Consul
Consul Enterprise support
Enterprise
This feature requires Consul Enterprise. Refer to the enterprise feature matrix for additional information.
Prior to 2026, HashiCorp offered Long-Term Support (LTS) for specific Consul Enterprise releases. Starting with the April 2026 (2.x.x) release, Consul Enterprise follows the IBM Support Cycle-2 (SC2) model.
Consul versioning
Beginning with the v2.0.0 release, HashiCorp Consul's existing semantic versioning
format (X.Y.Z) changes to IBM's Version-Modification-Fix (V.M.F) model. This
versioning change is intended to make lifecycle timing more consistent across our products.
V: April Version milestone starts a new support lifecycle for the version.M: October Modification milestone adds new features, but does not start a new support lifecycle.F: Monthly fixes patch the existing release without adding new features.
Existing LTS releases will receive LTS support. The following table outlines the planned timelines for IBM and HashiCorp support contracts.
| Version | Planned end of support | IBM Extended Support ends | IBM Ongoing Extended Support ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0.x | April 30, 2028 | April 30, 2029 | April 30, 2032 |
| 1.22.x | October 31, 2026 | n/a | n/a |
| 1.21.x (LTS) | April 30, 2027 | n/a | n/a |
| 1.18.x.(LTS) | April 30, 2026 | n/a | n/a |
| 1.15.x (LTS) | April 30, 2025 | n/a | n/a |
IBM Extended Support and IBM Ongoing Extended Support are optional paid packages available to Enterprise customers.
What is Support Cycle-2 (SC2)?
The Support Cycle 2 uses a "2 + 1 + 3" framework to determine coverage for usage support and product updates:
- 2 years of base support.
- 1 year of critical extended support.
- 3 years of sustained support, which does not include new fixes or enhancements.
The table below outlines the expected product updates and technical support coverage for each support phase.
| Product update | Base support | Extended support | Sustained support |
|---|---|---|---|
| New features | Yes | No | No |
| Non-critical bug fixes | Yes | No | No |
| Product improvements | Yes | No | No |
| Critical bug fixes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Security patches | Yes | Limited | No |
| Technical support case access | Yes | Yes | Yes |
For additional details on technical support coverage, please contact your account representative or refer to the support article on IBM article on Support Cycle-2 (SC2) coverage.
Coverage for existing LTS versions
Existing LTS releases will receive LTS support. Read more on this in the Long Term Support (LTS) documentation.
Resources
For more information about product versioning and support changes, refer to the following resources:
- IBM HashiCorp Self-Managed Product Support Lifecycle Addendum
- Changes to HashiCorp Self-Managed Enterprise Product Release Cadence and Support
- HashiCorp Long-Term Support (LTS) releases for products released prior to March 2025. Consul v1.21.x is the last LTS release.
- IBM Software Support Lifecycle Policies