Cloud Worker versions are now named by distribution and build date

How it used to work

A step configuration offered four Cloud Worker options:

• Cloud Worker — the default.
• Cloud Worker (early access) — the next version, for testing before it became the default.
• Cloud Worker (previous) — the version that was the default before.
• Cloud Worker (Ubuntu 18.04 legacy) — the old Ubuntu container.

Cloud Worker was updated to a newer container from time to time. (previous) kept the container it replaced.

None of the four options let you select an exact container. We controlled what each name pointed to, and we could change it. If a customer needed a fixed container, we configured it manually for that workspace. These manual workarounds show that the model did not work, so we are replacing it.

The names also gave you no information. They did not show the Linux distribution or the build date, and (early access) and (previous) pointed to different containers at different times.

What changes

Each step now uses one of two kinds of option.

• A specific version. The name gives the distribution and the build date, for example Cloud Worker (Debian 12 bookworm) 2026-09-08. This container never changes.
• The automatically updating version. The name ends in auto-update instead of a date, for example Cloud Worker (Debian 12 bookworm) auto-update. When we release a new Cloud Worker for that distribution, we point this option to it. Your steps use the new container on their next run.

Each distribution has one auto-update option, and it only moves within that distribution. A new distribution is added as a new option. We never apply it to an existing selection.

We normally set the auto-update option to the latest available image. This is a guideline, not a fixed rule.

We plan to release a new Cloud Worker about once a month. This is a target, not a commitment.

What this means for your steps

Nothing changes. Your steps use the same container as before. Only the name is different.

There is one exception. Cloud Worker (early access) becomes the auto-update option, so it moves to the latest container. This is the update that option was designed to receive.

The Extended variant is removed. The standard Cloud Worker now contains everything the variant added, including LibreOffice.

No action is required. When you next work on your process configurations, check which Cloud Worker each step uses. The name shows the build date, so you can see if it is old.

See Robocorp-Hosted Cloud Worker for details.