Apache Kafka End of Life (EOL) Dates & Support Timeline
Complete end-of-life dates, support windows, and security status for all Apache Kafka versions. Data sourced from endoflife.date and official vendor documentation. Updated at every deploy.
Running an EOL version? Get matched with support options — free ↓| Version | Latest Release | Release Date | EOL Date | Extended Support | Days | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.7 | 0.7.2 | Jan 4, 2012 | Dec 3, 2013 | — | 4632 days past EOL | EOL |
| 0.8 | 0.8.2.2 | Dec 3, 2013 | Nov 23, 2015 | — | 3912 days past EOL | EOL |
| 0.9 | 0.9.0.1 | Nov 23, 2015 | May 22, 2016 | Dec 7, 2017 Extended support (ended) |
3731 days past EOL | EOL |
| 0.10 | 0.10.2.2 | May 22, 2016 | Jul 2, 2018 | Mar 2, 2019 Extended support (ended) |
2960 days past EOL | EOL |
| 0.11 | 0.11.0.3 | Jun 28, 2017 | Jul 2, 2018 | Aug 1, 2019 Extended support (ended) |
2960 days past EOL | EOL |
| 1.0 | 1.0.2 | Oct 31, 2017 | Jul 8, 2018 | Nov 28, 2019 Extended support (ended) |
2954 days past EOL | EOL |
| 1.1 | 1.1.1 | Mar 28, 2018 | Jul 30, 2018 | Apr 16, 2020 Extended support (ended) |
2932 days past EOL | EOL |
| 2.0 | 2.0.1 | Jul 28, 2018 | Nov 20, 2018 | Jul 31, 2020 Extended support (ended) |
2819 days past EOL | EOL |
| 2.1 | 2.1.1 | Nov 20, 2018 | Mar 22, 2019 | Dec 14, 2020 Extended support (ended) |
2697 days past EOL | EOL |
| 2.2 | 2.2.2 | Mar 22, 2019 | Dec 1, 2019 | Mar 28, 2021 Extended support (ended) |
2443 days past EOL | EOL |
| 2.3 | 2.3.1 | Jun 24, 2019 | Dec 16, 2019 | Jul 19, 2021 Extended support (ended) |
2428 days past EOL | EOL |
| 2.4 | 2.4.1 | Dec 14, 2019 | Apr 15, 2020 | Jan 10, 2022 Extended support (ended) |
2307 days past EOL | EOL |
| 2.5 | 2.5.1 | Apr 14, 2020 | Aug 10, 2020 | Apr 24, 2022 Extended support (ended) |
2190 days past EOL | EOL |
| 2.6 | 2.6.3 | Aug 3, 2020 | Nov 15, 2021 | Sep 24, 2022 Extended support (ended) |
1728 days past EOL | EOL |
| 2.7 | 2.7.2 | Dec 19, 2020 | Nov 15, 2021 | Feb 9, 2023 Extended support (ended) |
1728 days past EOL | EOL |
| 2.8 | 2.8.2 | Apr 18, 2021 | Sep 19, 2022 | Jun 8, 2023 Extended support (ended) |
1420 days past EOL | EOL |
| 3.0 | 3.0.2 | Sep 20, 2021 | Sep 19, 2022 | Oct 27, 2023 Extended support (ended) |
1420 days past EOL | EOL |
| 3.1 | 3.1.2 | Jan 21, 2022 | Sep 19, 2022 | Apr 5, 2024 Extended support (ended) |
1420 days past EOL | EOL |
| 3.2 | 3.2.3 | May 9, 2022 | Sep 28, 2022 | Jul 6, 2024 Extended support (ended) |
1411 days past EOL | EOL |
| 3.3 | 3.3.2 | Sep 28, 2022 | Feb 6, 2023 | Nov 4, 2024 Extended support (ended) |
1280 days past EOL | EOL |
| 3.4 | 3.4.1 | Feb 6, 2023 | Jun 13, 2023 | May 3, 2025 Extended support (ended) |
1153 days past EOL | EOL |
| 3.5 | 3.5.2 | Jun 13, 2023 | Oct 3, 2023 | Aug 25, 2025 Extended support (ended) |
1041 days past EOL | EOL |
| 3.6 | 3.6.2 | Oct 3, 2023 | Feb 27, 2024 | Feb 9, 2026 Extended support (ended) |
894 days past EOL | EOL |
| 3.7 | 3.7.2 | Feb 26, 2024 | Jul 26, 2024 | Jul 26, 2026 Extended support (ended) |
744 days past EOL | EOL |
| 3.8 | 3.8.1 | Jul 26, 2024 | Nov 6, 2024 | Dec 2, 2026 Extended support |
641 days past EOL | EOL |
| 3.9 | 3.9.2 | Nov 6, 2024 | TBD | Feb 19, 2027 Extended support |
Supported | Active |
| 4.0 | 4.0.2 | Mar 18, 2025 | TBD | Jun 11, 2027 Extended support |
Supported | Active |
| 4.1 | 4.1.2 | Sep 2, 2025 | TBD | Oct 15, 2027 Extended support |
Supported | Active |
| 4.2 | 4.2.1 | Feb 17, 2026 | TBD | Mar 4, 2028 Extended support |
Supported | Active |
| 4.3 | 4.3.1 | May 20, 2026 | TBD | Jun 17, 2028 Extended support |
Supported | Active |
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What does Apache Kafka end of life mean for your organization?
When a version of Apache Kafka 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: Most vulnerability scanners check for known CVEs but do not flag the accumulation of unpatched vulnerabilities in EOL software. With a zero-day, nobody knows about the vulnerability. With EOL software, the vulnerability is public — listed, rated, and often weaponized — but no patch will ever exist. This is the most dangerous gap in enterprise security posture.
Organizations running EOL Apache Kafka 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 Apache Kafka 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.
| Option | Best when | Watch 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.
Extended Support Options
If you cannot migrate immediately, extended support vendors provide continued security patches for EOL Apache Kafka versions. This is a bridge, not a permanent solution — plan your migration in parallel.
Apache Kafka has 25 versions past end of life — security patches have stopped, but CVE disclosures haven't. The good news: extended support for Apache Kafka exists — vetted vendors ship security patches for years past the official date. Tell us where to reach you and we'll reply with matched options and pricing guidance.