Upgrades and migrations

Keep your app up to date with the latest Canva features and best practices.

As the Canva Apps platform evolves, we release new versions of the Apps SDK, App UI Kit, and introduce new patterns to improve app performance, compatibility, and developer experience. This section provides guides to help you upgrade your apps to use the latest features and APIs.

Available migrations

The following migration guides are available to help you upgrade your app:

Apps SDK v2: Migrate your app from Apps SDK v1 to v2, which includes breaking changes and new APIs.
Design Editor intent: Migrate your app from the legacy direct render pattern to the standardized Design Editor intent pattern.
App UI Kit v5: Migrate your app from App UI Kit v4 to v5, which includes a new design token system and component updates.

Automated migrations with the Canva CLI

The Canva CLI includes an automated migration tool that can handle most of the code changes required for these upgrades. The canva apps migrate command analyzes your app's code and automatically updates:

Package imports and versions
API method signatures
Component properties and design tokens
App configuration files

Using the migrate command

To use the automated migration tool:

Install the Canva CLI if you haven't already:
```
npm install -g @canva/cli@latest
```
SHELL
In your app directory, run the migrate command with the migration name:
```
canva apps migrate <migrationName>
```
SHELL

Example

To migrate your app to Apps SDK v2:

canva apps migrate apps-sdk-v1-v2

SHELL

The tool will analyze your code, make the necessary changes, and provide a summary of what was updated. After running the migration, review the changes and test your app to ensure everything works as expected.

While the automated migration tool handles most changes, some migrations may require additional manual steps. Always refer to the specific migration guide for complete instructions.

Next steps

Review the specific migration guide for your upgrade.
Learn more about the Canva CLI.
Check the API reference for the latest API documentation.