From 7410a164c80d54535aad2d05153c9b41abed52bd Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Jan Fajerski Date: Wed, 2 Sep 2026 10:57:47 +0200 Subject: [PATCH 1/2] clarify LTS commitment Mostly this adds some clarity which fixes qualify to get into an LTS version and what SLO (or lack thereof) users can expect. Mark Prometheus 3.5 as end of life. Signed-off-by: Jan Fajerski --- docs/introduction/release-cycle.md | 21 +++++++++++++-------- 1 file changed, 13 insertions(+), 8 deletions(-) diff --git a/docs/introduction/release-cycle.md b/docs/introduction/release-cycle.md index 5ee100279..9416a2607 100644 --- a/docs/introduction/release-cycle.md +++ b/docs/introduction/release-cycle.md @@ -3,11 +3,11 @@ title: Long-term support sort_rank: 10 --- -Prometheus LTS are selected releases of Prometheus that receive bugfixes for an -extended period of time. +Prometheus LTS are selected releases of Prometheus that receive selected bug +fixes for an extended period of one year. Every 6 weeks, a new Prometheus minor release cycle begins. After those 6 -weeks, minor releases generally no longer receive bugfixes. If a user is +weeks, minor releases generally no longer receive bug fixes. If a user is impacted by a bug in a minor release, they often need to upgrade to the latest Prometheus release. @@ -16,9 +16,14 @@ guarantees][stab]. However, there is a risk that new features and enhancements could also bring regressions, requiring another upgrade. -Prometheus LTS only receive bug, security, and documentation fixes, but over a -time window of one year. The build toolchain will also be kept up-to-date. This -allows companies that rely on Prometheus to limit the upgrade risks while still +Prometheus LTS version will only receive fixes for selected issues with high +severity, i.e. a CVSS rating of 7.0 or higher. Additional changes for bug fixes +or documentation fixes might be added. The build toolchain will also be kept +up-to-date. This is a best effort commitment by the community, contributions are +welcome. +Support periods of two subsequent LTS version should overlap by at least one +month. +This allows users that rely on Prometheus to limit the upgrade risks while still having a Prometheus server maintained by the community. ## List of LTS releases @@ -28,7 +33,7 @@ having a Prometheus server maintained by the community. | Prometheus 2.37 | 2022-07-14 | 2023-07-31 | End of life | | Prometheus 2.45 | 2023-06-23 | 2024-07-31 | End of life | | Prometheus 2.53 | 2024-06-16 | 2025-07-31 | End of life | -| **Prometheus 3.5** | **2025-07-14** | **2026-07-31** | **Supported** | +| Prometheus 3.5 | 2025-07-14 | 2026-07-31 | End of life | | **Prometheus 3.13** | **2026-07-01** | **2027-07-31** | **Supported** | | TBD | 2027-06 | 2028-07-31 | Upcoming | @@ -36,7 +41,7 @@ having a Prometheus server maintained by the community. Some features are excluded from LTS support: -- Things listed as unstable in our [API stability guarantees][stab]. +- Unstable features as listed in our [API stability guarantees][stab]. - [Experimental features][fflag]. - OpenBSD support. From 7a12bfa007a95fd87900076f44bc6f192ccf8a71 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Jan Fajerski Date: Wed, 2 Sep 2026 14:27:19 +0200 Subject: [PATCH 2/2] Update docs/introduction/release-cycle.md Co-authored-by: Bartlomiej Plotka Signed-off-by: Jan Fajerski --- docs/introduction/release-cycle.md | 2 +- 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/docs/introduction/release-cycle.md b/docs/introduction/release-cycle.md index 9416a2607..bc1492c41 100644 --- a/docs/introduction/release-cycle.md +++ b/docs/introduction/release-cycle.md @@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ requiring another upgrade. Prometheus LTS version will only receive fixes for selected issues with high severity, i.e. a CVSS rating of 7.0 or higher. Additional changes for bug fixes or documentation fixes might be added. The build toolchain will also be kept -up-to-date. This is a best effort commitment by the community, contributions are +up-to-date. This is **a best effort commitment by the community**, contributions are welcome. Support periods of two subsequent LTS version should overlap by at least one month.