Node.js
FrameworkNode.js 26 is the newest actively maintained release, currently at patch 26.8.1. 8 of 26 tracked cycles remain supported. The next cycle scheduled to reach end-of-life is 12, on April 30, 2022.
Support pattern
How Node.js has behaved across the cycles tracked here, rather than what its policy documents state. Useful for judging how much runway a version is likely to have before you commit to it.
Support windows have stayed consistent across the tracked history, so past cycles are a reasonable guide to what a new one will get.
Computed from release and end-of-life dates tracked for Node.js. Medians are used rather than averages so one unusually short or long release does not skew the figure. Cycles with no recorded end-of-life date are excluded from the support window.
How Node.js versioning, EOL & security support work
Node.js ships a new major version every six months, alternating between odd-numbered majors, which run as short-lived Current releases, and even-numbered majors, which get promoted to Long Term Support (LTS). Once a major reaches LTS it moves through an Active LTS phase, recommended for general production use, and then a Maintenance LTS phase before end of life. This is why several majors are typically maintained at once.
Node.js runs a dedicated security process: reports are triaged, validated against every supported line, fixed under embargo, assigned a CVE, and then disclosed with an announcement to the nodejs-sec mailing list alongside coordinated security-release patches. Because fixes are only backported to lines still inside Current, Active LTS, or Maintenance LTS, a version already past end of life will never receive a patch for a newly disclosed vulnerability.
Sources: Node.js Previous Releases, Node.js Security Reporting
Release lifecycle
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