Choosing a Node.js version

Erik van Nieuwburg
1 min readApr 4, 2016

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So, what’s up with all these Node.js versions? In short: there’s 2 versions to choose from: LTS (Long Term Support) & STABLE. LTS is the most stable one. STABLE is the bleeding edge version. Talk about confusing names, right?

I’ve condensed the main differences into a simple table to make it simpler to understand, but there’s 1 main thing to remember: Node.js has a special versioning system. All even version numbers (v4, v6, …) fall under the so-called LTS plan. This means those get Long Term Support (30 months). All STABLE versions have uneven numbers (v5, v7, …). These are ‘intermediate feature releases’ which are best suited for users who have an easier time upgrading. STABLE versions get limited support (8 months).

You can copy the table here:

* Maintenance mode: only severe bugs and security problems will be addressed.

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