PostgreSQL
DatabasePostgreSQL 18 is the newest actively maintained release, currently at patch 18.6. 5 of 29 tracked cycles remain supported. The next cycle scheduled to reach end-of-life is 14, on November 12, 2026.
Support pattern
How PostgreSQL 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 PostgreSQL. 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 PostgreSQL versioning, EOL & security support work
PostgreSQL does not use semantic versioning. Since version 10, the version number is major.minor (for example 17.6), where the first number is the major release and the second is a bug-fix-only minor release. The PostgreSQL Global Development Group ships a new major version about once a year, and each major version then receives minor releases on a regular cadence, at least once every three months, or sooner for urgent fixes. Minor releases never add features, only bug and security fixes.
PostgreSQL security issues are handled through a dedicated, private security process: reports go to the project's security team, are investigated confidentially, and a fix is coordinated for release, with advance notice so major packagers and cloud providers can prepare before it goes public. Each addressed issue is tracked with a CVE. Running a version past its five-year window means any new CVE affecting it will simply never be patched.
Sources: PostgreSQL Versioning Policy
Release lifecycle
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