Updating and rollbacks

Component updates can be applied by running gcloud components update. This will list any components that have available updates along with any release notes. Updates are run transactionally, and old versions of components (including the SDK core libraries) are preserved locally as backups.

Transactional updates enable users to quickly switch between versions of the SDK, which can be done by providing an optional --version flag such as gcloud components update --version 1.8.1. Google Cloud SDK component releases are tied to specific versions of the SDK, making it possible to associate a specific version of the SDK components with a versioned build of your own services. For operations, this can be a great way to help ensure repeatable build processes.

If at any time, you find that a component stops functioning correctly (for instance, if you've modified the SDK files), you can usually repair any damage by reinstalling the components. This can be done by running gcloud components reinstall. Note that any changes you've made to the SDK will be lost.