As of Deno 1.0.0, the Deno namespace APIs are stable. That means we will strive to make code working under 1.0.0 continue to work in future versions.

Release schedule, channels, and long term support Jump to heading#

Deno releases a new stable, minor version (eg. v2.1.0, v2.0.0) on a 12 week schedule.

Patch releases including bug fixes for the latest minor version are released as needed - you can expect several patch releases before a new minor version is released.

Release channels Jump to heading#

Deno is distributed on four release channels. Each channel is an independent track with its own "latest" version and its own download location, so moving along one track never moves you along another:

• stable - semver minor/patch releases, as described above. This is the default channel and is recommended for most users. Stable builds are downloaded from GitHub releases.
• lts - long term support: a single stable minor line that receives only backwards-compatible bug fixes, recommended for enterprise users who prefer not to upgrade so often. See Long Term Support.
• rc - a release candidate for the upcoming semver minor release.
• canary - an unstable build that changes multiple times per day, so you can try the latest bug fixes and features before they reach stable.

During a major-version prerelease cycle (such as 3.0), Deno also publishes alpha and beta channels. Every channel except stable is served from Deno's download server at dl.deno.land.

Choosing a channel Jump to heading#

Your installed Deno belongs to exactly one channel, and that channel is baked into the binary when it is built. deno upgrade reads your current binary's channel to decide what "latest" means, and the update notice you occasionally see is based on the same thing. An LTS binary, for example, prints A new LTS release of Deno is available and tells you to run deno upgrade lts.

A version number does not, by itself, identify a channel. The same version can ship as two byte-different builds: 2.9.3, for instance, exists both as a stable release and as an LTS release. They are built from the same source and carry the same version string, and differ only in an embedded channel marker and where they are downloaded from. There is no way to ask for "the LTS build of 2.9.3" by version number, because the version string is identical for both. You select a build by channel, not by version, and a bare version number always resolves to the stable build.

To switch channels on purpose, pass the channel name, for example deno upgrade lts or deno upgrade stable. Because a plain version number always selects the stable build, a user on LTS who runs deno upgrade 2.9.3 downloads the stable build and moves off the lts channel onto stable. To stay on LTS, upgrade with deno upgrade lts.

A channel name always resolves to that channel's newest build, so deno upgrade lts installs the latest LTS release and there is no deno upgrade form that pins an older LTS patch version. A version number only ever selects a stable (or rc, alpha, beta) build, never an LTS one. See deno upgrade for more.

Long Term Support (LTS) Jump to heading#

Deno offers an LTS (long-term support) channel: a single stable minor line that we maintain with only backwards-compatible bug fixes. It is aimed at enterprise users who prefer to stay on one release line without absorbing new features or breaking changes. Install or update it with deno upgrade lts.

The LTS channel is active on the Deno 2.9 line, starting with v2.9.3, and is maintained until January 31st, 2027.

LTS backports include:

• Security patches
• Critical bug fixes (e.g., crashes, incorrect computations)
• Critical performance improvements may be backported based on severity.

API changes and major new features will not be backported.

Unstable APIs Jump to heading#

When introducing new APIs, these are first marked as unstable. This means that the API may change in the future. These APIs are not available to use unless you explicitly pass an unstable flag, like --unstable-kv. Learn more about --unstable-* flags.

There are also some non-runtime features of Deno that are considered unstable, and are locked behind unstable flags. For example, the --unstable-sloppy-imports flag is used to enable importing code without specifying file extensions.

Standard library Jump to heading#

The Deno Standard Library (jsr.io/@std) is mostly stable. All standard library modules that are version 1.0.0 or higher are considered stable. All other modules (0.x) are considered unstable, and may change in the future.

Using unstable standard library modules is not recommended for production code, but it is a great way to experiment with new features and provide feedback to the Deno team. It is not necessary to use any unstable flags to use unstable standard library modules.