Alpine Linux · Lifecycle Status

Alpine Linux End of Life (EOL) Dates & Support Timeline

Complete end-of-life dates, support windows, and security status for all Alpine Linux versions. Data sourced from endoflife.date and official vendor documentation. Updated at every deploy.

Alpine Linux 3.21 reaches end of life on November 1, 2026. Plan your migration now — 39 days remaining.

Alpine Linux 3.24 is supported until June 1, 2028, its end-of-support date. The next Alpine Linux version to reach end of life is 3.21, on November 1, 2026. 28 of 32 tracked Alpine Linux versions are past end of life; the most recent to reach it, 3.20, did so on April 1, 2026. The full Alpine Linux lifecycle, with every version's release and end-of-support date, is in the table below.

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Latest Active
3.24.2
3.24 series
Next EOL
3.21
Nov 1, 2026
Active Versions
3
of 32 total
EOL Versions
28
no longer patched
40 / 100
Medium Risk
EOL Risk Score™  How is this calculated? →
EOL Recency
30/40
Attack Surface
10/30 Medium tier
CISA KEV Exposure
0/20 Not in KEV
Extended Support
0/10 Available
EOL Risk Score™ — proprietary methodology by endoflife.ai. Factors: EOL recency, attack surface breadth, CISA KEV catalog presence, extended support availability. Updated at every build. Methodology →
CPE Identifier
cpe:2.3:o:alpinelinux:alpine_linux
The Common Platform Enumeration name vulnerability scanners and CVE records use for Alpine Linux. Verified against the NIST CPE dictionary. Machine-readable for all products: cpe-map.json
Package URLs (purl)
pkg:swid/alpine?tag_id=alpine
pkg:docker/library/alpine
The package URL identifiers SBOM tools emit for Alpine Linux, so a CycloneDX or SPDX component resolves to this page by exact identifier rather than by name. Machine-readable for all products: purl-map.json; whole-SBOM checks: POST /v1/sbom or the Stack Scanner.
Release Cycle Timeline
EOL   Warning   Active   Today
Release cycle timeline 20102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023202420252026202720282.12.22.32.42.52.62.73.03.13.23.33.43.53.63.73.83.93.103.113.123.133.143.153.163.173.183.193.203.213.223.233.24TODAY
28 versions of Alpine Linux are past end of life — security patches have stopped. Get matched with support →
All Versions
VersionLatest ReleaseRelease DateEOL DateDaysStatus
2.1 2.1.6 Dec 30, 2009 Nov 1, 2012 5074 days past EOL EOL
2.2 2.2.5 May 4, 2010 May 1, 2013 4893 days past EOL EOL
2.3 2.3.6 May 19, 2010 Nov 1, 2013 4709 days past EOL EOL
2.4 2.4.11 Jul 7, 2010 May 1, 2014 4528 days past EOL EOL
2.5 2.5.4 Aug 12, 2010 Nov 1, 2014 4344 days past EOL EOL
2.6 2.6.8 Dec 15, 2010 May 1, 2015 4163 days past EOL EOL
2.7 2.7.9 Jan 6, 2011 Nov 1, 2015 3979 days past EOL EOL
3.0 3.0.6 Jun 4, 2014 May 1, 2016 3797 days past EOL EOL
3.1 3.1.4 Dec 10, 2014 Nov 1, 2016 3613 days past EOL EOL
3.2 3.2.3 May 26, 2015 May 1, 2017 3432 days past EOL EOL
3.3 3.3.3 Dec 19, 2015 Nov 1, 2017 3248 days past EOL EOL
3.4 3.4.6 May 31, 2016 May 1, 2018 3067 days past EOL EOL
3.5 3.5.3 Dec 22, 2016 Nov 1, 2018 2883 days past EOL EOL
3.6 3.6.5 May 24, 2017 May 1, 2019 2702 days past EOL EOL
3.7 3.7.3 Nov 30, 2017 Nov 1, 2019 2518 days past EOL EOL
3.8 3.8.5 Jun 26, 2018 May 1, 2020 2336 days past EOL EOL
3.9 3.9.6 Jan 29, 2019 Nov 1, 2020 2152 days past EOL EOL
3.10 3.10.9 Jun 19, 2019 May 1, 2021 1971 days past EOL EOL
3.11 3.11.13 Dec 19, 2019 Nov 1, 2021 1787 days past EOL EOL
3.12 3.12.12 May 29, 2020 May 1, 2022 1606 days past EOL EOL
3.13 3.13.12 Jan 14, 2021 Nov 1, 2022 1422 days past EOL EOL
3.14 3.14.10 Jun 15, 2021 May 1, 2023 1241 days past EOL EOL
3.15 3.15.11 Nov 24, 2021 Nov 1, 2023 1057 days past EOL EOL
3.16 3.16.9 May 23, 2022 May 23, 2024 853 days past EOL EOL
3.17 3.17.10 Nov 22, 2022 Nov 22, 2024 670 days past EOL EOL
3.18 3.18.12 May 9, 2023 May 9, 2025 502 days past EOL EOL
3.19 3.19.9 Dec 7, 2023 Nov 1, 2025 326 days past EOL EOL
3.20 3.20.10 May 22, 2024 Apr 1, 2026 175 days past EOL EOL
3.21 3.21.8 Dec 5, 2024 Nov 1, 2026 39 days remaining Warning
3.22 3.22.6 May 30, 2025 May 1, 2027 220 days remaining Active
3.23 3.23.6 Dec 4, 2025 Nov 1, 2027 404 days remaining Active
3.24 3.24.2 Jun 9, 2026 Jun 1, 2028 617 days remaining Active
Alpine Linux EOL status badge Live EOL badge for your README — updates automatically at every build. [![Alpine Linux EOL](https://img.shields.io/endpoint?url=https%3A%2F%2Fendoflife.ai%2Fbadge%2Falpine-linux.json)](https://endoflife.ai/alpine-linux)

Alpine Linux release and support pattern

Across the 32 release lines with a published release date, Alpine Linux has shipped a new line roughly every 6 months (median interval). A line typically stays supported for about 1.9 years from its release to its end-of-life date.

Of the 32 release lines tracked, 28 are past end of life and 4 are still within support. The newest line, 3.24, was released June 9, 2026. The next scheduled end of life is 3.21 on November 1, 2026 — 38 days from this build. The longest-supported line currently published is 3.24, to June 1, 2028.

Computed from the tracked release data at every build — the figures above are the dates in the table, restated, not an editorial estimate.

What does Alpine Linux end of life mean for your organization?

When a version of Alpine Linux reaches end of life, the maintainers stop issuing security patches. Vulnerabilities discovered after this date are publicly disclosed on the National Vulnerability Database, exploit code appears on GitHub, and your systems remain permanently exposed.

The CVE blind spot: A CVE-based scan does not show the accumulation of unpatched vulnerabilities in EOL software. Some scanners flag unsupported versions of common products, but coverage varies, and none of them give you the date in advance. With a zero-day, nobody knows about the vulnerability. With EOL software, the vulnerability is public — listed, rated, and often weaponized — but no vendor patch is coming. This is one of the most dangerous gaps in enterprise security posture.

Organizations running EOL Alpine Linux should treat it as a vulnerability class in their risk register, apply compensating controls (network segmentation, enhanced monitoring, access restriction), and prioritize migration to a supported version.

Your options when Alpine Linux reaches end of life

There are four realistic paths. Which one is right depends far more on how long the system needs to keep running than on the version you are on today.

OptionBest whenWatch out for
Move to a supported version The system will outlive the current version's support window and you can schedule the work Budget for compatibility testing, not just the upgrade itself — that is where the real cost sits
Replace the component The project is unmaintained, or a better-supported alternative exists The replacement has its own lifecycle and its own end-of-life date — you are changing vendors, not escaping the problem
Buy extended support Migration is genuinely underway but cannot finish before the deadline, or the workload is frozen by certification or a third-party application A bridge, not a destination — every year purchased is a year the migration still has to happen
Document accepted risk The system is isolated, short-lived, or scheduled for retirement Only defensible with real compensating controls and a written decision — auditors treat undocumented end-of-life software as a finding

How to choose, in one question: how many more years does this system need to run? Under a year, extended support (where it exists) is usually cheaper than an emergency migration. One to three years, migrate — support purchased repeatedly costs more than doing the project once, and the project only gets harder as the version ages. Indefinitely, migrate now and plan the next migration before it surprises you.

Worth saying plainly, because vendors selling extended support rarely will: extended support is often the more expensive choice over a multi-year horizon. It is the right answer when a deadline is genuinely unreachable, not as a default. Compare the annual fee against the one-time cost of migrating before committing to either.

Formalizing decisions like this across your estate? Our free EOL policy template is a ready-to-adopt policy with risk tiers, remediation SLAs, and audit mapping — no signup, free to use and share.

Extended Support Options

If you cannot migrate immediately, extended support vendors provide continued security patches for EOL Alpine Linux versions. This is a bridge, not a permanent solution — plan your migration in parallel.

endoflife.ai
Get Alpine Linux Support Options

Alpine Linux has 28 versions past end of life — security patches have stopped, but CVE disclosures haven't. Extended support past the official date exists for many products in this position — whether it exists for Alpine Linux is exactly what we check. Tell us where to reach you and we'll reply with matched options and pricing guidance — or an honest "no vendor covers this."

Free · No obligation · Independent — we track the dates, vendors don't pay for placement · Dates verified against vendor sources
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the end-of-life date for Alpine Linux?
The next Alpine Linux version reaching EOL is 3.21 on November 1, 2026. See the full table above for all version EOL dates.
When is the Alpine Linux support end date?
The next Alpine Linux support end date is November 1, 2026, when version 3.21 reaches end of support. Each version has its own support end date — see the table above for every version's date.
What is the latest supported version of Alpine Linux?
The latest active version of Alpine Linux is 3.24.2. Always verify against the table above as support windows can change.
What happens when Alpine Linux reaches end of life?
When Alpine Linux reaches end of life, the vendor stops issuing security patches. Any CVEs disclosed after the EOL date accumulate with no vendor patch path — a growing attack surface that a CVE-based scan does not show. Some scanners flag unsupported versions of common products, but coverage varies, and none of them give the date in advance.
How do I check if I'm running an EOL version of Alpine Linux?
Check your current version against the table above. If your version's EOL date has passed, you are running unsupported software. You can also use the endoflife.ai Stack Scanner to check your entire dependency file at once.
Is there extended support available for EOL Alpine Linux versions?
Some vendors offer extended support for EOL software. Contact the original vendor or check with enterprise support providers for options.

Related Products

✓ 12 of 64 lifecycle dates vendor-sourced · provenance · ✓ Cross-checked against official Alpine Linux lifecycle documentation (2026-07-17) · Upstream dataset: endoflife.date API · endoflife.date · Generated at build time · How we source data →
Alpine Linux end-of-life status badge