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Glossary E

Glossary · Cross-cutting

EOL

Area
Both strands

EOL (end of life) is the point at which a vendor or project stops supporting a software version, so that users may be exposed to unpatched security vulnerabilities.

PHP shows clearly how a version reaches its end of life. On php.net, the project explains that each release branch is fully supported for two years from its first stable release, followed by two more years in which only critical security issues are fixed. After those four years the branch is no longer supported. Anyone still using it may be exposed to unpatched security vulnerabilities, and the project advises upgrading as soon as possible. Shopware 5 is another example: shopware AG planned to support it until July 2024.

Symfony's long-term support (LTS) versions reach their end of life later than its standard versions, receiving security fixes for years rather than months; the Symfony entry sets out the cycle. For products with digital elements, the EU Cyber Resilience Act, Regulation (EU) 2024/2847, defines a related term: the support period.

For the software we use, we keep track of end-of-life and long-term support dates and schedule updates in good time. Shopware 5 is already past its end of life, so it is no longer an option for new projects with us.

Where the term appears

Sources

  1. Supported Versions (opens in a new tab)

    The PHP Group (php.net) accessed

  2. The Release Process (Symfony Docs, current) (opens in a new tab)

    Symfony (symfony.com) accessed

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