Django moves to an annual release cycle

The Django Python web-framework project has decided to adopt an annual release cycle, according to an announcement. This change eliminates the complicated schedule that had previously combined short-lived feature releases with long-term-support (LTS) releases. In the new annual cycle, each release will be supported for three years.

The first year will consist of bugfixes, while the following two years will focus on security and data-loss fixes. The LTS label has been retired, and all feature releases now offer the same commitment of three years of support. This simplification removes the "LTS gap" issue, allowing users to upgrade one year at a time, within the support window.

At any given time, there will be three supported versions, providing third-party packages with a clear, ongoing target. The new annual release cycle will commence with the anticipated release of Django 2028, expected in January 2028.