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Varnish Cache Release Timeline: Active Versions and EOL Dates

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

Varnish Cache Release Timeline: Active Versions and EOL Dates

Forum administrators who maintain reverse proxy servers often place caching daemons ahead of community web servers to handle anonymous thread browsing and static assets. Staying informed about proxy software maintenance schedules helps avoid running unsupported builds on public infrastructure. Evaluating caching setups alongside broader forum speed optimization routines ensures systems remain protected and reliable. Tracking lifecycle cutoffs tracked by the endoflife.date Varnish Cache data feed provides clear target dates for upgrading caching instances across production forum stacks.

2018 to Present: Long-Term Support for Cycle 6.0

For operators seeking sustained stability without frequent major software migrations, cycle 6.0 stands out as the designated long-term support release. Initially published on 2018-03-15, cycle 6.0 carries an LTS value of true and has no scheduled end-of-life date, marked as false in official tracking records. Maintenance for this long-running cycle continues, with release 6.0.18 arriving on 2026-05-18.

Administrators hosting community boards on enterprise distributions frequently rely on cycle 6.0 when matching baseline packages against general forum software server requirements. Because cycle 6.0 avoids the rapid annual retirement rhythm seen in regular branches, server maintainers who value extended deployment horizons can operate cycle 6.0 without facing immediate migration deadlines.

2021 Through 2024: Retired 7.x Release Cycles

The non-LTS releases that spanned from late 2021 through 2024 followed short lifecycles and have all reached their respective end-of-life milestones:

Cycle 7.0 was launched on 2021-09-15 and reached its end of life on 2022-09-15, with maintenance concluding at version 7.0.3 on 2022-08-05. Cycle 7.1 debuted on 2022-03-15 and terminated support on 2023-03-15, ending on version 7.1.2 released on 2022-10-10. Cycle 7.2 rolled out on 2022-09-15 and concluded its lifecycle on 2023-09-15, with 7.2.1 landing on 2022-10-11.

Cycle 7.3 arrived on 2023-03-15, concluding on 2024-03-15 with final build 7.3.2 delivered on 2024-03-18. Cycle 7.4 arrived on 2023-09-15, ending support on 2024-09-15 alongside release 7.4.3 on 2024-03-18. Cycle 7.5 became available on 2024-03-18, concluding on 2025-03-15 with build 7.5.0 issued on 2024-03-18. Cycle 7.6 launched on 2024-09-13 and completed its lifecycle on 2025-09-15, with version 7.6.5 issued on 2025-08-20. Every release across these iterations carried an LTS designation of false.

2025 to 2026: Expirations for Cycles 7.7 and 8.0

Recent maintenance expirations have affected deployments originating in 2025. Cycle 7.7 made its debut on 2025-03-17 and completed its lifecycle on 2026-03-15, after receiving maintenance build 7.7.3 on 2025-08-20.

Following that, cycle 8.0 launched on 2025-09-15 and ended its support period on 2026-09-15. The final release recorded for cycle 8.0 was version 8.0.2, issued on 2026-05-18. Both cycle 7.7 and cycle 8.0 carried an LTS status of false. Forum hosts operating proxy layers configured during late 2025 or early 2026 must verify their package repositories, as cycle 8.0 passed its official cutoff date in September 2026.

2026 Active Branches: Cycles 9.0 and 9.1

Administrators needing modern features alongside ongoing patch coverage have active non-LTS releases available:

Cycle 9.0 arrived on 2026-03-16 and remains supported until its scheduled end-of-life date of 2027-03-16. Its most recent release is 9.0.2, published on 2026-09-16. Cycle 9.1 was released on 2026-09-16, carrying scheduled support through 2027-09-16, with its initial release tagged as 9.1.0 on 2026-09-16. Both 9.0 and 9.1 are marked with an LTS status of false. Tracking these active versions against production machines helps maintainers align their server upgrades before support windows lapse.

Release Timeline and Support Deadlines at a Glance

A structured look at the lifecycle records published in the endoflife.date Varnish release lifecycle database outlines the timeline across historical and active releases:

Planning Upgrades for Community Infrastructure

Managing a forum reverse proxy requires coordinating package updates with operating system maintenance cycles. Deployments running cycle 8.0 or older non-LTS packages should transition toward active branches such as 9.0 or 9.1, or evaluate moving to the long-term support track on cycle 6.0. Maintaining current software packages ensures your caching tier receives bug fixes and security patches without unexpected disruptions to discussion board visitors.

Sources

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