Upgrade a self-installation of APM Server standalone to 8.16.1

This upgrade guide is for the standalone method of running APM Server. Only use this guide if both of the following are true:

You have a self-installation of the Elastic Stack, i.e. you’re not using Elastic Cloud.
You’re running the APM Server binary, i.e. you haven’t switched to the Elastic APM integration.

Prior to upgrading to version 8.16.1, Elasticsearch, Kibana, and APM Server must be upgraded to version 7.17.
- To upgrade Elasticsearch and Kibana, see the Elastic Stack Installation and Upgrade Guide
- To upgrade APM Server to version 7.17, see upgrade to version 7.17.
Review the APM release notes, breaking changes, and Observability What’s new content.

Upgrade the Elastic Stack to version 8.16.1

The Elastic Stack (Elasticsearch and Kibana) must be upgraded before APM Server. See the Elastic Stack Installation and Upgrade Guide for guidance.
Install the 8.16.1 APM Server release

See install to find the command that works with your system.
Review your configuration file

Some settings have been removed or changed. You may need to update your apm-server.yml configuration file prior to starting the APM Server. See Installation layout for help in locating this file, and Configure APM Server for a list of all available configuration options.
Start the APM Server

To start the APM Server, run:
```
./apm-server -e
```
Additional details are available in start the APM Server.
(Optional) Upgrade to the APM integration

Got time for one more upgrade? See Switch to the Elastic APM integration.