Add update checker management command and documentation

README.md

@@ -47,6 +47,26 @@ It provides:
 We try hard to keep our documentation well written, easy to understand and always updated.
 All info about installation, usage, configuration and contribution can be found [here](https://intelowlproject.github.io/docs/)
 
+
+### Update Checker
+A new management command is available to check whether the running
+IntelOwl instance is behind the latest published release.
+This is useful for administrators who want to be notified when an upgrade is available.
+#### Run manually
+```bash
+python manage.py check_updates
+```
+The command fetches the latest release tag from the configured source
+and compares it to the local version.
+#### Configuration
+Defaults can be overridden in settings:
+```python
+REACT_APP_INTELOWL_VERSION = "6.4.0"        # local version string
+UPDATE_CHECK_URL = "https://api.github.com/repos/intelowlproject/IntelOwl/releases/latest"
+```
+No updates are installed automatically; the command only logs whether a new version is available. For periodic checks, you can schedule this command using cron or another job scheduler.
+
+
 ### Publications and Media
 
 To know more about the project and its growth over time, you may be interested in reading [the official blog posts and/or videos about the project by clicking on this link](https://intelowlproject.github.io/docs/IntelOwl/introduction/#publications-and-media)

api_app/core/update_checker.py

@@ -0,0 +1,97 @@
+import logging
+import requests
+from django.conf import settings
+
+logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
+def normalize_version(v):
+    """
+    Convert '1.2.3' → (1, 2, 3) so versions can be compared.
+    Stops at the first non-numeric part.
+    """
+    parts = []
+    for x in v.split("."):
+        if x.isdigit():
+            parts.append(int(x))
+        else:
+            break
+    return tuple(parts)
+
+
+def fetch_latest_version():
+    """
+    Fetch the latest IntelOwl version string from the update URL.
+    Returns a version string without any leading 'v', or None on error.
+    """
+    update_url = getattr(settings, "UPDATE_CHECK_URL", None)
+
+    if not update_url:
+        logger.warning("UPDATE_CHECK_URL not configured")
+        return None
+
+    try:
+        resp = requests.get(
+            update_url,
+            headers={"User-Agent": "IntelOwl-Update-Checker"},
+            timeout=5,
+        )
+        resp.raise_for_status()
+
+        data = resp.json()
+        tag = data.get("tag_name")
+        if not tag:
+            logger.warning("release response missing tag_name")
+            return None
+
+        # remove optional 'v' prefix
+        return tag.lstrip("v")
+
+    except requests.RequestException as exc:
+        logger.error(f"update check failed: {exc}")
+        return None
+    except ValueError:
+        logger.error("invalid JSON in update response")
+        return None
+
+
+def check_for_update():
+    """
+    Compare the running IntelOwl version with the latest available one
+    and log a warning if a newer version exists.
+    """
+    current_version_str = getattr(settings, "INTEL_OWL_VERSION", None)
+    latest_str = fetch_latest_version()
+
+    if not current_version_str:
+        logger.warning("INTEL_OWL_VERSION setting missing")
+        return
+
+    if not latest_str:
+        return  # fetch logged any errors
+
+    current_version_str = str(current_version_str).lstrip("v")
+
+    current = normalize_version(current_version_str)
+    latest = normalize_version(latest_str)
+
+    if not current or not latest:
+        # fallback string compare if parsing failed
+        if latest_str != current_version_str:
+            logger.warning(
+                f"Update available: {latest_str} "
+                f"(current: {current_version_str})"
+            )
+        return
+
+    if latest > current:
+        logger.warning(
+            f"New IntelOwl version available: {latest_str} "
+            f"(current: {current_version_str})"
+        )
+    elif latest < current:
+        logger.info(
+            f"Local version ahead of release: "
+            f"{current_version_str} > {latest_str}"
+        )
+    else:
+        logger.info(f"IntelOwl version up to date ({current_version_str})")

api_app/management/commands/check_updates.py

@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+from django.core.management.base import BaseCommand
+from api_app.core.update_checker import check_for_update
+
+class Command(BaseCommand):
+    help = "Check for newer IntelOwl releases"
+
+    def handle(self, *args, **options):
+        check_for_update()
+        self.stdout.write(self.style.SUCCESS("Update check completed"))

intel_owl/settings/commons.py

@@ -54,3 +54,10 @@
 GIT_SSH_SCRIPT_PATH = (
     PROJECT_LOCATION / "api_app" / "analyzers_manager" / "ssh_gitpython.sh"
 )
+
+# Update checker settings 
+UPDATE_CHECK_URL = get_secret(
+    "UPDATE_CHECK_URL",
+    "https://api.github.com/repos/intelowlproject/IntelOwl/releases/latest",
+)
+INTEL_OWL_VERSION = VERSION