LTS release

An LTS release is a version of a piece of software that the vendor promises to keep supporting for a long time, usually several years. You won't get new features during that period, but you will keep receiving security patches and fixes for serious bugs. Think of it as the "steady and dependable" version, as opposed to the latest release that changes every few months.

Teams choose LTS versions for production systems because they want stability. Nobody wants a routine update to break a payment application at 2 a.m. With an LTS release, you know exactly what you're running, how long it will be supported, and when you'll need to plan your next upgrade.

You'll see this model everywhere. Ubuntu publishes an LTS version every two years (22.04, 24.04, and so on), each with five years of standard support. Node.js gives certain major versions LTS status with roughly two and a half years of maintenance. Java does the same with versions like 17, 21, and 25.

From a security standpoint, the most important point to remember is that LTS doesn't mean "supported forever." Every LTS version has an end-of-life date. Once that date passes, the patches stop, and any system still running that version becomes a growing risk and, very often, an audit finding under standards like PCI DSS or SOC 2. The practical habit is to track the EOL dates of everything you run and begin planning upgrades well before support ends.

In short, an LTS release gives you stability and security updates for a known period, in exchange for not having the newest features.