Zabbix Life Cycle & Release Policy
This page documents Zabbix company policy on Zabbix software new version releases and outlines support delivery time frames of Zabbix prior/earlier versions.
To ensure that Zabbix offers to its users and customers a quality-expected product and easy-to-plan support, each new Zabbix software release is subject to a standard life cycle and expiry date. Zabbix Monitoring Solution life cycle specifics help to make content for the new version release more predictable and manageable for Zabbix end-users.
Starting from 2001, when Zabbix software was released for the first time, each new stable version release was out every year and a half and for all stable releases Zabbix customers received a five-year (5 year) Support services. Support services for currently supported Zabbix releases are provided according to the following schedule:
Currently Supported Zabbix releases
| Release name | Release date | End of Full Support (3 years)* |
End of Limited Support** (5 years) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zabbix 3.4 | 21 August, 2017 | 1 October, 2018 | 1 November, 2018 |
| Zabbix 3.0 LTS | 16 February, 2016 | 16 February, 2019 | 16 February, 2021 |
| Zabbix 2.2 LTS | 12 November, 2013 | 12 August, 2017 | 12 August, 2019 |
- * Full Support services include fixing of general, critical and security issues.
- ** Limited Support services include fixing of critical and security issues only. Zabbix does not guarantee any code fixes for older releases and non-stable releases.
Program of Scheduled Zabbix Releases
Zabbix team is committed to a new program of scheduled releases on a six-month basis. Every six (6) months Zabbix will release a new stable version.
The continuous frequency of Zabbix releases
- Zabbix LTS (Long Term Support) release. Zabbix LTS releases are supported for Zabbix customers during five (5) years i.e. 3 years of Full Support (general, critical and security issues) and 2 additional years of Limited Support (critical and security issues only). Zabbix LTS version release will result in change of the first version number.
- Zabbix Standard releases. Standard Zabbix releases are supported for Zabbix customers during six (6) months of Full Support (general, critical and security issues) until the next Zabbix stable release, plus one (1) additional month of Limited Support (critical and security issues only). Zabbix Standard version release will result in change of the second version number.
(!) When any of Zabbix releases reaches its life cycle expiry date it receives no further maintenance updates, including blocker and critical bug fixing. It is highly recommended that you upgrade to a recent version of Zabbix Monitoring Solution at this point.
Life cycle of Zabbix Standard release
Life cycle of Zabbix LTS release
Life Cycle Dates of Planned Zabbix Releases
Below you will find an outline of life cycle dates for the planned Zabbix stable releases. Please note that all mentioned life cycle dates are close approximations and schedules are subject to adjustment.
| Release name | Release date | End of Full Support | End of Limited Support |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zabbix 4.0 LTS | Expected Q3, 2018 | Q2, 2021 | Q2, 2023 |
| Zabbix 4.2 | Expected Q1, 2019 | Q3, 2019 | Q3, 2019 |
About Zabbix LTS
LTS stands for "Long Term Support". Zabbix LTS version is released every year and a half (1,5) and offers Zabbix customers Support services for five (5) years:- 3 years of Full support – support of general, critical and security issues fixing
- 2 additional years of Limited Support – support of critical and security issues only
There is no extra fee or hidden surcharge for a Zabbix LTS version i.e. it is a 100% open source software release available to everyone.
Zabbix LTS specifics:- Longer support service i.e. updates for potential security problems and bugs
- Quality and new features expected
- Elimination of unpredictable and rapid changes
- Much easier for planning and management in terms of version upgrade
| Pros of Zabbix LTS vs. Standard Release | LTS Release | Standard Release |
|---|---|---|
| More suitable for large-scale enterprise environments |
New Zabbix LTS version is released every 1,5 years
|
New Standard release is out every 6 months, which requires upgrading every half a year. That could be troublesome for large business IT infrastructures
|
| Long-term support distribution for Zabbix customers |
5 years in total, consisting of 3 years of general, critical and security issues fixes (Full Support) and 2 additional years of critical and security issues fixes only (Limited Support)
|
6 months of Full Support and 1 additional month of Limited Support
|
| More tested |
Due to long-term support of critical and security issues, Zabbix LTS version is more stable and reliable
|
By no means is Zabbix Standard release not tested until it is fully stable and secure. But because of the more frequent release policy and much shorter Support duration, Zabbix Standard versions have less time for issues fixing
|
| Cons of Zabbix LTS vs. Standard Release | ||
| Earlier access to new features |
Zabbix LTS is released every 1,5 years, so, if you are monitoring large-scale enterprise environments and it is more suitable for you to upgrade to Zabbix LTS versions only, then you have to wait for 1,5 years to get access to new features that were developed throughout this period
|
Due to a 6-month release cycle of Zabbix Standard releases, you will get access to the latest developed features every 6 months
|