Skip to content
Externa

· 6 min

Externa Core 1.0.0 — first stable GA

What GA means for operators: Packagist install, Docker quick-deploy, webhook secret enforcement, and how to upgrade from beta.4.

Externa Core 1.0.0 — first stable GA

On 21 September 2026 we cut Externa Core v1.0.0, the first stable (GA) release. It builds on the public betas (v1.0.0-beta.1 … beta.4) with install and Docker DX, webhook hardening, and admin polish. Full notes: GitHub Release v1.0.0 · docs Changelog.

Who this is for

  • New operators starting a self-hosted Externa instance.
  • Beta testers on 1.0.0-beta.4 who need a clear path to stable.

If you already run a newer tag (1.1.x / 1.2.x), this post is historical — jump to the 1.1.0 or 1.2.0 notes instead.

What changed for users

Install path is Packagist-first

Stable install is:

bash
composer create-project qiick/externa-core externa-core
cd externa-core
php artisan externa:install

create-project copies the app tree once. It is not the update channel — later releases come from Git tags / Docker image pins, then php artisan externa:upgrade (migrate / permissions / cache). See Upgrade and Quick Start.

Docker quick-deploy

GHCR multi-arch images on v* tags, compose.quick.yaml, gated RUN_SEED on first boot, and healthchecks landed for operators who prefer Compose over Herd. Docs: Deploy with Docker.

Webhook signing secrets are mandatory

Outbound webhooks refuse delivery when the signing secret is empty (no empty-key HMAC). Configure a secret on every webhook before you expect deliveries. This was deferred from beta.4 and is a behavior change vs earlier betas.

Opt-in upstream sync

php artisan externa:upgrade --sync-upstream=vX.Y.Z can merge the official tag into your tree when you choose to. Default externa:upgrade still only migrates, syncs permissions, and clears caches — it does not pull code.

Admin polish

Drag-and-drop reorder for M2A blocks and unified single-line field control heights shipped in the same cut.

Upgrade steps

Fresh install

Follow Quick Start: composer create-project → php artisan externa:install → open APP_URL.

From 1.0.0-beta.4

  1. Back up the database and .env (Backup & restore).
  2. Bring code to tag v1.0.0 (git checkout/merge or Docker image ghcr.io/qiick-io/externa-core:1.0.0).
  3. Run:
bash
composer install
npm ci && npm run build
php artisan externa:upgrade
# or: php artisan migrate --force && php artisan permissions:sync && php artisan optimize:clear
  1. Set a signing secret on every outbound webhook.
  2. Restart queue workers (and Reverb/Horizon if you use them).

Breaking / behavior notes

  • Empty webhook signing secrets → no delivery until configured.
  • Requirements at GA: PHP 8.4+ (composer ^8.4), Node 24 for the admin frontend build. Prefer patched PHP 8.4.27+ or 8.5.12+ on new hosts.

Sources

Related

Back to blog