End-Of-Life (EOL)

Why and how Node.js releases reach End-Of-Life

Major versions of Node.js are released, patched, and designated End-Of-Life on a predictable schedule. As it's not feasible to maintain all release lines in perpetuity, after a planned maintenance period, a Node.js major release line will stop being maintained by the project.

View the Node.js release schedule.

What Happens When a Release Line Reaches EOL

When a version reaches End-Of-Life, it means that it will no longer receive updates, including security patches. This can leave applications running on these versions vulnerable to security issues and bugs that will never be fixed.

  • No more vulnerability fixes: When new security releases reveal issues and patches in newer major lines, even if the same vulnerability affects EOL release lines, there will not be any new releases for them. Users still clinging on to EOL release lines and using affected code paths will be immediately vulnerable to attacks exploiting these disclosed vulnerabilities.
  • Tool-chain breakage: EOL releases may no longer dynamically link to newer versions of the shared libraries they depend on, blocking or breaking system updates.
  • Ecosystem drift: Many popular user-land packages drop support for EOL Node.js releases over time. When an application clings onto outdated packages, it may suffer from even more unfixed vulnerabilities and bugs, further drifting away from ecosystem norm.
  • Compliance red flags: Many industry audits forbid unmaintained runtimes.

EOL Versions

バージョン (コードネーム)最終更新日脆弱性詳細
v23
22
v21
75
v19
132
v18 (Hydrogen)
15194
v17
131
v16 (Gallium)
11184
v15
1深刻611
v14 (Fermium)
2深刻16165
v13
1深刻2
v12 (Erbium)
2深刻1363
v11
31
v10 (Dubnium)
1深刻1231
v9
1深刻411
v8 (Carbon)
1深刻1121
v7
32
v6 (Boron)
1612
v5
158
v4 (Argon)
2深刻179
v0
2深刻

Commercial Support

Despite the obvious downsides of using EOL releases, in practice, organizations face constraints that prevent immediate upgrades, such as legacy codebases, compliance requirements, or complex dependency chains. For users who cannot upgrade immediately but needs continued security support for End-Of-Life versions of Node.js, commercial support is available through the OpenJS Ecosystem Sustainability Program partnership.

Node.js currently partners with HeroDevs to provide Never-Ending Support (NES) for Node.js versions past their official maintenance phase. This includes security patches, compliance assistance, and technical support to help bridge the gap while you plan your upgrade strategy. For more detailed information, visit the HeroDevs Node.js NES page.

Using EOL releases through NES should be viewed as a temporary solution—the goal should always be to upgrade to actively supported versions.