Channels & Versions

How QuickBox Pro picks application versions and how release channels work

Overview

QuickBox Pro resolves the right version of each application for your server automatically. You do not pin versions by hand. This page explains the two mechanisms that decide what you get — version resolution (which build of an app installs) and release channels (stable vs. beta/nightly) — and how to choose between them from the Dashboard or the CLI.

Application pages link here instead of repeating this explanation, so you can learn it once and apply it everywhere.

Key concepts

Automatic version resolution

For compiled applications, QuickBox reads the latest build for your distribution from the packages manifest. No version flags or manual database updates are needed.

Per-app release channels

Some apps offer a stable channel and a nightly/beta channel. You pick the channel in the install dialog or switch it later from Application Control.

System package channel

Admins can set the server-wide compiled-packages branch to main (stable) or develop (beta), which affects which builds the catalog offers.

Updates follow your channel

Updating an app pulls the latest build on the channel it is set to. Switching channels and updating moves the app to that channel's latest build.

Version resolution

For compiled applications (such as qBittorrent, rTorrent, and similar), QuickBox resolves the version dynamically from the packages.lst manifest in the QuickBox/compiled-packages repository. QuickBox determines the latest available build for your distribution codename, along with any matching dependencies, automatically.

You do not need to supply a version flag or run any database update — installing or updating an application always resolves the correct current build for your distribution.

Release channels

Some applications publish more than one release channel. QuickBox exposes these as selectable options.

Channel type	Options	Where you choose it
Per-app channel	Stable / Nightly (varies by app)	The install dialog when you install, or the app's update control in Application Control afterward
System package channel	main (stable) / develop (beta)	Admin-only, server-wide — affects which compiled builds the catalog offers

For example, Radarr and Sonarr offer a Stable and a Nightly channel; Plex offers a Public and a Plex Pass channel. The available options are shown as selectable choices when you install the app, and again when you update it.

Nightly and beta are opt-in

Stable is the default for every application. Nightly and beta channels deliver newer builds sooner, but those builds are less tested. Choose them only if you want early features and are comfortable with occasional instability.

Choosing a version or channel

From the Dashboard

When you click Install on an application that offers version or channel choices, the install dialog presents them as selectable options before the job starts. Any app-specific setup fields (such as a custom library path or a service token) appear in the same dialog.

To change an app’s channel after installation, use its update control in the Application Control panel of the App Dashboard — switching the channel and updating moves the app to that channel’s latest build. See App Management for the full package flow.

From the CLI

The CLI runs the same resolution and accepts the equivalent channel flags where an app supports them (for example, a --nightly flag for apps with a nightly channel). The full per-app flag list lives in the CLI Reference.

Best practices

Do

Stay on the stable channel unless you specifically want early builds
Let QuickBox resolve versions automatically rather than pinning by hand
Switch a single app to nightly to test a feature, instead of moving the whole server to the beta package channel
Update an app after switching its channel so it lands on that channel's latest build

Don't

Don't set the system package channel to develop on a production server unless you intend to run beta builds server-wide
Don't expect nightly builds to be as stable as releases — they are not

FAQ

No. Every app defaults to its stable channel and the current resolved build for your distribution. You only choose if you want a different channel or an app-specific option.

A per-app channel (such as Radarr Stable vs. Nightly) affects only that application. The system package channel (main vs. develop) is an admin-only, server-wide setting that affects which compiled builds the catalog offers. They are independent.

Switch the app's channel back to stable using its update control in Application Control, then update it. The next build pulled will be from the stable channel.

Users manage channels for the applications they own and that their group allows. The system-wide package channel is admin-only.

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