Chef Workstation 2021 · Version Status
Chef Workstation 2021 End of Life Date
Chef Workstation 2021 end-of-life date, support status, and CVE risk. Data reconciled from official vendor documentation and endoflife.date at every build; the source of each date is on the product page.
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Chef Workstation 2021 is past end of life. This version no longer receives security patches. 676 days past EOL — migrate to a supported version immediately.
EOL Date
Dec 31, 2024
676 days past EOL
Latest Release
21.12.720
Standard release
Release Date
Jan 5, 2021
Chef Workstation 2021 series
Where these dates come from
End of lifeDec 31, 2024endoflife.date (open dataset) · endoflife.datemedium · 1 source agrees End of active supportDec 31, 2024endoflife.date (open dataset) · endoflife.datemedium · 1 source agrees ReleaseJan 5, 2021endoflife.date (open dataset) · endoflife.datemedium · 1 source agrees Confidence: high = two or more independent sources agree (the vendor's page read by our adapter, a person's check against the vendor, the dataset the date came from); medium = one; low = the vendor page disagrees or our last read is stale.
How we source dates.
Lifecycle detail
Chef Workstation 21 was released on January 5, 2021 and support ended on December 31, 2024 — a supported lifespan of 4 years, longer than the 3 years median for Chef Workstation releases. Its latest release on record is 21.12.720, published December 17, 2021 — 3 years and 1 month before support ended. It has been past its end-of-life date for 1 year and 10 months. 1 newer Chef Workstation release has shipped since.
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 → ·
View score card →
Extended Support
Extended Chef Workstation 2021 support options
Some vendors and third parties sell security patches beyond end of life; whether one covers this version varies. Compare your options.
Compare Options →
All Chef Workstation Versions
| Version | Latest | EOL Date | Status |
|---|
| 2020 |
20.12.205 |
Dec 31, 2024 |
EOL |
| → 2021 |
21.12.720 |
Dec 31, 2024 |
EOL |
| 2022 |
22.12.1024 |
Dec 31, 2024 |
EOL |
| 2023 |
23.12.1055 |
Dec 31, 2024 |
EOL |
| 2024 |
24.12.1073 |
Apr 30, 2026 |
EOL |
| 2025 |
25.14.2 |
EOL |
Active |
What does Chef Workstation 2021 end of life mean?
When Chef Workstation 2021 reaches end of life, the maintainers stop issuing security patches for this version. CVEs discovered after the EOL date are publicly disclosed on the National Vulnerability Database with no patch available. Exploit code frequently appears on GitHub within days of disclosure.
The CVE blind spot: A CVE-based scan does not show the ongoing accumulation of unpatched vulnerabilities in EOL software versions. Some scanners flag unsupported versions of common products, but coverage varies, and none of them give you the date in advance. Running Chef Workstation 2021 past its EOL date creates a growing attack surface that a clean scan result does not rule out.
Migrate to Chef Workstation 2025 or implement compensating controls — network segmentation, enhanced monitoring, restricted access — while migration is underway.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Chef Workstation 2021 reach end of life?
Chef Workstation 2021 reached end of life on December 31, 2024. This version is no longer receiving security patches.
Is Chef Workstation 2021 still supported?
No. Chef Workstation 2021 reached end of life on December 31, 2024 and is no longer receiving security patches.
What should I upgrade to from Chef Workstation 2021?
The recommended upgrade from Chef Workstation 2021 is
Chef Workstation 2025 — the latest actively supported version. Check the
Chef Workstation full timeline for all supported versions.
What are the security risks of running Chef Workstation 2021 past EOL?
Since Chef Workstation 2021 reached end of life, the maintainers no longer issue security patches. Any CVEs disclosed after the EOL date accumulate with no vendor fix. A CVE-based scan does not show this — it is the CVE blind spot; some scanners flag unsupported versions of common products, but coverage varies and none give the date in advance. Organizations running EOL Chef Workstation should migrate immediately or implement compensating controls.