Product Versions and the Release Process


Last modified: February 23, 2024

Overview

To make decisions about updating your server, you must understand cPanel & WHM’s versions and releases.

Important:

You can’t downgrade a cPanel & WHM installation between major versions or release tiers.

Version numbers

A cPanel & WHM version number consists of three or four incremented integer values. Periods (.) separate each value.

Version Numbers

This version number contains the following parts:

Value
Description
Parent Value The parent value is from our previous version numbering system and indicates a large group of major versions.
  • We deprecated this part of our numbering system in cPanel & WHM version 11.52.
  • In most cases, this value is optional.
You will usually only see this in configuration files, API function output, and package files.
Major Value Each major value indicates a new set of features. We often refer to the builds in this as a release or the major version.
  • Odd major values are development releases that appear on the EDGE release tier. For more information, read the LTS section below.
  • Even major values are production releases that appear in all release tiers.
Minor Value The minor value is always 0 for cPanel & WHM installations.
Build Value The build value indicates a unique build of cPanel & WHM.
Note:
Some references to version numbers may omit the build value.

Releases

We release versions of cPanel & WHM across several architectures. We also may publish several versions across different tiers on the same day.

The following table contains the most recent cPanel & WHM release versions:

cPanel & WHM Version Approximate Release Date Approximate End of Life Date
110 (LTS) January 2023 July 31, 2024
112 April 2023 TBD
114 July 2023 TBD
118 January 2024 TBD
Note:
  • If your server uses the RELEASE, STABLE, or LTS tiers, the system applies a delay of several business days before your automatic upgrade occurs. For more information, read our Update Preferences documentation.
  • The LTS tier uses the most recently released LTS version. Servers that use the LTS tier update to the next version of LTS when it comes available. This may happen before their current version reaches End of Life (EOL).
  • Whenever possible, we do not release new versions on international holidays and weekends (Thursday evening through Sunday afternoon).

Release tiers

We release cPanel & WHM through five publicly-available tiers. This allows server owners to select their preferred update frequency as we develop and publish new versions of cPanel & WHM.

  • Use WHM’s Update Preferences interface (WHM » Home » Server Configuration » Update Preferences) to select a release tier.
  • When a release of cPanel & WHM no longer exists in any tier and reaches EOL, it becomes unsupported. Unsupported versions don’t receive security updates or bug fixes.
  • When a version of cPanel & WHM is about to reach its EOL, you will receive an email notification about it. However, previous versions of cPanel & WHM are not EOL until the upcoming version reaches RELEASE tier.

You can choose from the following release tiers:

LTS

Use this tier to select a single cPanel & WHM version for the year during which WebPros International, LLC supports it. We only ship one LTS version per year.

  • Over the lifespan of an LTS release, WebPros International, LLC will provide security and other critical updates. We won’t add new features to LTS releases unless they’re critical. We also provide updates for compatibility with later versions.
  • Only one release each year qualifies for LTS. Other versions will only receive updates in the STABLE, RELEASE, CURRENT, or EDGE tiers.

LTS support

We follow these guidelines to provide LTS support:

  • The lifespan of each release extends through June 30th of the following year.
  • WebPros International, LLC may extend a version’s LTS period at our discretion.
  • Development releases of cPanel & WHM do not qualify for LTS. We don’t use their publication dates to calculate an LTS version’s lifespan.

LTS updates for other applications

We provide LTS updates for the following applications:

Third-party applications

cPanel & WHM provides various third-party applications. For supported LTS releases, we provide critical updates for third-party applications. We may provide them as backported patches instead of upgrades.

EasyApache

WebPros International, LLC releases EasyApache separately from cPanel & WHM’s release schedule. We provide EasyApache updates for an LTS release until the LTS release reaches EOL.

  • If the LTS version doesn’t meet EasyApache’s requirements, EasyApache will update. However, we can’t support that update.
  • EasyApache uses the php.net supported versions timeline. Packages for unsupported versions of PHP will remain on the WebPros International, LLC mirrors and servers. We will not provide any further updates.
cPAddons and WHM plugins

We release updates for cPAddons and WHM plugins throughout the LTS release’s lifetime.

STABLE

This version has undergone public exposure, testing, and verification. We publish this tier less often than RELEASE.

RELEASE

Important:

New installations default to this tier.

This version is feature-complete and we have tested it thoroughly. It contains all intended features and functionality. We publish this tier more often than STABLE.

CURRENT

This version has received verification and testing. We publish this tier more often than RELEASE.

  • Some of this version’s features may still be in development.
  • This tier represents the “Release Candidate” tier that other publication schedules use.

EDGE

Warning:

Due to the dynamic nature of EDGE builds, only use EDGE for testing in a controlled environment. We do not recommend this tier for production servers.

This version has only received rudimentary testing. We publish this tier most often (up to several times per week).

  • This version contains features that we plan to change further.
  • This version may not include all features or official public documentation.

Production release process

We use the following process to develop and manage production releases:

  1. We complete development and testing of the production release.
  2. We publish the release to the development and EDGE tiers.
  3. We publish the release to the CURRENT tier. At this point, we stop developing or publishing non-critical changes to those releases.
  4. After the release enters the RELEASE tier, we assess any immediate maintenance needs.
  5. After we resolve those maintenance needs, we publish to the STABLE and, annually, LTS tiers.
Note:

In addition to everything in the previous production release, development releases of cPanel & WHM include changes from the next planned production release. We publish all development release changes to the EDGE tier.

Additional Documentation