diff --git a/backend.php b/backend.php
index 4184e87c8..ef1184068 100644
--- a/backend.php
+++ b/backend.php
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@
 		UserHelper::load_user_plugins($_SESSION["uid"]);
 	}
 
-	if (Config::get_schema_version() !== SCHEMA_VERSION) {
+	if (Db_Updater::is_update_required()) {
 		print Errors::to_json(Errors::E_SCHEMA_MISMATCH);
 		return;
 	}
diff --git a/classes/dbupdater.php b/classes/db/updater.php
similarity index 81%
rename from classes/dbupdater.php
rename to classes/db/updater.php
index d1df31b40..9d27c94d9 100644
--- a/classes/dbupdater.php
+++ b/classes/db/updater.php
@@ -1,22 +1,22 @@
 <?php
-class DbUpdater {
+class Db_Updater {
+	const SCHEMA_VERSION = 142;
 
 	private $pdo;
 	private $db_type;
-	private $need_version;
 
-	function __construct($pdo, $db_type, $need_version) {
+	function __construct($pdo, $db_type) {
 		$this->pdo = $pdo;
 		$this->db_type = $db_type;
-		$this->need_version = (int) $need_version;
 	}
 
-	function get_schema_version() {
+	/** always returns actual (=uncached) value */
+	private static function get_schema_version() {
 		return Config::get_schema_version(true);
 	}
 
-	function is_update_required() {
-		return $this->get_schema_version() < $this->need_version;
+	static function is_update_required() {
+		return self::get_schema_version() < self::SCHEMA_VERSION;
 	}
 
 	function get_schema_lines($version) {
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ class DbUpdater {
 					}
 				}
 
-				$db_version = $this->get_schema_version();
+				$db_version = self::get_schema_version();
 
 				if ($db_version == $version) {
 					$this->pdo->commit();
diff --git a/classes/handler/public.php b/classes/handler/public.php
index f7df6fc74..08df7bbc1 100755
--- a/classes/handler/public.php
+++ b/classes/handler/public.php
@@ -660,14 +660,14 @@ class Handler_Public extends Handler {
 
 			<?php
 				@$op = clean($_REQUEST["subop"] ?? "");
-				$updater = new DbUpdater(Db::pdo(), Config::get(Config::DB_TYPE), SCHEMA_VERSION);
+				$updater = new Db_Updater(Db::pdo(), Config::get(Config::DB_TYPE));
 
 				if ($op == "performupdate") {
-					if ($updater->is_update_required()) {
+					if (Db_Updater::is_update_required()) {
 
-						print "<h2>" . T_sprintf("Performing updates to version %d", SCHEMA_VERSION) . "</h2>";
+						print "<h2>" . T_sprintf("Performing updates to version %d", Db_Updater::SCHEMA_VERSION) . "</h2>";
 
-						for ($i = $updater->get_schema_version() + 1; $i <= SCHEMA_VERSION; $i++) {
+						for ($i = Config::get_schema_version(true) + 1; $i <= Db_Updater::SCHEMA_VERSION; $i++) {
 							print "<ul>";
 
 							print "<li class='text-info'>" . T_sprintf("Updating to version %d", $i) . "</li>";
@@ -704,10 +704,10 @@ class Handler_Public extends Handler {
 						print "<a href='index.php'>".__("Return to Tiny Tiny RSS")."</a>";
 					}
 				} else {
-					if ($updater->is_update_required()) {
+					if (Db_Updater::is_update_required()) {
 
 						print "<h2>".T_sprintf("Tiny Tiny RSS database needs update to the latest version (%d to %d).",
-							$updater->get_schema_version(), SCHEMA_VERSION)."</h2>";
+							Config::get_schema_version(true), Db_Updater::SCHEMA_VERSION)."</h2>";
 
 						if (Config::get(Config::DB_TYPE) == "mysql") {
 							print_error("<strong>READ THIS:</strong> Due to MySQL limitations, your database is not completely protected while updating. ".
diff --git a/classes/opml.php b/classes/opml.php
index c60d411eb..1a223788f 100644
--- a/classes/opml.php
+++ b/classes/opml.php
@@ -151,7 +151,7 @@ class OPML extends Handler_Protected {
 		# export tt-rss settings
 
 		if ($include_settings) {
-			$out .= "<outline text=\"tt-rss-prefs\" schema-version=\"".SCHEMA_VERSION."\">";
+			$out .= "<outline text=\"tt-rss-prefs\" schema-version=\"".Db_Updater::SCHEMA_VERSION."\">";
 
 			$sth = $this->pdo->prepare("SELECT pref_name, value FROM ttrss_user_prefs2 WHERE
 			   profile IS NULL AND owner_uid = ? ORDER BY pref_name");
@@ -166,7 +166,7 @@ class OPML extends Handler_Protected {
 
 			$out .= "</outline>";
 
-			$out .= "<outline text=\"tt-rss-labels\" schema-version=\"".SCHEMA_VERSION."\">";
+			$out .= "<outline text=\"tt-rss-labels\" schema-version=\"".Db_Updater::SCHEMA_VERSION."\">";
 
 			$sth = $this->pdo->prepare("SELECT * FROM ttrss_labels2 WHERE
 				owner_uid = ?");
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ class OPML extends Handler_Protected {
 
 			$out .= "</outline>";
 
-			$out .= "<outline text=\"tt-rss-filters\" schema-version=\"".SCHEMA_VERSION."\">";
+			$out .= "<outline text=\"tt-rss-filters\" schema-version=\"".Db_Updater::SCHEMA_VERSION."\">";
 
 			$sth = $this->pdo->prepare("SELECT * FROM ttrss_filters2
 				WHERE owner_uid = ? ORDER BY id");
diff --git a/classes/rpc.php b/classes/rpc.php
index ebe29e5cb..90c2c762a 100755
--- a/classes/rpc.php
+++ b/classes/rpc.php
@@ -181,7 +181,7 @@ class RPC extends Handler_Protected {
 		$client_scheme = parse_url($client_location, PHP_URL_SCHEME);
 		$server_scheme = parse_url(Config::get_self_url(), PHP_URL_SCHEME);
 
-		if (get_schema_version() != SCHEMA_VERSION) {
+		if (Db_Updater::is_update_required()) {
 			$error = Errors::E_SCHEMA_MISMATCH;
 		} else if ($client_scheme != $server_scheme) {
 			$error = Errors::E_URL_SCHEME_MISMATCH;
diff --git a/classes/rssutils.php b/classes/rssutils.php
index e3d717e73..0d78e0ec7 100755
--- a/classes/rssutils.php
+++ b/classes/rssutils.php
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ class RSSUtils {
 	static function update_daemon_common($limit = null, $options = []) {
 		if (!$limit) $limit = Config::get(Config::DAEMON_FEED_LIMIT);
 
-		if (get_schema_version() != SCHEMA_VERSION) {
+		if (Config::get_schema_version() != Db_Updater::SCHEMA_VERSION) {
 			die("Schema version is wrong, please upgrade the database.\n");
 		}
 
diff --git a/classes/userhelper.php b/classes/userhelper.php
index 4b795df7d..d929583f7 100644
--- a/classes/userhelper.php
+++ b/classes/userhelper.php
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ class UserHelper {
 
 		if (!$pluginhost) $pluginhost = PluginHost::getInstance();
 
-		if ($owner_uid && SCHEMA_VERSION >= 100 && empty($_SESSION["safe_mode"])) {
+		if ($owner_uid && Config::get_schema_version() >= 100 && empty($_SESSION["safe_mode"])) {
 			$plugins = get_pref(Prefs::_ENABLED_PLUGINS, $owner_uid);
 
 			$pluginhost->load((string)$plugins, PluginHost::KIND_USER, $owner_uid);
diff --git a/include/functions.php b/include/functions.php
index ce6b48181..4d11ea31f 100644
--- a/include/functions.php
+++ b/include/functions.php
@@ -1,9 +1,10 @@
 <?php
-	define('SCHEMA_VERSION', 142);
-
 	define('LABEL_BASE_INDEX', -1024);
 	define('PLUGIN_FEED_BASE_INDEX', -128);
 
+	/** constant is @deprecated, use Db_Updater::SCHEMA_VERSION instead */
+	define('SCHEMA_VERSION', Db_Updater::SCHEMA_VERSION);
+
 	if (version_compare(PHP_VERSION, '8.0.0', '<')) {
 		libxml_disable_entity_loader(true);
 	}
diff --git a/update.php b/update.php
index 63700cc0c..94a6bb5ca 100755
--- a/update.php
+++ b/update.php
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@
 	}
 
 	if (!isset($options['update-schema'])) {
-		if (get_schema_version() != SCHEMA_VERSION) {
+		if (Db_Updater::is_update_required()) {
 			die("Schema version is wrong, please upgrade the database (--update-schema).\n");
 		}
 	}
@@ -374,10 +374,10 @@
 	if (isset($options["update-schema"])) {
 		Debug::log("Checking for updates (" . Config::get(Config::DB_TYPE) . ")...");
 
-		$updater = new DbUpdater(Db::pdo(), Config::get(Config::DB_TYPE), SCHEMA_VERSION);
+		$updater = new Db_Updater(Db::pdo(), Config::get(Config::DB_TYPE));
 
-		if ($updater->is_update_required()) {
-			Debug::log("Schema update required, version " . $updater->get_schema_version() . " to " . SCHEMA_VERSION);
+		if (Db_Updater::is_update_required()) {
+			Debug::log("Schema update required, version " . Config::get_schema_version(true) . " to " . Db_Updater::SCHEMA_VERSION);
 
 			if (Config::get(Config::DB_TYPE) == "mysql")
 				Debug::Log("READ THIS: Due to MySQL limitations, your database is not completely protected while updating.\n".
@@ -394,9 +394,9 @@
 				Debug::log("Proceeding to update without confirmation...");
 			}
 
-			Debug::log("Performing updates to version " . SCHEMA_VERSION . "...");
+			Debug::log("Performing updates to version " . Db_Updater::SCHEMA_VERSION . "...");
 
-			for ($i = $updater->get_schema_version() + 1; $i <= SCHEMA_VERSION; $i++) {
+			for ($i = Config::get_schema_version(true) + 1; $i <= Db_Updater::SCHEMA_VERSION; $i++) {
 				Debug::log("* Updating to version $i...");
 
 				$result = $updater->update_to($i, false);
diff --git a/update_daemon2.php b/update_daemon2.php
index 8168c576e..17bca48ee 100755
--- a/update_daemon2.php
+++ b/update_daemon2.php
@@ -189,7 +189,7 @@
 			"Maybe another daemon is already running.\n");
 	}
 
-	if (get_schema_version() != SCHEMA_VERSION) {
+	if (Db_Updater::is_update_required()) {
 		die("Schema version is wrong, please upgrade the database.\n");
 	}