Node.js 22 became Active LTS in October 2024. That sounds recent. It isn't.
Active LTS means the clock is already running. Node.js 22 reaches End of Life on April 30, 2027 — less than two years from now. And if the pattern from Node 16, 18, and 20 holds, a significant chunk of production environments will still be running it six months after that date.
This article covers the full Node.js 22 support timeline, how it fits into the broader release schedule, what the EOL Risk Score looks like today versus in 2027, and what your team should be planning now.
The Node.js 22 LTS Timeline
| Phase | Start | End |
|---|---|---|
| Current (odd release) | April 2024 | October 2024 |
| Active LTS | October 2024 | October 2026 |
| Maintenance LTS | October 2026 | April 30, 2027 |
| End of Life | April 30, 2027 | — |
Node.js follows a predictable release cadence: even-numbered versions become LTS, odd-numbered versions don't. Node.js 22 is even, so it gets the full LTS treatment — Active LTS for two years, then Maintenance for six months, then EOL.
The Maintenance phase is the one most teams miss. After October 2026, Node.js 22 only receives critical bug fixes and security patches — no new features, no non-critical fixes. If you're still on Node 22 in early 2027, you're already in a degraded support window before you even hit EOL.
Where Node.js 22 Fits in the Full Release Schedule
Here's the full picture as of May 2026:
| Version | Status | EOL Date | EOL Risk Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Node.js 14 | EOL | April 30, 2023 | 95 Critical |
| Node.js 16 | EOL | September 11, 2023 | 90 Critical |
| Node.js 18 | EOL | April 30, 2025 | 85 Critical |
| Node.js 20 | EOL | April 30, 2026 | 76 Critical |
| Node.js 22 | Active LTS | April 30, 2027 | 50 Medium |
| Node.js 24 | Current | April 30, 2028 | 30 Low |
Node.js 20 just hit EOL on April 30, 2026 — less than a month ago. If your team is running Node 20 in production today, you're already in the same position teams were in with Node 18 a year ago.
Node.js 22's current EOL Risk Score is 50 Medium — it's supported, but the attack surface score (30/30) is already baked in because Node.js is a high-exposure runtime regardless of support status. That score climbs to Critical the moment it hits EOL in April 2027.
What the Score Looks Like Today vs. April 2027
The EOL Risk Score™ on endoflife.ai breaks down like this for Node.js 22 today:
| Factor | Score | Max | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| EOL Recency | 0 | 40 | Currently supported — zero penalty |
| Attack Surface | 30 | 30 | High-exposure runtime, always maxed |
| CISA KEV Exposure | 20 | 20 | Node ecosystem has known exploited vulns |
| Extended Support | 0 | 10 | No extended support available yet |
| Total | 50 | 100 | Medium |
The day Node.js 22 hits EOL on April 30, 2027, the Recency score jumps from 0 to 40. Total score: 90 Critical. Nothing about your infrastructure changes — just the date.
That's the EOL cliff. Teams that plan migrations 6-12 months in advance avoid it. Teams that don't end up running Critical-rated software in production while scrambling to upgrade.
The Pattern: What History Tells Us
Node.js 18 hit EOL on April 30, 2025. Based on download and deployment data, a significant portion of Node.js production workloads were still on Node 18 six months later. The same pattern played out with Node 16 and Node 14 before it.
Why does this keep happening?
- Upgrade friction is real. Dependency trees, native modules, and CI/CD pipeline compatibility all need testing.
- EOL dates feel abstract. April 2027 sounds far away in May 2026.
- Prioritization is hard. "It still works" wins most sprint planning arguments.
The teams that handle this well aren't faster — they just start earlier. If you're reading this in May 2026, you have 23 months before Node 22 EOL. That's comfortable. If you're reading this in January 2027, you have 3 months. That's a fire drill.
Node.js 22 Key Features Worth Knowing
Before you start planning the migration to Node 24, know what you're on:
- V8 12.4 — improved performance, better WebAssembly support
-
Native test runner stabilized —
node:testis production-ready -
require()for ES modules — experimental but significant for ecosystem compatibility -
WebSocket client — built-in, no
wsdependency needed for basic use cases - Maglev compiler — faster startup times, better JIT performance
Node.js 22 is a genuinely good release. That's exactly why it'll still be running in production in 2028 at companies that didn't plan ahead.
What to Do Now
If you're on Node 18 or 20: You're already past EOL or just hit it. This is urgent. Check your EOL Risk Score at endoflife.ai/nodejs/18 or endoflife.ai/nodejs/20.
If you're on Node 22: You have runway. Use it. Schedule the Node 24 migration for Q1 2027 at the latest — that gives you a 3-month buffer before EOL and keeps you out of the Maintenance-only window.
If you're on Node 24: You're current. Node 24 EOL is April 2028. Check back in 18 months.
Scan your full stack: Node version is one data point. The underlying OS, runtime dependencies, and framework versions all have their own EOL dates. Use the Stack Scanner at endoflife.ai to get the full picture.
Check Your Node.js Version Score
Every Node.js version has a dedicated score card on endoflife.ai:
- endoflife.ai/nodejs/22 — Active LTS, Score 50 Medium
- endoflife.ai/nodejs/20 — EOL Apr 2026, Score 76 Critical
- endoflife.ai/nodejs/18 — EOL Apr 2025, Score 85 Critical
- endoflife.ai/nodejs — Full Node.js EOL schedule
EOL Risk Score™ is a proprietary methodology developed by endoflife.ai. Scores are calculated at build time from four factors: EOL Recency, Attack Surface, CISA KEV Exposure, and Extended Support Availability.
Part of The EOL Intelligence Report series on DEV.to.