Will Node.js 27 Be LTS? Yes, but October 2026 Is the Alpha Window
Node.js 27 enters Alpha on October 28, 2026, the same day Node 26 is scheduled for LTS. Which one belongs on your production servers this year?
- Node.js 27 starts an annual major-release cycle in which odd versions also reach LTS.
- Its planned Alpha date is October 28, 2026; its planned LTS date is October 20, 2027.
- Keep production on supported LTS releases and use Alpha to test upcoming compatibility changes.
Node 27's October milestone is Alpha, not LTS
Node.js 27 will be an LTS release, but that does not make its upcoming Alpha a production upgrade. The new release model gives each major six months in Alpha and six in Current before LTS. Major releases move to an annual April schedule.
The project's schedule lists these planned dates as of October 26, 2026:
| Milestone | Planned date | Practical use |
|---|---|---|
| Alpha begins | October 28, 2026 | Early compatibility testing |
| 27.0.0 Current | April 22, 2027 | Check dependency and tooling support |
| LTS begins | October 20, 2027 | Evaluate a production upgrade |
| End of support | April 30, 2030 | Move to a supported successor beforehand |
The new rule removes the reason to reject 27 merely because it is odd. Release status still matters.
22 and 24 are LTS today; 26 is approaching promotion
The official releases page recommends Active LTS or Maintenance LTS for production. On October 26 it lists 22 and 24 as LTS and 26 as Current. The schedule sets October 28 for 26's LTS promotion.
Existing applications do not need to jump to 27 Alpha. Node 22's support ends on April 30, 2027; Node 24's ends on April 30, 2028. Those dates give teams a migration window based on their current runtime and dependencies. A new major's arrival does not itself end support for an older LTS line.
Maintainers get an earlier compatibility window
Alpha is intended for library authors and CI testing. Breaking changes can land during this phase, and APIs can change between Alpha releases. Waiting until LTS to test a package leaves less time to report problems before users encounter them.
Alpha also differs from nightly: it is signed, tagged and tested through CITGM, which exercises major ecosystem packages. These checks do not make Alpha a production release.
The maintainer release process describes an October branch-off followed by an April major release. It targets the first Alpha for the day the previous major reaches LTS. That makes autumn a handover between stabilizing one release and testing the next.
Plan around support dates instead of even numbers
The model retains roughly 30 months of LTS support, or 36 months from Current to end of life. Teams that already deploy only LTS releases mainly need to update their version-selection rule.
A useful plan separates the production runtime's support deadline from the next major's test window. Keep supported LTS coverage for deployed services, start package compatibility work when Alpha becomes available, and consider 27 for production after its actual LTS promotion and dependency checks.