# EOL

> 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.

Original page: https://t10.de/en/glossary/eol
Publisher: total10 GmbH, https://t10.de/en/glossary

PHP shows clearly how a version reaches its end of life. On [php.net](https://www.php.net/supported-versions.php), 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](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32024R2847), 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.

## See also

- [Monitoring](https://t10.de/en/glossary/monitoring): Monitoring is the checking of IT components against defined thresholds, so that a notification or an alarm is triggered when a threshold is reached.
- [Shopware](https://t10.de/en/glossary/shopware): Shopware is e-commerce software from shopware AG in Schöppingen, Germany; the vendor says its current product, Shopware 6, is a complete redevelopment of Shopware 5.
- [Symfony](https://t10.de/en/glossary/symfony): Symfony is an open-source PHP framework, a ready-made foundation for web applications, released under the MIT licence and developed by its community to a fixed release schedule.

## Where the term appears

- [Shopware 5 end of life: what it means for your shop](https://t10.de/en/blog/shopware-5-end-of-support)
- [Online shops: Shopify and Shopware 5](https://t10.de/en/online-shops)
- [Pharma IT services: Non-GxP software](https://t10.de/en/pharma)

## Sources

1. [Supported Versions](https://www.php.net/supported-versions.php), The PHP Group (php.net), accessed 2026-11-07
2. [The Release Process (Symfony Docs, current)](https://symfony.com/doc/current/contributing/code/releases.html), Symfony (symfony.com), accessed 2026-11-07
3. [Verordnung (EU) 2024/2847 über horizontale Cybersicherheitsanforderungen für Produkte mit digitalen Elementen (Cyberresilienz-Verordnung), ABl. L vom 20.11.2024](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/DE/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32024R2847), Amtsblatt der Europäischen Union (EUR-Lex), accessed 2026-11-07
4. [Shopware 5 - so geht es weiter (16.08.2022, Michael Telgmann)](https://www.shopware.com/de/news/shopware-5-so-geht-es-weiter/), shopware AG, accessed 2026-11-07