundcube Version
Log in to the server via SSH and run:
cat /var/cpanel/roundcube/version
Example output:
0.5.4.cp11130.1
This displays the Roundcube version currently bundled with your cPanel installation.
Step 2: Update the Existing Roundcube Installation
Run the cPanel Roundcube update utility:
/usr/local/cpanel/bin/update-roundcube --force
This refreshes the existing Roundcube installation managed by cPanel.
Step 3: Navigate to the Third-Party Directory
cd /usr/local/cpanel/base/3rdparty/
Step 4: Back Up the Existing Roundcube Installation
Rename the current Roundcube directory:
mv roundcube roundcube-backup
This preserves the existing installation in case a rollback is required.
Step 5: Download the Required Roundcube Version
Download the desired Roundcube release.
Example:
wget http://softlayer.dl.sourceforge.net/project/roundcubemail/roundcubemail/0.6/roundcubemail-0.6.tar.gz
Step 6: Extract the Downloaded Archive
tar -zxf roundcubemail-0.6.tar.gz
Step 7: Rename the Extracted Directory
mv roundcubemail-0.6 roundcube
Step 8: Restore the Configuration Files
Copy the configuration files from the backup:
cp roundcube-backup/config/main.inc.php roundcube/config/ cp roundcube-backup/config/db.inc.php roundcube/config/
Step 9: Set Ownership
Assign the correct ownership to the Roundcube directory:
chown root:wheel -R roundcube
Move to the configuration directory:
cd roundcube/config
Assign ownership to the configuration files:
chown cpanelroundcube:cpanelroundcube db.inc.php chown cpanelroundcube:cpanelroundcube main.inc.php
Step 10: Trigger the Roundcube Installer
Create the installation trigger file:
echo > /var/cpanel/roundcube/install
Make it executable:
chmod +x /var/cpanel/roundcube/install
This allows cPanel to complete the Roundcube installation process.
Verification
After the upgrade:
- Log in to Roundcube webmail.
- Verify that mail functionality is working correctly.
- Confirm the new version if applicable.
- Check the server logs for any errors.
Conclusion
Checking the installed Roundcube version in cPanel is as simple as reading the version file located under /var/cpanel/roundcube/version. On legacy cPanel systems, administrators could manually upgrade Roundcube by backing up the existing installation, installing a newer release, restoring configuration files, and correcting file ownership. For modern cPanel installations, however, the recommended approach is to keep cPanel updated, as Roundcube is maintained and upgraded automatically through the cPanel update process.
