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Overview 

Hosting providers often prefer to standardize their software and application environment, which includes the deployed version of cPanel & WHM. Usually, a specific release tier (such as STABLE, RELEASE, or CURRENT) ensures a consistent environment across many servers.

In some circumstances, providers prefer not to rely on cPanel, Inc.'s tiered release system to select the installed version of cPanel & WHM. Additionally, providers who require a specific version of cPanel & WHM need an assured method to deploy new installations of cPanel & WHM, even when we no longer offer that version as the current production release.

The purpose of Long-Term Support

cPanel, Inc. actively develops cPanel & WHM, and we release new builds frequently. Traditionally, more conservative system administrators choose to completely disable software updates in order to maintain control over their deployments of cPanel & WHM. The Long-Term Support (LTS) tier provides an alternative to disabling updates, and will help ensure that cPanel & WHM servers receive important updates and fixes.

To view the cPanel & WHM version on each release tier, visit our httpupdate.cpanel.net site.

Long-Term Support guidelines

Long-Term Support uses the following guidelines: 

• Only one release each year qualifies for LTS. Other versions will receive updates only if present in the STABLE, RELEASE, or CURRENT tiers.

• As of cPanel & WHM version 62, the /etc/cpanel/TIERS.json file contains a JSON file structure which indicates LTS.
• Any cPanel & WHM version not present in the LTS version does not qualify for LTS.

• The lifespan of a release extends until March 31st of the following year.

• cPanel, Inc. may extend a version's LTS period at their discretion.

  Note
  title Note:
  Development releases of cPanel & WHM do not qualify for LTS. We do not consider their publication dates when we calculate an LTS version's lifespan.

  
  

• Previous cPanel & WHM versions and new cPanel & WHM installations offer the LTS versions as upgrades.

• Over the lifespan of an LTS release, cPanel, Inc. will provide security and other critical updates.

  Note
  title Note:
  LTS releases will not receive new features unless cPanel, Inc. decides that they are critical to a release's viability, or to ensure compatibility with later versions of cPanel & WHM.

  
  

Third-party applications

cPanel & WHM provides various third-party applications (for example, MySQL® and Roundcube).

cPanel, Inc. will continue to provide critical and security-related updates to these third-party applications when a customer installs them with an LTS version of cPanel & WHM. However, cPanel, Inc. may provide these fixes as back-ported patches instead of as upgrades to the latest version of the application. 

EasyApache

cPanel, Inc. develops and updates EasyApache with a separate release schedule from cPanel & WHM's release schedule.

cPanel, Inc. provides EasyApache updates for an LTS release until the LTS release reaches End of Life (EOL). If the currently-installed version of cPanel & WHM does not meet the requirements of a new EasyApache function or feature, EasyApache will update. However, we can no longer guarantee or support its functionality. 

EasyApache 3 deprecation

cPanel & WHM no longer develops EasyApache 3 and only releases security updates for it. We will deprecate EasyApache 3 on December 31, 2018. After that date, we will no longer update EasyApache 3. In cPanel & WHM version 78, we will remove support for EasyApache 3. 

We strongly recommend that you upgrade to EasyApache 4. For more information, read our EasyApache 4 documentation. 

PHP

EasyApache adheres to the php.net supported versions timeline. 

RPMs for unsupported versions of PHP will remain the cPanel Inc. mirrors and servers, but we will not provide any further updates.

Site Software (cPAddons)

cPAddons in cPanel's Site Software interface (Home >> Software >> Site Software) continue to receive updated applications throughout the lifespan of an LTS release.

WHM Plugins

Plugins in WHM's Manage Plugins interface (Home >> cPanel >> Manage Plugins) continue to receive updated applications throughout the lifespan of an LTS release.

Schedule for Long-Term Support releases of cPanel & WHM

Additional documentation