I couldn't find any specific breaking changes between versions 2.14.18 and 2.17.1 from the closed GitHub issues with the label "breaking-change". It seems there are no such breaking changes explicitly mentioned for these versions.
Prefect's documentation mentions the importance of version compatibility, especially when running a Prefect server or using Prefect Cloud, and recommends keeping all clients the same version as the server or older to ensure compatibility. It also states that deprecations are marked and deprecated features are retained for at least 3 minor version increases or 6 months, whichever is longer, with possible extensions. Non-breaking bug fixes are sometimes implemented that change behavior without being classified as breaking changes.
For upgrading, no specific instructions for an in-place upgrade between these two versions are outlined, but it might be helpful to refer to the versioning strategy and migration guide for general practices:
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Versioning Strategy
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Migration Guide
Just in case, consider creating a backup before upgrading and testing in a staging environment to identify any unexpected issues. Ensure that your server and client versions remain compatible after the upgrade, especially when using Prefect Cloud.