Node.js support policy

2 minute read

Node.js releases

New semver-major releases of Node.js are released every six months. In coordination with a new odd-numbered major release being cut, the previous even-numbered major version will transition to the Long Term Support plan. An odd-numbered major release will cease to be actively updated when the subsequent even-numbered major release is cut. Production applications should only use Active LTS or Maintenance LTS releases.

See https://nodejs.org/en/about/releases or https://github.com/nodejs/Release#release-plan for more information.

Node.js support

API Builder v4 was initially released with compatibility with Node.js v16. This compatibility will be maintained in every API Builder v4.x release to avoid breaking existing services.

When Node.js releases are no longer supported, they become vulnerable to current or future security issues since they will not get updated. Beginning with the Jackson release, API Builder no longer recommends the use of any Node.js version which is unmaintained or end of life. Updated services will emit a warning if they are using an unsupported version of Node.js.

Additionally, API Builder will strive to introduce compatibility in a timely manner for new releases of Node.js.

While compatibility is guaranteed, API Builder may deprecate the use of any version of Node.js at any point in order to offer a seamless transition to a future major version.

Node.js security releases

As with any software, from time to time there will be important security releases for Node.js. These versions will often have fixes for web related vulnerabilities which are very important to when running an API Builder service. We strongly recommend to keep an eye on the Node.js blog for new security releases and stay up-to-date to keep your service secure. API Builder will update the recommended Node.js version as and when new security releases become available.