How Safe Is It to Use “yum update” on Amazon Linux 2 Without Breaking Applications?

I'd say the chances of something breaking are pretty low. But, always test updates in a non-production environment before going live, just to be safe. A typical yum update shouldn't cause major issues with interpreters like Python.

In scientific computing, we never use the OS version of Python, R, or Java for our critical workloads because updates can mess them up. It's best to manage dependencies outside the OS. Tools like environment-modules or lmod can help you switch between versions easily. That said, while the risk is fairly low, it's still wise to test outside of production if you have concerns.

If you're worried about potential problems, it’s a great idea to snapshot your instance's EBS volumes first. That way, if the update goes awry, you can easily revert to the original state. You can even clone the instance for testing updates and avoid issues with your main instance. Check out AWS documentation for backup tips!

The risk mainly depends on whether your applications rely on system libraries or if they have their own packages. Sometimes, updates can unexpectedly break things because, well, it's software we're talking about! So yeah, proceed with caution.

It really varies based on your app and how you manage your dependencies. It's generally risky to update without testing first, especially if your app isn't installed via rpm. Consider using golden images or Docker, as they help manage dependencies better. If your app is simple and doesn't rely on outside libraries, you should be okay, though.