We’re in the present day formally deprecating two set up strategies and three legacy CPU architectures. We at all times attempt to have Residence Assistant run on virtually something, however generally we should make troublesome selections to maintain the mission shifting ahead. Although these adjustments will solely have an effect on a small proportion of Residence Assistant customers, we wish to do every little thing in our energy to make this simple for individuals who could must migrate.
Starting with Residence Assistant 2025.6, affected techniques will show a notification after updating, indicating that help will finish in six months (with launch 2025.12) and embody a suggestion to migrate to a supported system. On this publish, we’ll go into our pondering on these deprecations and our findings after consulting the neighborhood on these adjustments.
We’ve deprecated the next set up strategies:
- Residence Assistant Core set up methodology, the place you run your system in a Python setting, to not be confused with Container (for instance, working your system in Docker).
- Residence Assistant’s Supervised set up methodology, which entails working your individual working system, then putting in the Supervisor and different necessities on high of that.
These are superior set up strategies, with solely a small proportion of the neighborhood opting to make use of them. In case you are utilizing these strategies, you possibly can proceed to take action (you possibly can even proceed to replace your system), however in six months time, you’ll not be supported, which I’ll clarify the impacts of within the subsequent part. References to those set up strategies can be faraway from our documentation after our subsequent launch (2025.6). Going ahead Residence Assistant OS
Sooner or later, solely the presently supported 64-bit architectures (aarch64 and amd64) can be used. The next legacy architectures are being deprecated:
- i386 (32-bit x86) is an structure utilized by Intel and AMD predominantly earlier than 2003, however some later processors nonetheless utilized it (e.g., early Intel Atom fashions).
- armhf (32-bit ARM hard-float) was utilized by very early single-board computer systems, notably the unique Raspberry Pi.
- armv7 (32-bit ARM) was utilized by quite a lot of early single-board computer systems, most notably the Raspberry Pi 2.
In case you are one of many few with a system utilizing these architectures, you’ll obtain a notification after updating to 2025.6, and it’ll describe how you can migrate your system. In six months, your system will change into unsupported and can not obtain updates.
Examine our information to see in case your present Residence Assistant set up is affected.
What does deprecated and unsupported imply
Within the easiest phrases, deprecation is the place you cease recommending a sure function to customers as you plan to take away it quickly. As we deprecated the Core and Supervised installations strategies in the present day, which means we at the moment are working to take away all references to them from our documentation. The aim is to information new customers in the direction of set up strategies we plan to help long run, and discourage the usage of these which might be being phased out.
Although they’re being deprecated, we’re committing to help them for an extra six months (till launch 2025.12), giving present customers time emigrate to Residence Assistant OS or Container. Throughout this time we are going to guarantee these set up varieties preserve functioning as regular through the deprecation interval. Nonetheless, after these six months have elapsed, these strategies will change into unsupported, which implies subject reviews will not be accepted. As these set up strategies are used for the event of Residence Assistant, it’s going to nonetheless be technically doable to replace them. We nonetheless would advocate migrating to a supported methodology, however that’s your selection.
As i386, armhf, and armv7 architectures have additionally been deprecated, we’re presently eradicating references to them from our documentation. Extra importantly, they may also be topic to a six-month help window. After that help ends (from launch 2025.12 onwards), we are going to not construct or launch distributions or containers concentrating on these platforms. It will imply that in six months’ time, there can be no extra updates for these techniques, and if customers encounter points, they may not have the ability to ask for help from Residence Assistant maintainers.
Why we made this resolution
Core and Supervised
From our opt-in analytics
The Core and Supervised set up strategies usually are not solely complicated for customers to put in and keep — they’re additionally difficult for the Residence Assistant staff to help. Prior to now, there have been compelling causes, exterior Residence Assistant improvement, to run these set up strategies, however for most individuals these causes are disappearing. Residence Assistant OS may be very succesful with a wealthy ecosystem of add-ons, whereas additionally being simple to run in a digital machine. Container adoption has change into mainstream, now being extensively out there together with techniques having extra sources to run them. Steadily, we’ve seen year-on-year reductions within the proportion of Core and Supervised installations (presently standing at 2.5% and three.3% respectively).
As Core and Supervised are extra complicated to keep up, they generate extra points which might be harder to unravel. This complexity locations a disproportionate burden on our community-driven help system, the place volunteers generously give their time to assist others. It additionally takes time away from aiding the overwhelming majority of customers who’re on the less complicated to keep up set up strategies. Together with this, new customers might generally be swayed into working Core or Supervised, and have a foul expertise that would trigger them to surrender on one of the best ways to automate their dwelling. By focusing our help and documentation on OS and Container strategies, we will significantly enhance the onboarding expertise and guarantee a smoother begin for brand spanking new customers.
Legacy 32-bit architectures
Although Residence Assistant may be very lean and might run nice on older or low-spec {hardware}, the architectures we’re deprecating are undoubtedly on the leaner aspect of the spectrum. That in all probability explains why we see such low utilization figures, with i386 and armhf architectures representing lower than 0.5% of installations every, and armv7 at solely 0.95% of installations. Greater than half of Residence Assistant techniques utilizing armv7 have {hardware} that’s able to working 64-bit working techniques, like Raspberry Pi 3 and 4. This {hardware} can truly improve and migrate to a supported 64-bit model of our Residence Assistant Working System
The broader software program and {hardware} industries have additionally shifted away from these older 32-bit techniques. Most have adopted 64-bit architectures reminiscent of amd64 and aarch64, and we’re seeing extra initiatives we rely on not supporting these 32-bit architectures. There have already been a number of cases the place maintaining help for these architectures has held again the event of recent options.
Your suggestions
For any main change, it’s our aim to ensure the neighborhood guides this decision-making. When our maintainers initially proposed these deprecations, we shared this plan with the neighborhood (in our discussion board, GitHub, Discord, Reddit, and different social channels), utilizing it to assemble suggestions. It was a constructive, civil dialogue, and we discovered a few attention-grabbing issues which have helped us transfer this resolution ahead.
First, our present wording is complicated to the neighborhood. Core and Supervisor are elements of Residence Assistant OS, however are additionally comparable—or the identical—because the names of set up strategies, which isn’t tremendous clear for brand spanking new customers. We additionally discovered these set up strategies being utilized in methods we by no means anticipated, and there are a very good quantity of people that had been already working Residence Assistant in customized and unsupported methods, not even realizing they had been unsupported.
A lot of these impacted requested for higher steering on how you can migrate. quantity had been unaware of our enlargement of backup and restore options to all set up strategies, considerably smoothing their transition to a brand new platform.
Examine when you’re affected
The blue arrow exhibits your set up sort, and the crimson arrow shows the structure.
In case you are uncertain which set up methodology you’re working:
- Choose this hyperlink OR Navigate to Settings > System > Repairs, choose the three-dotted menu within the high proper nook, and choose System data.
- Examine the Set up sort area. In case you are working Residence Assistant OS, or Container, you’re high quality because the set up methodology deprecation doesn’t apply to you.
On this identical window, you’ll find the structure as properly:
- The CPU structure area will inform you precisely which structure you’re utilizing. In case you are seeing aarch64 or x86_64 right here, you’re high quality because the structure deprecation doesn’t apply to you.
How one can migrate
Inexperienced are staying, and crimson are deprecated.
If it’s been some time because you’ve migrated Residence Assistant techniques, lots has improved over the previous a number of years. Switching techniques is as simple as making a backup, downloading it, and restoring it through the initialization of your new system (Residence Assistant Cloud subscribers utilizing off-site backups can restore with simply their password). Each Residence Assistant set up methodology now has backups, and you’ll restore backups from any methodology onto one other whatever the variations in structure. In lots of instances, little or no must be accomplished as soon as the restore is profitable (to the dismay of tinkerers on-line
Earlier than you concentrate on migrating to a distinct set up methodology, you possibly can at all times select to stay with what you’ve gotten. Simply because it turns into unsupported by the Residence Assistant mission, it doesn’t imply you possibly can’t preserve working it such as you do in the present day. That selection is as much as you.
| Want | At present utilizing | Migrate to |
|---|---|---|
| Residence Assistant with add-ons | Supervised | Residence Assistant OS |
| A system with out Residence Assistant OS help | Supervised | Container (many add-ons may be run as containers alongside Residence Assistant) |
| Full management of the host system | Supervised | Run Residence Assistant OS in a VM, or Container (alongside add-on containers) |
| Light-weight resolution | Core | Container |
For Residence Assistant Core customers, the closest different is Residence Assistant Container, which is mostly used with Docker. When you can dedicate a tool solely to Residence Assistant, the beneficial set up methodology is Residence Assistant OS, which supplies an appliance-like setup.
For Residence Assistant Supervised customers, we advocate migrating to Residence Assistant OS—it helps every little thing Supervised does, together with add-ons. In order for you extra management over the OS, you too can run Residence Assistant OS in a digital machine, like with Proxmox, or go the Residence Assistant Container path alternatively.
For deprecated architectures, there’s usually no supported migration path utilizing your present {hardware}. You’ll subsequently want to seek out different {hardware} appropriate with Residence Assistant OS or Container. Second-hand single-board computer systems and recycled small-form-factor workplace machines are inexpensive and sustainable choices. In some instances, your system could also be working a 32-bit working system, however is able to working a 64-bit one (Raspberry Pi 3 and 4 are examples of techniques usually working a 32-bit OS regardless of being able to working 64-bit). On this case, you will have to put in a 64-bit succesful working system and restore Residence Assistant on that system.
Continuously requested questions
-
If Residence Assistant Core is used for improvement, and a part of the developer docs, why not simply supply it to end-users?
This isn’t nearly technical viability, additionally it is about serving to and supporting folks with their points, issues, and questions, in our boards and chat. Having these choices out there to much less technical folks results in help queries, and if they’ve a foul first expertise that displays poorly on the mission. Customers are free to proceed working their techniques the way in which they want. -
No help for Core or Supervised—can I nonetheless use them?
You may nonetheless use them even when we not help them. There are various customers working Residence Assistant in all types of unofficial methods. This transformation simply means we’re eradicating it from our end-user documentation and can not advocate utilizing these set up strategies from an official standpoint. -
Will the developer documentation on this stuff stay?
Sure, these will stay. The developer documentation for working Residence Assistant’s Core Python utility straight in a Python digital setting will stay. That is how we develop. This proposal is about eradicating end-user documentation and help. -
Can I begin sustaining these set up strategies?
Whereas sustaining these strategies would require effort, the neighborhood is free to maneuver documentation and code to new impartial initiatives. Our maintainers will not settle for points or present end-user documentation, however that shouldn’t cease anybody enthusiastic about them from persevering with to run them, or serving to others to do the identical. -
Can I reproduce any of the installations you supply?
Sure, after all! All our pipelines are open supply and clear, you possibly can at all times recreate any of our pipelines and launch artifacts; both automated or handbook. -
Is that this step one in the direction of making Residence Assistant closed supply/proprietary/business?
No, that’s inconceivable. Residence Assistant will at all times stay open supply. Residence Assistant is owned by the Open Residence Basis, a Swiss non-profit basis that’s audited and ruled, and—by legislation—certain by its mission. This implies it’s going to at all times be open supply and can’t be purchased or offered.
