EventStoreDB long term support and release schedule

At Event Store, we have worked hard to create a release strategy that allows us to provide consistent, on-going support to EventStoreDB users but also update it on a regular basis. After working collaboratively with our Engineers, Developer Advocates and users, we created a long term release strategy to allow the EventStoreDB community to plan for upgrades accordingly.

Consistent scheduling

There are three scheduled releases of EventStoreDB per year: two feature releases and one Long Term Support (LTS) release. Each feature release is supported for 4 months, until the next release. The LTS releases are supported for 24 months, with a 2 month grace period to give you more time to prepare and organize your upgrade.

Long term support releases

LTS versions of EventStoreDB will be released once per year in October and will be supported for 24 months, with a 2 month grace period. At the end of 24 months, that version will no longer be supported.

Feature releases

The feature releases happen every February and June. Each February and June, new features are added to give customers early access to new features and upgrades. This gives the Event Store team time to evaluate and refine features and upgrades in preparation for the next LTS version in October. Each feature release will only be supported until the next release.

Release schedule

The following is a release schedule for EventStoreDB:

EventStoreDB updated (1)

 

Why?

Previously, some versions were around for a long time. This limited the Engineering team's potential to add new features and respond to requests from the community. With the LTS versions, we are able to respond more proactively to suggestions and feedback from the community, and make them available without forcing upgrades too often. 

The naming convention

Since 2020, each version is now named for the year and month it was released in. This is to make it immediately obvious how long this version of  EventStoreDB has been running, and how much longer it will be supported. 

Patches and builds

There are still patch releases between the feature releases and LTS versions to address any bugs or performance improvements as they arise. There are also nightly and stable builds available. The nightly builds are not supported, but they provide customers with the opportunity to access new features early, and provide some visibility to the next official release. You can access the nightly builds here. 

When should I upgrade EventStoreDB? 

This depends on the version you're currently running, but in most cases the answer is 'soon'.  As a Long-Term Support (LTS) release, we will support 23.10 for 2 years, concluding with the 25.10.0 release in October 2025.

  • Users on versions 23.6.0 should upgrade as support for this version has ceased.
  • Users on versions 22.10.x should update to at least 22.10.3 or to 23.10.0 to use new features.
  • Users on version 21.10.x or earlier versions should upgrade directly to 23.10.0 to maintain support.

 

As the release schedule is now annual, you can prepare for upgrades annually. You can now rely on upgrading your version of EventStoreDB every October. Customers can also rely on upgrading to the Feature releases every February and June. 

If you would like further advice on upgrading, please contact your Customer Success Manager or the Support Team. If you're not a support customer, you can view the available support packages here.