Node.js End of Life - Dates and Lifecycle

Node.js ships new major versions on a fast, predictable cadence, which is exactly what makes it easy to lose track of which versions are still supported. A runtime that was the recommended choice eighteen months ago can already be sitting past its end of life date, still running in production without anyone noticing until a security review or an npm install warning flags it.

Node.js Lifecycle Explained

Through Node.js 26, the project released a new major version every six months, in April and October, and split them by a simple rule: even-numbered versions get promoted to Long Term Support, odd-numbered versions don't. An LTS line spends six months as "Current," then roughly a year as "Active LTS" with new features and full support, then another year as "Maintenance LTS" with critical security and bug fixes only, for about 30 months of total support. Odd-numbered releases skip LTS entirely. They stay in the Current phase for about six months and then go straight to end of life, so they were never meant for production use in the first place.

Starting with Node.js 27 in October 2026, this changes. Node.js is moving to one major release per year, and every release becomes LTS, there's no more odd or even distinction to track. Each version will get about three years of total support from its initial release before reaching end of life. For teams that have always stuck to even-numbered LTS releases, this mostly simplifies version naming rather than changing how you should operate, but it does mean the release rhythm itself is shifting.

Once a Node.js version reaches end of life, the project stops shipping updates of any kind for it, security patches included. Given how quickly Node's release cadence has historically moved, it's common for production systems to be running a version that's already past this point without the team realizing it.