BSP Tracker / Kernel lifecycles
Which Linux kernels are still getting fixes
Every longterm series, its current patch level, and the date the stable maintainers expect to stop supporting it. A kernel picked at the start of a project usually outlives the decision, and the series it runs on can go quiet years before the product does.
Reading this table
End-of-life dates are projections. The stable maintainers set them and can extend them if the industry funds the work. Treat them as the current plan, not a guarantee, and re-check before committing a product to a series.
After end of life there are no more security fixes — including the kernel CVEs published every week. A device still in the field on an EOL kernel is a device accumulating unpatched vulnerabilities.
For a product shipping in 2027 or later, the question is not which kernel is newest. It is which kernel is still getting fixes when the device is in a customer’s hands.
- Over 2 years
- Safe to start a new product on.
- 1 to 2 years
- Usable, but plan the migration now.
- Under 1 year
- Fixes stop soon. Do not ship anything new on it.
| Series | Current | Released | Projected EOL | Support left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.18 | 6.18.38 | 2025-11-30 | Dec 2028 | 29 months |
| 6.12 | 6.12.95 | 2024-11-17 | Dec 2028 | 29 months |
| 6.6 | 6.6.144 | 2023-10-29 | Dec 2027 | 17 months |
| 6.1 | 6.1.177 | 2022-12-11 | Dec 2027 | 17 months |
| 5.15 | 5.15.211 | 2021-10-31 | Dec 2026 | 5 months |
| 5.10 | 5.10.260 | 2020-12-13 | Dec 2026 | 5 months |
Get the updates
An email when a kernel series reaches end of life, a board row changes, or a layer picks up a release branch. Nothing else.
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