CI/CD

Jenkins Releases

Track Jenkins LTS and weekly releases, Java compatibility, plugin ecosystem health, and upgrade guidance. Controller/agent version skew, security advisories, and migration paths.

Official Site Documentation

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Total Versions

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Supported

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Latest

Version Timeline

All tracked releases with lifecycle status and EOL dates.

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Lifecycle Timeline

Visual overview of active support and maintenance windows.

LTS 2.361

LTS 2.375

LTS 2.401

LTS 2.426

LTS 2.440

LTS 2.462

LTS 2.479

2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028

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Maintenance

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Upgrade Paths

Migration guidance between major versions — breaking changes, effort estimates, and tips.

LTS 2.361-2.401 (Java 11) LTS 2.440+ (Java 17) High Difficulty

Est. 4-8 hours + plugin testing

Breaking Changes

Java 17 required (Java 11 dropped)
Jakarta EE migration (javax → jakarta in some plugins)
Spring Security updates in core
Many plugins require minimum version bumps
Agent remoting protocol changes
Removed legacy CLI protocol

Migration Notes

The Java 11 to 17 transition is the biggest recent Jenkins upgrade. Update Java on controller and all agents first. Then update plugins (check for Java 17 compatible versions). Finally upgrade Jenkins core. Test in a staging instance with your actual job configurations. Budget extra time for plugin compatibility issues.

LTS 2.440 LTS 2.462+ Low Difficulty

Est. 1-2 hours

Breaking Changes

Security hardening defaults tightened
New CSRF protection defaults
Some deprecated API methods removed
Updated plugin parent POM requirements

Migration Notes

LTS-to-LTS upgrades within the Java 17 era are straightforward. Update plugins, upgrade core, verify /manage page for warnings. The Jenkins project has gotten better at maintaining backward compatibility between LTS lines.

Version Risk Assessment

Evaluate risk factors before choosing a version for production.

Version	EOL Risk	CVE Risk	Ecosystem	Cloud Support	Overall	Recommended Action
Jenkins LTS 2.401 and older	Critical	Critical	Unsupported	None	Critical	Multiple unpatched CVEs — upgrade immediately
Jenkins LTS 2.426	Critical	High	Unsupported	Degrading	Critical	Past EOL — upgrade to 2.462+
Jenkins LTS 2.440	High	Medium	Maintenance	Full	High	Security-only — plan upgrade
Jenkins LTS 2.462	Low	Low	Active	Full	Low	Current supported — keep patched
Jenkins LTS 2.479	None	Low	Active	Full	Low	Latest LTS — recommended

Jenkins LTS lines get ~12 months of support. Security advisories are frequent (~monthly). Running behind on patches is high-risk. Assessed March 2026.

Jenkins LTS Feature Comparison

Side-by-side feature differences across major versions.

Feature	2.401	2.426	2.440	2.462	2.479
Java minimum	11	17	17	17	17
Java recommended	11	17	17	21	21
Configuration as Code	Stable	Stable	Stable	Enhanced	Enhanced
Kubernetes agents	Stable	Stable	Enhanced	Enhanced	Enhanced
Pipeline (Declarative)	Stable	Stable	Stable	Stable	Enhanced
Security hardening	Basic	Improved	Improved	Enhanced	Enhanced
Dark mode	No	No	Experimental	Stable	Stable
WebSocket agent protocol	Experimental	Stable	Stable	Stable	Stable
ARM64 support	Community	Community	Official	Official	Official

Embed Badges

Add live Jenkins status badges to your README, docs, or dashboard.

Health Status

Overall support health

![Jenkins Health Status](https://img.releaserun.com/badge/health/jenkins.svg)

EOL Countdown

Next end-of-life date

![Jenkins EOL Countdown](https://img.releaserun.com/badge/eol/jenkins.svg)

Latest Version

Current stable release

![Jenkins Latest Version](https://img.releaserun.com/badge/v/jenkins.svg)

CVE Status

Known vulnerabilities

![Jenkins CVE Status](https://img.releaserun.com/badge/cve/jenkins.svg)

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Jenkins releases and lifecycle.

Should I use Jenkins LTS or Weekly?

Use LTS for production. Jenkins LTS releases every 12 weeks by picking a stable weekly release and backporting critical fixes. Weekly releases get every new feature and fix immediately but may have rough edges. LTS gives you a predictable upgrade cadence and more community testing. Weekly is for contributors and teams who want bleeding-edge features.

Which Java version does Jenkins require?

Jenkins 2.426+ (LTS 2.440+) requires Java 17 or 21. Java 11 support was dropped in late 2024. Java 21 is recommended for new installations. Running Jenkins on an unsupported Java version will cause startup failures. Controller and agents must use compatible Java versions, though agents can run different JVM vendors.

How do I handle plugin compatibility during upgrades?

This is the #1 source of Jenkins upgrade pain. Before upgrading Jenkins core, check the Plugin Compatibility Matrix at plugins.jenkins.io. Update plugins BEFORE upgrading core. Use the Plugin Usage Analyzer to identify unused plugins and remove them (fewer plugins = fewer breakage vectors). After upgrading, check /manage for compatibility warnings.

Is Jenkins being replaced by GitHub Actions / GitLab CI?

Jenkins still has the largest CI/CD market share, especially in enterprises with complex pipelines and custom toolchains. GitHub Actions and GitLab CI are simpler for standard workflows but lack Jenkins' 1,800+ plugin ecosystem and arbitrary pipeline customization. Jenkins is being modernized (Configuration as Code, Kubernetes agents, Tekton integration) but the migration trend toward hosted CI is real for smaller teams.

What is Jenkins Configuration as Code (JCasC)?

JCasC lets you define Jenkins system configuration in YAML files instead of the web UI. It covers security settings, tool installations, cloud configurations, and most global settings. It does NOT manage pipeline definitions (use Jenkinsfile for that). JCasC is essential for reproducible Jenkins deployments and is the recommended approach since ~2020.

How does Jenkins controller/agent version skew work?

Jenkins agents should run the same or slightly older version of the remoting library as the controller. Large version gaps cause communication failures. When upgrading the controller, update agent images within the same maintenance window. Kubernetes pod agents typically pick up the new version automatically if you update the agent image tag.

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