dbt Core 1.11 End of Life: Support Ends December 18, 2026
dbt Labs' support for dbt Core 1.11 ends on December 18, 2026. The dbt versions page lists v1.11, first released on December 19, 2025, on Critical support with that end date. dbt Labs supports each dbt v1 minor version for a one-year window from its release. When the next minor version ships, the previous one moves to critical support for the rest of that window. dbt 1.12 shipped on July 16, 2026, so since then 1.11 has received only critical security and installation fixes.
What dbt Labs' version table says
| Version | Initial release | Support level | End date |
|---|---|---|---|
| v2.0 | September 14, 2026 | Active | September 13, 2027 |
| v1.12 | July 16, 2026 | Active | July 15, 2027 |
| v1.11 | December 19, 2025 | Critical | December 18, 2026 |
dbt Labs defines three phases for dbt v1 minor versions. In Active support, a version gets bugfix releases. In Critical support, which starts when a newer minor version ships, patches are "limited to critical security and installation fixes". After the one-year window ends, the version reaches End of Life and gets no new patch releases. Older lines are already past that point: the table lists v1.10, v1.9 and v1.8 as Deprecated, which dbt defines as no longer maintained by dbt Labs and not supported in the dbt platform. Every version is on the dbt Core page.
dbt platform and release tracks
The end date matters most for self-managed installs: Python environments, container images and CI runners pinned to a 1.11 release of dbt-core. dbt Labs says that teams on the dbt platform do not need to manage dbt versions themselves, because release tracks keep them up to date. Release tracks are required on the dbt Developer and Starter plans, and dbt says accounts there that use older dbt versions will be migrated to the v1 Latest release track. If your team uses the dbt platform, check which release track each environment is set to.
Security exposure
Until December 18, 2026, dbt Labs limits 1.11 patches to critical security and installation fixes. After that day dbt Labs ships no new 1.11 patch releases, security fixes included, so a project still on 1.11 stays exposed to any issue found later. dbt also releases dbt-core and adapter plugins (such as dbt-snowflake) independently, so check the adapter versions installed alongside dbt-core when you upgrade.
What to do
- Find every dbt Core 1.11 install. Run
dbt --versionin each environment and check requirements files, lock files, container images and CI jobs pinned to 1.11. - Upgrade to 1.12. It is the next v1 minor version, and dbt says minor versions are backwards compatible for documented functionality. Read dbt's upgrading to v1.12 guide first. dbt notes that metadata interfaces such as artifacts and logging can change in minor versions, so test any tool that reads dbt artifacts.
- Or plan the move to dbt v2. dbt v2 is a major version, and dbt says major versions may include breaking changes. dbt says v2 ships in two distributions: dbt v2, and dbt OSS for organizations that need an Apache 2.0 licensed runtime. Read dbt's licensing page before choosing.
- On the dbt platform, put each environment on a release track instead of a pinned version.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is dbt Core 1.11 end of life?
Not yet. dbt Labs' version table lists v1.11 on Critical support with an end date of December 18, 2026. dbt says that once a version's one-year window ends it reaches end of life, and end-of-life minor versions no longer receive new patch releases.
What does critical support mean for dbt Core 1.11?
When a newer minor version ships, dbt moves the previous one to Critical Support for the rest of its one-year window. dbt 1.12 was released on July 16, 2026, so since then 1.11 patches have been limited to critical security and installation fixes.
Which version should dbt Core 1.11 users upgrade to?
dbt 1.12 is the smallest step: it is the next v1 minor version, its end date in dbt's table is July 15, 2027, and dbt says minor versions are backwards compatible for documented functionality. dbt v2, first released September 14, 2026, is the current generation; it is a major version, and dbt notes that major versions may include breaking changes.
Related
- dbt Core — every version and its dates
- Python — version dates for the interpreter dbt v1 runs on
- Apache Airflow — version dates for a common dbt orchestrator