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doc: add documentation for the new release schedule by aduh95 · Pull Request #66568 · nodejs/node · GitHub
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nodejs-github-bot merged 1 commit into from
Oct 9, 2026
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doc: add documentation for the new release schedule #66568

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48 changes: 30 additions & 18 deletions README.md
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Expand Up @@ -41,24 +41,36 @@ Looking for help? Check out the

## Release types

* **Current**: Under active development. Code for the Current release is in the
branch for its major version number (for example,
[v22.x](https://github.com/nodejs/node/tree/v22.x)). Node.js releases a new
major version every 6 months, allowing for breaking changes. This happens in
April and October every year. Releases appearing each October have a support
life of 8 months. Releases appearing each April convert to LTS (see below)
each October.
* **LTS**: Releases that receive Long Term Support, with a focus on stability
and security. Every even-numbered major version will become an LTS release.
LTS releases receive 12 months of _Active LTS_ support and a further 18 months
of _Maintenance_. LTS release lines have alphabetically-ordered code names,
beginning with v4 Argon. There are no breaking changes or feature additions,
except in some special circumstances.
* **Nightly**: Code from the Current branch built every 24-hours when there are
changes. Use with caution.

Current and LTS releases follow [semantic versioning](https://semver.org). A
member of the Release Team [signs](#release-keys) each Current and LTS release.
Node.js follows [semantic versioning](https://semver.org).

* **Alpha**: Under active development where semver-major changes are allowed.
Each October, a new release line (for example, Node.js 27) branches off `main`
and receives Alpha releases (for example, `27.0.0-alpha.0.0.0`) for 6 months,
then are promoted to Current (see below) each April. Alpha releases are signed,
tagged, and tested through [CITGM](https://github.com/nodejs/citgm), but their
API and ABI may change between releases. They are intended for library authors
and CI pipelines, not for production use.
* **Current**: Under active development, no semver-major changes allowed. Node.js
releases a new major version once a year, in April. Releases stay Current for
6 months, then convert to LTS (see below) each October. Their ABI may change
between releases. They are intended for library authors and CI pipelines, not
for production use.
* **LTS**: Releases under Long Term Support, with a focus on stability
and security. Only changes that have been on Alpha or Current release for two
weeks can be backported to a typical LTS release. Every major version becomes an LTS
release, and receives 30 months of LTS support, for a total of 36 months from
its first Current release to End-of-Life. LTS release lines have alphabetically-ordered
code names, beginning with Node.js 4 Argon.
* **Nightly**: Code from the `main` branch built every 24-hours when there are
changes. Unlike Alpha releases, nightly builds are automated and untested.
Use with caution.

Release lines up to and including Node.js 26 follow the previous schedule, where a
new major version was released every 6 months and only even-numbered major
versions became LTS. See the
[Node.js release schedule announcement](https://nodejs.org/en/blog/announcements/evolving-the-nodejs-release-schedule)
for details.

For more information, see the
[Release README](https://github.com/nodejs/Release#readme).

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7 changes: 4 additions & 3 deletions doc/contributing/first-contributions.md
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Expand Up @@ -227,9 +227,10 @@ The "Current" and "LTS" releases follow schedules that are tracked in the
If the change is labeled `dont-land-*`, it will be held back from releases in the specified branch until
the label is removed.

If the change is labeled `semver-major`, it will not be included in the next "Current" release.
Instead, it will need to wait until the next major release cut from the `main` branch to be included in a
release. This may take up to months, depending on when the pull request is merged.
If the change is labeled `semver-major`, it will not be included until the next Alpha release.
Alpha releases happen between October and April, so in the worst case, a `semver-major` change may wait
about 6 months before being included in a release (or up to 12 months if it's
cumulated with a `dont-land-*` label).

Commits on `main` are backported to the release staging branches using `git cherry-pick` before they can be released.
See [the backporting guide](./backporting-to-release-lines.md). This process is typically performed by
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2 changes: 1 addition & 1 deletion doc/contributing/maintaining/maintaining-V8.md
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Expand Up @@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ documented [on the V8 wiki][V8MergingPatching]. The summary of the process is:
## Node.js support requirements

At any given time Node.js needs to be maintaining a few different V8 branches
for the various Current, LTS, and nightly releases.
for the various Alpha, Current, LTS, and nightly releases.
The versions of V8 used in Node.js may have already been
abandoned by upstream V8. However, Node.js needs to continue supporting
these branches for many months (Current branches) or several
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