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Symfony Release Cycles and EOL Dates: Community Admin Timeline

By 4FreeForums Editors · Published October 28, 2026 · Sources linked below

Symfony Release Cycles and EOL Dates: Community Admin Timeline

Forum systems rely heavily on underlying PHP components, making framework roadmaps essential for server stability. Administrators evaluating forum software server requirements must account for maintenance cutoffs to avoid running unsupported libraries. Data published via the endoflife.date Symfony cycle data provides exact release schedules and retirement targets across major framework generations. In late October 2026, several historical versions remain retired, one major LTS release faces an imminent support deadline, and active development continues on newer 7.x and 8.x branches.

2013 to 2019: Early Milestones and Retired Framework Generations

Early framework versions established the dual cadence of standard releases and long-term support (LTS) releases. Cycle 2.3 arrived on 2013-06-03, concluding support on 2016-05-01 and reaching its end of life on 2017-05-01, with patch 2.3.42 appearing on 2016-05-30. Subsequent branches followed this pattern. Cycle 2.7 launched on 2015-05-30, completing support on 2018-05-01 and reaching end of life on 2019-05-01, with latest patch 2.7.52 released on 2019-04-17. Cycle 2.8 emerged on 2015-11-30, ending support on 2018-11-01 and hitting end of life on 2019-11-01, capped by version 2.8.52 on 2019-11-13.

The 3.x series progressed through standard versions before concluding with an extended milestone. Cycle 3.0 launched on 2015-11-30 and ended support on 2016-07-01, with end of life occurring on 2017-01-01 and final patch 3.0.9 issued on 2016-07-30. Cycle 3.1 arrived on 2016-05-30, ending support on 2017-01-01 and reaching end of life on 2017-07-01, with release 3.1.10 appearing on 2017-01-27. Cycle 3.2 debuted on 2016-11-30, finishing support on 2017-07-01 and reaching end of life on 2018-01-01, marked by version 3.2.14 on 2017-11-16. Cycle 3.3 debuted on 2017-05-29, ended support on 2018-01-01, and reached end of life on 2018-07-01, concluding with version 3.3.18 on 2018-08-01. The series finalized with 3.4 LTS, released on 2017-11-30, concluding support on 2020-11-01, and reaching end of life on 2021-11-01, with its final 3.4.49 update issued on 2021-05-19.

The 4.x family maintained short standard lifespans alongside a dedicated long-term anchor. Cycle 4.0 debuted on 2017-11-30, wrapped up support on 2018-07-01, and reached end of life on 2019-01-01, with version 4.0.15 appearing on 2018-12-06. Cycle 4.1 started on 2018-05-30, ended support on 2019-01-01, and reached end of life on 2019-07-01, issuing update 4.1.13 on 2019-04-17. Cycle 4.2 followed on 2018-11-30, closing support on 2019-07-01 and reaching end of life on 2020-01-01, with 4.2.12 landing on 2019-11-13. Cycle 4.3 appeared on 2019-05-30, concluded support on 2020-01-01, and hit end of life on 2020-07-01, delivering 4.3.11 on 2020-01-31. The 4.4 LTS branch debuted on 2019-11-21, held support until 2022-11-21, and reached end of life on 2023-11-21, receiving its final maintenance release 4.4.51 on 2023-11-10.

2019 to 2024: The 5.x Family and the Extended Window of 5.4

The 5.x generation began on 2019-11-21 with version 5.0, which concluded support and reached end of life simultaneously on 2020-07-21, after publishing 5.0.11 on 2020-07-24. Short-lived standard releases continued with 5.1 on 2020-05-31, ending support and reaching end of life on 2021-01-21 with patch 5.1.11 on 2021-01-27. Cycle 5.2 was released on 2020-11-30, ending support and reaching end of life on 2021-07-21, with 5.2.14 arriving on 2021-07-29. Cycle 5.3 appeared on 2021-05-31, closing support and hitting end of life on 2022-01-01, delivering 5.3.16 on 2022-03-01.

Cycle 5.4 introduced an unusually long lifespan. Launched as an LTS release on 2021-11-29, its active support window concluded on 2024-11-30. However, its overall end of life does not occur until 2029-02-28. Framework maintainers continue providing security maintenance, issuing patch 5.4.55 on 2026-10-28.

2021 to 2026: The 6.x Branch and the Looming 6.4 Cutoff

Standard releases in the 6.x series moved quickly through their planned phases. Cycle 6.0 arrived on 2021-11-29 and completed both its support window and end of life on 2023-01-31, issuing patch 6.0.20 on 2023-02-01. Cycle 6.1 debuted on 2022-05-27, also concluding support and reaching end of life on 2023-01-31, with release 6.1.12 published on 2023-02-01. Cycle 6.2 released on 2022-11-30, completing support and reaching end of life on 2023-07-31, delivering 6.2.14 on 2023-07-31. Cycle 6.3 launched on 2023-05-30, closing support and reaching end of life on 2024-01-31, issuing 6.3.12 on 2024-01-30.

Cycle 6.4 represents the LTS cornerstone for this generation. Released on 2023-11-29, its active support cutoff is set for 2026-11-30, followed by a final end of life date of 2027-11-30. The latest update, version 6.4.49, landed on 2026-10-28. Community administrators running platforms on 6.4 must note that active support ends on 2026-11-30, transitioning the release exclusively into security maintenance.

2023 to 2026: Fast 7.x Iterations and the 7.4 Long-Term Standard

The 7.x branch brought renewed framework iterations. Cycle 7.0 debuted on 2023-11-29, completing support and reaching end of life on 2024-07-31, with version 7.0.10 arriving on 2024-07-26. Cycle 7.1 followed on 2024-05-31, concluding support and reaching end of life on 2025-01-31, with 7.1.11 published on 2025-01-29. Cycle 7.2 launched on 2024-11-29, finishing support and reaching end of life on 2025-07-31, with update 7.2.9 issued on 2025-07-31. Cycle 7.3 arrived on 2025-05-29, concluding support and reaching end of life on 2026-01-31, with version 7.3.11 released on 2026-01-28.

On 2025-11-27, cycle 7.4 arrived as the dedicated LTS release. Support for 7.4 continues until 2028-11-30, and its final end of life date extends to 2029-11-30. Maintenance is active, with version 7.4.22 released on 2026-10-28. When upgrading forum software that bundles framework components, reviewing the phpBB development status and repository activity guide helps track how application stacks adopt stable branches.

2025 to 2027: The 8.x Generation and Active Maintenance

The 8.x release generation began alongside the 7.4 LTS launch. Cycle 8.0 debuted on 2025-11-27 as a non-LTS release, ending support and reaching end of life on 2026-07-31, with version 8.0.16 arriving on 2026-07-29. Cycle 8.1 followed on 2026-05-29, maintaining active support and a planned end of life date until 2027-01-31. The latest release on this branch is 8.1.10, published on 2026-10-28 according to the endoflife.date Symfony cycle data.

Planning Framework Transitions: The Admin Support Timeline

Server administrators must track when dependencies transition from regular maintenance to security fixes or full retirement. Reviewing the schedule helps ensure that hosting environments stay aligned with upstream releases:

Sources

endoflife.date Symfony cycle data

Published October 28, 2026. No affiliate links on this page. Facts come from the sources linked above; check them for updates.