Software Lifecycle Policy

1 Overview

This policy outlines the support lifecycle for the Nautobot core project software releases. It defines the timeframes for engineering support, general support, and maintenance releases for both General Availability (GA) and General Availability – Long Term Maintenance (GA-LTM) releases. The policy applies to all Nautobot releases provided by Network to Code and is intended to provide customers with clear expectations for software maintenance and support.

2 Support Policy

2.1 General Availability (GA) Releases

General Availability (GA) releases are supported for one (1) year from the release date. Critical bug and security fixes are provided for four (4) months from release, after which customers must upgrade to a newer supported release to receive such fixes.This applies to GA releases that are not designated as GA-LTM.

2.2 Long Term Maintenance General Availability (GA-LTM) Releases

GA-LTM releases are supported for three (3) years from the original release date. Critical bugs and security fixes are provided for a minimum of two (2) years from the LTM designation date.

The GA-LTM release is the final minor release in a major release cycle. Earlier GA releases in the same major cycle remain supported until their individual EoS dates but are not extended to match the GA-LTM schedule.

Example: Nautobot 1.6 GA-LTM will be supported until the 3.0 GA release ships.

3 Release Cadence & LTM Designation

Network to Code follows a predictable release cadence:

• Patch releases include bug fixes and security updates.
  
• Minor releases may introduce new features, enhancements, bug fixes, and security updates. Minor releases do not include breaking changes.
  
• Major releases  introduce significant new features, and may include breaking changes, architectural updates, and API changes.

As a major release cycle approaches its end, Network to Code will designate an LTM Candidate to provide customers with a stable, long-term deployment option. This release becomes the official GA-LTM release upon the availability of the next major release.

4 End of Engineering (EoE) & End of Support (EoS)

End of Engineering (EoE) – After this date, no new fixes (minor, major, critical, or security) or maintenance releases will be created for the release. Customers are strongly advised to upgrade before the EoE date to ensure continued access to maintenance releases.

End of Support (EoS) – Between the EoE and EoS dates, the release remains eligible for troubleshooting assistance from Support, but fixes will only be delivered in newer supported releases. After EoS, the release is considered end-of-life, and no support is available.Security vulnerabilities discovered after EoE will not be patched in that release; customers must upgrade to a supported version to receive security fixes.

5 Nautobot Support Schedule

The table below provides the planned release, EoE, and EoS dates for recent Nautobot versions. Dates in italics are tentative and subject to change.

*Planned release of 3.0 is Nov 2025.

6 Definitions

End of Engineering (EoE) – The last date on which Network to Code will develop fixes or create maintenance releases for a branch.

End of Support (EoS) – The last date on which Network to Code will provide support for a branch. Issues with a supported branch after EoE will be fixed in newer supported releases only.

General Availability (GA) – Software that has completed development and is released for widespread use.

General Availability – Long Term Maintenance (GA-LTM) – GA software with an extended support timeframe for both engineering fixes and product support.

Version Numbering – Nautobot follows a semantic versioning format of major.minor.patch (e.g., 2.4.3):

• Major Release – Introduces significant new functionality and may include breaking changes, architectural updates, or API modifications.
  
• Minor Release – Introduces new features, enhancements, bug fixes, and security updates without breaking changes.
  
• Patch Release – Contains only bug fixes and security updates. Patch releases do not introduce new features or breaking changes and are issued as needed between minor releases.