You can upgrade software with sudo softwareupdate --install --all. Is it possible to upgrade the OS itself from the command line?
macOS Command Line Upgrade – How to Upgrade OS X Operating System
automationcommand linemacosupgrade
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Best Answer
Since the OS X installer is an app, you would need a scripting framework to automate clicking of the buttons. Far easier to set up a MDM solution where the installer is turned into a netboot resource than to hack apart the UI and script the installation.
For starters, look at the AutoDMG or Imagr/NBICreator.
You can integrate these with most MDM like Casper/Munki or roll an imaging solution like DeployStudio - but all of these require external computers to manage/supply the computer being updated. There isn't a simple extension to the Apple provided
softwareupdatetool since it is designed to patch an OS and apps and not run the upgrade/migration on itself. Even the best surgeon in town gets someone else to operate on their knee when they go under the knife.