Long Term Support
Contents
WHMCS Long-Term Support
Product enhancements, bug fixes and security fixes for published versions of WHMCS are common; WHMCS is constantly being refined to ensure a safe and robust experience. However, it is impractical for customers to always track the latest product refines at the same pace as our Development Team. And for that reason, WHMCS, Ltd. has implemented a Long-Term Support Policy for WHMCS.
Overview
The WHMCS Long-Term Support Policy provides customers with a clear understanding of our commitment to supporting the software they have purchased a license for and installed on their systems.
WHMCS, Ltd. will provide periodic maintenance releases for major and minor versions of WHMCS as part of the normal WHMCS Release Process. This is called Active Development. Versions of WHMCS that are not under Active Development will not receive maintenance releases, however, they are candidates for Targeted Critical and Security Releases. WHMCS will only provide a Targeted Releases for candidates that have not reached their End Of Life.
Please refer to the WHMCS Version and LTS Schedule to see what versions of WHMCS are currently covered by Long-Term Support or under Active Development.
Provisions of Long-Term Support
Once a version of WHMCS is no longer being actively developed it will receive Long-Term Support (LTS) from our Development and Security Teams. LTS is a finite period which expires on a specific date known as End Of Life (EOL). Each minor version has it’s own EOL date.
Product versions that are in LTS are provided Targeted Critical and Security Releases.
Once a version has moved from Active Development to LTS it will not receive product enhancements or maintenance fixes unless they are deemed critical to the viability of a Targeted Critical or Security Release, and therefore delivered as part of LTS. If you require product enhancements or maintenance fixes, we suggest updating to a product version that is being actively developed.
Active Development
A product version that is under Active Development is in the process of being refined. Therefore, subsequent revisions are likely to be released until a new minor version is published. Revision releases can include bug fixes, security enhancements, minor optimizations, third-party updates, as well as Important or Critical updates.
At any given moment in time, there will likely be only one actively developed version of WHMCS available; it will be the latest version available for our site. However, to ensure a smooth transition from one major or minor version to the next, WHMCS, Ltd. may extend Active Development of the previously published version. These overlaps between product versions is usually quite small, on the order of a few weeks at most.
Please refer to WHMCS Version and LTS Schedule to know if your version is currently under Active Development.
Defining End Of Life
A core attribute of the Long-Term Support Policy is defining a given version’s End Of Life (EOL) date. The EOL date is established upon the publication of a new minor or major release and typically is set one year into the future.
For example if version 1.0.0 is published January 31, 2012, then it will have an EOL of January 1st 2013 because it is a major release. If 1.1.0 is published on May 1st, 2012, it will have an EOL of May 1st 2013 because it is a minor release. If 1.1.1 is published on May 15th 2012 it will have an EOL of May 1st 2013 because it is a maintenance release to a previous minor release. Likewise, if 1.1.5 is published on July 24th 2012 it will have an EOL of May 1st 2013 because it is a maintenance release to a previous minor release.
After End Of Life
Once a version’s EOL date has passed, no further releases or updates will be provided, regardless of the observed deficiency in that version.
Products that have reached EOL are not available for download from WHMCS.
As noted below in Licensing & Services, the product will continue to function even after the EOL date has passed. The use of the software is not tied to LTS or EOL, but the active/inactive state of your license.
Licensing & Services
WHMCS is offered with two types of licenses: Monthly and Owned. Each license type is bundled with help desk support and access to software updates when initially purchased.
A Monthly license always has access to these two services. An Owned license has access to these two services for one year. After one year, an Owned license holder can purchase an additional year of these two services as an addon.
An Owned license validates use of the software indefinitely, even after the term of help desk support and access to software updates expires. A Monthly license validates use of the software, help desk support, and access to software updates in one month durations. The active status of your license governs the functional state of your WHMCS installation, not the development status (Active Development/LTS/EOL) of the deployed product version.
Help Desk Support
The help desk support service allows customers to open tickets with our help desk. These tickets are managed by our Technical Analysts. Our Analysts work with customers to resolve a broad range of issues from configuration to identifying deficiency within a given version of WHMCS. With this service, customers have access to Analysts regardless of which version of the product they are using, even if that version has reached its End Of Life.
It’s important to remember, however, that support provided by this service, or deficiencies identified by our Analysts, does not imply future refinements for versions. The LTS schedule, along with the severity of the identified issue, will determine what versions of WHMCS are candidates for any future refines.
Software Update Service
The software update service allows customers access to the latest versions of WHMCS. The service does not imply continued development, maintenance, or critical fixes for any given version of WHMCS. The LTS schedule will determine what versions of WHMCS are candidates for any refines. It is recommended that customers leverage this service and keep their WHMCS installation up to date, and optimally, tracking a version that is currently under Active Development.
Grandfathered LTS
The WHMCS Long-Term Support policy is effective May 1st, 2013. Particular versions have been grandfathered, namely 4.5, 5.0, and 5.1.
WHMCS Version & LTS Schedule
This chart is updated upon each major or minor release of WHMCS.
| WHMCS Version | Approximate Publication Date | Targeted End-Of-Life Date | Current Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.x-3.x | -- | -- | EOL |
| 4.0 | May 2009 | May 31, 2013 | LTS |
| 4.1 | November 2009 | May 31, 2013 | LTS |
| 4.2 | March 2010 | May 31, 2013 | LTS |
| 4.3 | September 2010 | May 31, 2013 | LTS |
| 4.4 | December 2010 | May 31, 2013 | LTS |
| 4.5 | April 2011 | June 30, 2013 | LTS |
| 5.0 | December 2011 | July 31, 2013 | LTS |
| 5.1 | July 2012 | November 31, 2013 | LTS |
| 5.2 | March 2012 | March 31, 2014 | Active Development |