Introducing Extended Support Releases for Coder

This blog post was edited December 5, 2025

Balancing Speed with Stability

When we first started formalizing our release cadence in 2024—committing to releasing on the first Tuesday of every month—it was our first step toward standardizing the upgrade experience for our customers and open-source community. Since then, we've learned more about how different teams adopt new versions, and we recognize that not every organization moves at the same pace. That’s why we’re evolving our release process in 2025:

• Monthly Stable and Mainline Releases: These updates will continue to be delivered on the first Tuesday of every month, just as they have through 2024. They bring the latest features and improvements, ensuring that teams who want to iterate quickly can stay ahead.
• Extended Support Releases (ESR): These versions are released twice a year, designed for customers who prefer a more measured approach to upgrading. Each ESR version consolidates the last six months of updates and receives 12 months of support from the date of release.

Coder will still continue with our regular monthly release process, in addition to publishing Extended Support Releases.

Continuing Monthly Releases for Rapid Iteration

Monthly mainline releases remain the best way to stay updated with Coder’s latest enhancements and fixes. These releases will continue to include new features, performance improvements, and security updates, enabling teams that want a fast feedback loop to benefit from the newest capabilities as soon as they’re available.

Each monthly release will first be available in the mainline channel and then move to stable the following month. This ensures:

• Customers can opt-in to receive the latest updates through mainline, or stay one release behind for the version to reach stable.
• Enterprises have flexibility in choosing when to upgrade based on their internal validation and testing processes.

For customers keeping pace with monthly releases, we’ll continue delivering detailed changelogs for every new release, lightweight emails with key updates, and incremental improvements through experimental, beta, and GA feature rollouts. These releases will continue to be made available on the first Tuesday of every month.

Introducing Semi-Annual Extended Support Releases

For customers who prefer a more predictable upgrade path, our new ESR versions will be available twice a year in July and December. ESR version support includes major bug fixes, security patches, and other critical fixes. Customers with a Premium support license will receive 12 months of support, while customers with a standard Enterprise support license will receive 6 months of support.

Upcoming extended support releases:

• July 2025 (eligible for support through July 2026)
• December 2025 (eligible for support through December 2026)
• July 2026 (eligible for support through July 2027)

ESR versions will serve as enterprise upgrade waypoints, bundling all the improvements from the prior six months into a single, well-documented release. These versions will be ideal for teams that need extended testing and validation before deploying to production.

What’s Unique About Extended Support Releases?

Backporting Security and Critical Fixes

One of the biggest advantages of ESR versions is the backporting of critical bug fixes and security patches. We understand that many customers want to stay on a feature release for a longer period between upgrades but still need assurance that essential fixes will be provided. ESR versions will receive:

• Backported security patches for continued protection from vulnerabilities.
• Critical stability and performance fixes, particularly those affecting core product functionality.
• Clear documentation on what has been patched so teams can plan upgrades accordingly.
• Clear upgrade guides for moving from one ESR to the next ESR.

Community Engagement and Launch Events

To ensure customers and community members are fully informed and can take advantage of these significant releases, we will more broadly promote each ESR version with formal launch events. These events will include community engagement where users can interact with Coder and other customers, live demonstrations showcasing new functionality, and direct opportunities to engage with the Coder team.

Customers will be able to ask questions and gain deeper insights into how each ESR version fits into their development workflows. These events provide a structured way for teams to stay informed and ensure a smooth transition to the latest ESR version.

Looking Ahead

This new release strategy gives customers the best of both worlds: rapid innovation for those who want it and stability for those who need it. We’re excited to introduce this change and will share more details as we approach our first ESR version in July.

If you have any questions about how this affects your team, reach out to your Coder customer success team or visit our documentation for more details.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Coder making this change to the release process?

We’ve learned that different customers have different needs when it comes to updates. Some teams prefer rapid innovation, while others need more stability. This new model balances both by keeping monthly releases for fast adopters and introducing an ESR version for teams that need predictability.

What is the difference between monthly mainline and stable releases vs. extended support releases?

Monthly mainline and stable releases deliver the latest features and improvements on the first Tuesday of every month, allowing teams to iterate quickly. ESR versions, on the other hand, consolidate six months of updates into a version that receives extended support.

Does this mean new features will only be available every six months?

No. New features will continue to be released every month through monthly mainline and stable releases. ESR versions are cumulative, meaning they include all features and fixes from the previous six months of monthly releases. Coder still recommends that most customers utilize our monthly releases.

How long will Coder support each ESR version?

Customers with a Premium support license will receive 12 months of support for each ESR version. Customers with a standard Enterprise support license will receive six months of support for each ESR version.

What happens when an ESR version reaches the end of its support period?

Once an ESR version reaches its end-of-support window, customers will need to upgrade to a newer ESR version or transition to the latest monthly mainline or stable release to receive continued support.

Will security patches and critical fixes be backported to ESR versions?

Yes, ESR versions will receive backported security updates and critical bug fixes to ensure continued stability and security for the duration of their support window.

How do I know if my organization should adopt monthly mainline or stable releases or ESR version?

ESR versions consolidate six months of changes into a single release. This means fewer upgrades overall, but each one is larger and may require more planning and effort. ESR is a good fit only for organizations that would rather absorb one bigger upgrade twice a year instead of smaller monthly updates.

Can I switch between monthly mainline or stable releases and ESR versions?

Yes, customers can transition from monthly mainline or stable releases to an ESR version at any time. However, once on an ESR version, customers should stay on the ESR track until the next ESR version becomes available.

How long should I test a new Coder version before deploying it to my production infrastructure?

The recommended testing period depends on your organization’s risk tolerance and deployment processes. However, if your organization requires a month or more to validate a new version release, then semi-annual ESR versions might be the best upgrade path.