Laravel Release Cycle: Versions & Support Policy | Mohamed Said [ ![Mohamed Said](https://cdn.msaied.com/01KT78WE565VEMM3PSNQAAB0MH.png) Mohamed Said Laravel Backend Engineer ](https://www.msaied.com) [ Home ](https://www.msaied.com) [ Projects ](https://www.msaied.com/projects) [ Articles ](https://www.msaied.com/articles) [ Certificates ](https://www.msaied.com/certificates) [ Contact ](https://www.msaied.com#contact-section) [ ](https://github.com/EG-Mohamed) [ Home ](https://www.msaied.com) [ Projects ](https://www.msaied.com/projects) [ Articles ](https://www.msaied.com/articles) [ Certificates ](https://www.msaied.com/certificates) [ Contact ](https://www.msaied.com#contact-section) [ home ](https://www.msaied.com) [ articles ](https://www.msaied.com/articles) Laravel Release Cycle: Versions, Support Policy, and Dates On this page 1. [ Semantic Versioning ](#semantic-versioning) 2. [ Weekly Minor and Patch Releases ](#weekly-minor-and-patch-releases) 3. [ Annual Major Releases ](#annual-major-releases) 4. [ Support Policy ](#support-policy) 5. [ Composer Version Constraints ](#composer-version-constraints) 6. [ Upgrading to a New Major Version ](#upgrading-to-a-new-major-version) 7. [ Where Development Happens ](#where-development-happens) 8. [ Key Takeaways ](#key-takeaways) ![Laravel Release Cycle: Versions, Support Policy, and Dates](https://cdn.msaied.com/718/05d0e66985cc7bda5c0be6c37bb8da65.png) [ Laravel ](https://www.msaied.com/articles?category=laravel) #Laravel #Release Cycle #Support Policy #Versioning #Upgrade Guide Laravel Release Cycle: Versions, Support Policy, and Dates ============================================================ 29 Sep 2026 4 min read ![Mohamed Said](https://cdn.msaied.com/01M22N44A70A5MC2S599JP0MPH.webp) Mohamed Said Table of contents 1. [ 01 Semantic Versioning ](#semantic-versioning) 2. [ 02 Weekly Minor and Patch Releases ](#weekly-minor-and-patch-releases) 3. [ 03 Annual Major Releases ](#annual-major-releases) 4. [ 04 Support Policy ](#support-policy) 5. [ 05 Composer Version Constraints ](#composer-version-constraints) 6. [ 06 Upgrading to a New Major Version ](#upgrading-to-a-new-major-version) 7. [ 07 Where Development Happens ](#where-development-happens) 8. [ 08 Key Takeaways ](#key-takeaways) Laravel ships one major version a year, typically in Q1, and tags minor and patch releases on most weeks throughout the year. Understanding the release cycle helps you plan upgrades, set the right Composer constraints, and avoid running an unsupported version in production. Semantic Versioning ------------------- Laravel follows [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/) since Laravel 6 (September 2019). A version number like `13.33.0` breaks down as: - **MAJOR** (`13`) — breaking changes - **MINOR** (`33`) — new features, backward-compatible - **PATCH** (`0`) — bug fixes only, backward-compatible Before Laravel 6, the second number signaled major releases (e.g., 5.4 → 5.5 could break your app). That is no longer the case. Weekly Minor and Patch Releases ------------------------------- The Laravel team tags a release most Tuesdays. A minor number in the thirties does not mean you are behind — it just means a busy year of features. Moving from `13.1` to `13.33` is a single `composer update` because minor and patch releases never contain breaking changes. Annual Major Releases --------------------- Laravel moved from a six-month to a yearly major release cycle in January 2021. Major versions have landed as follows: | Version | Release Date | |---|---| | Laravel 9 | February 8, 2022 | | Laravel 10 | February 14, 2023 | | Laravel 11 | March 12, 2024 | | Laravel 12 | February 24, 2025 | | Laravel 13 | March 17, 2026 | | Laravel 14 | Q1 2027 (expected) | Because most features ship in weekly minor releases, a major version primarily holds back only breaking changes. Raising the minimum PHP version is the most common one — Laravel 13 requires PHP 8.3, and Laravel 14 will require PHP 8.4. Support Policy -------------- Every major Laravel release receives **bug fixes for 18 months** and **security fixes for 2 years**. There are no LTS releases anymore; Laravel 6 was the last one. | Version | Bug Fixes Until | Security Fixes Until | |---|---|---| | 14 (expected) | Q3 2028 | Q1 2029 | | 13 | Q3 2027 | March 17, 2028 | | 12 | August 13, 2026 | February 24, 2027 | | 11 | September 3, 2025 | March 12, 2026 | | 10 | August 6, 2024 | February 4, 2025 | As of late 2026, Laravel 10 and 11 are end of life. Laravel 12 receives security fixes only. **Laravel 13 is the only version still receiving bug fixes.** Plan major upgrades around the 18-month bug fix window, not the two-year security window. Laravel 12 bug fixes ended on August 13, 2026 — less than five months after Laravel 13 shipped. Composer Version Constraints ---------------------------- Use a caret constraint in `composer.json` to accept all `13.x` releases while blocking `14.0`: ```json "require": { "laravel/framework": "^13.0" } ``` Weekly minor releases arrive automatically via `composer update`. The major upgrade waits until you manually bump the constraint. > **Note:** Named arguments are not covered by Laravel's backward compatibility promise. The team may rename method parameters in a minor release, so avoid calls like `Cache::put(key: 'foo', value: 'bar')`. Upgrading to a New Major Version -------------------------------- The team targets upgrades that take one day or less. Each major version ships with a detailed upgrade guide that rates the likelihood of each breaking change affecting your application. [Laravel Shift](https://laravelshift.com/) automates the process and opens a pull request with a commit per change, and it now uses AI to handle even more of the upgrade automatically. Where Development Happens ------------------------- The `laravel/framework` repository maintains a branch per major version (`11.x`, `12.x`, `13.x`) and a `master` branch for the next major release: - Bug fixes → latest bug-fix branch (`13.x`) - Backward-compatible features → `13.x`, ships in the next weekly release - Breaking changes → `master` (becomes Laravel 14) Key Takeaways ------------- - Laravel ships one major version per year (~Q1), with weekly minor/patch releases in between. - Every major version gets 18 months of bug fixes and 2 years of security fixes — no LTS. - Laravel 13 (PHP 8.3+, released March 17, 2026) is the only version currently receiving bug fixes. - Laravel 14 is expected in Q1 2027 and will require PHP 8.4. - Use `^13.0` in `composer.json`; avoid named arguments for framework methods. - Plan upgrades around the 18-month bug fix window, not the 2-year security window. --- *Source: [Laravel Release Cycle: Versions, Support Policy, and Dates — Laravel News](https://laravel-news.com/laravel-releases)* Found this useful? [ ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.msaied.com%2Farticles%2Flaravel-release-cycle-versions-support-policy-and-dates&text=Laravel+Release+Cycle%3A+Versions%2C+Support+Policy%2C+and+Dates) [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.msaied.com%2Farticles%2Flaravel-release-cycle-versions-support-policy-and-dates) Frequently Asked Questions ---------------------------- 3 questions Q01 How long does Laravel support each major version? Each major Laravel release receives bug fixes for 18 months and security fixes for 2 years from its release date. There are no LTS releases since Laravel 6. Q02 Is it safe to run composer update on a Laravel 13 project? Yes. Minor and patch releases never contain breaking changes, so updating from any 13.x version to the latest 13.x is safe. The caret constraint `^13.0` in composer.json ensures you stay on the 13.x line and do not accidentally pull in Laravel 14. Q03 When should I upgrade from Laravel 12 to Laravel 13? Laravel 12 bug fixes ended on August 13, 2026 — roughly five months after Laravel 13 shipped. You should upgrade before that date to keep receiving bug fixes, rather than waiting until the security fix window closes in February 2027. 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