Vault release cadence
Enterprise
Appropriate Vault Enterprise license required
Vault Enterprise and HCP Vault Dedicated follow a regular release cadence.
Vault versioning
Vault uses V.M.F syntax for versioning:
V identifies a "major" release and the start of a new support lifecycle. Major releases can include breaking or architectural changes, new features, significant new code, improvements, bug fixes, and security updates or patches.
M indicates a "minor" or "mod pack" release. Minor releases can include new functionality, security patches, and fixes to defects or security vulnerabilities.
F indicates a "fix" release. Fix releases include security patches and bug fixes.
We strongly recommend upgrading to the latest fix release for supported major releases as soon as possible.
Feature release windows
Vault plans four feature release windows each year:
| Quarter | Target month | Release type |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 | February | Minor |
| Q2 | May | Major |
| Q3 | August | Minor |
| Q4 | November | Minor |
These release windows are targets, not guaranteed release dates. Always check the current release notes for available releases.
Feature and fix availability
Vault introduces features in major and minor releases and does not backport features across releases.
For example:
The 2.x release in April 2026 was a major release, with documented release dates for the release candidate (RC) and general availability (GA) binaries noted in the release notes. Major releases remain eligible for minor releases for 1 year and patch releases for an additional 2 years.
The subsequent releases of 2.1.0 and 2.2.0 were minor releases that included feature updates.
The other releases were patch / fix releases that included bug fixes and critical security patches.
To receive bug fixes and keep patches current, you need to upgrade to the latest patch release of the associated major release, which includes any new features introduced in subsequent minor releases.
If you want to receive bug fixes and security patches without feature updates, you should wait to upgrade until we publish the final minor release for a given major release.
Even if you have technical support, resolving an issue may require upgrading to a version that includes the necessary fix.
Final minor releases
The final minor release is the last minor release published before the next major release becomes available. After the next major becomes available, we continue to apply eligible fixes to the previous major release for one year (the second year of SC2 base support), but do not include new features.
For additional information about support coverage, refer to the Vault Enterprise support overview.
The timeline below illustrates example releases with the last minor of 2.x (2.3.0) receiving patches during the second year of SC2 base support:
Patch availability
Patch releases target a monthly cadence, but not every eligible major receives a patch each month. Check the release notes for shipped fixes and consult security advisories or IBM Support for issue-specific guidance.
Upgrade planning
Upgrade to the latest version of your major release to receive subsequent fixes. You do not need to adopt the latest major release solely to retain fix coverage, but you cannot receive new features packaged in the latest major release without upgrading.
If you plan feature upgrades once a year, we recommend targeting the final minor of a major and keeping its patches current. For example, if you upgrade to the last minor version of 2.x when it enters its second year of base support, you gain access to the feature updates released in 2.x, with another year of eligible patches.