# SecretVM Upgradeability SecretVMs support optional upgradeablility. In the context of SecretVM, upgradeability means that if the workload is modified (e.g. the docker container is upgraded to a newer version), the upgraded SecretVM will get access to the encrypted state created by the previous version of the VM. ### Defininig Upgradeability at Creation Time When a SecretVM is created, the developer can decide whether the VM is upgradeable or not. This decision is final and cannot be changed later in the life of SecretVM If upgradeability is not enabled, the VM's secret keys are generated inside the KMS contract using `AddSecretKeyByImage` method, i.e. the keys can only be accessed by this specific VM image, and if the workload changes, the access to pre-existing secrets will be lost) If upgradeability is enabled, the a new *service* is generated in the KMS contract using `CreateService` and `AddImageToService` messages. In the future, the SecretVM can be upgraded to a new workload (i.e. new set of Attestation registrs), and the new image is added to the *service* in the KMS contract, thus providing the upgraded VM with access to the persistence state of the previous version. ### Transparency and Verifiability It is important that the end users are aware whether a given SecretVM is upgradeable or not. Similar to smart contracts, the users may be more willing to trust their information to non-upgradeable services. If a SecretVM is upgradeable, it is important that the users can see the upgrade history. #### Viewing the upgrade history The upgrade history of a SecretVM is available through a dedicated endpoint built in to the [secret-vm-rest-attest server](https://github.com/scrtlabs/secret-vm-attest-rest-server) that runs as part of the SecretVM Runtime. The endpoint can be accessed using \:29343/vm\_updates If the machine is upgradeable, the endpoint will show the history of its upgrades. #### On-chain Visibility Every time a new Image is added to a Service, an `add_image_to_service` event is published on-chain. The event has the following parameters: * service\_id (ID of the Service to which a new image was aded * admin (identity of the administrator of the service) * image (a string representing the attestation fields defining the new image) * description (optional description provided by the developer) --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.scrt.network/secret-network-documentation/secretvm-confidential-virtual-machines/managing-secretvm-lifecycle/secretvm-upgradeability.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.