The PostgreSQL project supports each major version for five years after its first release. As of the project's versioning page on 19 October 2026, versions 14 through 18 are supported, version 13 is no longer supported, and version 14 reaches end of life on 12 November 2026. Plan major upgrades well before that date.
The policy
A new major version arrives about once a year. Each one gets bug fixes and security fixes in minor releases, at least once every three months, and the team may issue out of schedule releases for critical problems. After five years a final minor release is made and the version is unsupported.
Supported versions
According to the PostgreSQL versioning page when checked for this post:
| Version | Final release (end of life) |
|---|---|
| 18 | 14 November 2030 |
| 17 | 8 November 2029 |
| 16 | 9 November 2028 |
| 15 | 11 November 2027 |
| 14 | 12 November 2026 |
Versions 13 and earlier are listed as no longer supported. Dates can change, so check the page before you set a calendar reminder.
Minor versus major upgrades
Minor upgrades only need you to stop the server, install new binaries and restart. Read the release notes first, because some need extra steps. The community recommends always running the current minor release of your major version.
Major upgrades are different. The data directory is not backward compatible, so you need a dump and reload or pg_upgrade. That takes planning, a rehearsal and a rollback path.
A planning routine
- Inventory every instance and its version, including forgotten test and analytics copies.
- Mark each major version's end of life date on a shared calendar.
- Rehearse the upgrade on a restored copy and run your application test suite against it.
- Check client drivers and extensions for compatibility with the target version.
- Schedule the upgrade at least a quarter ahead of end of life.
Version numbers also matter for security reviews. Teams often track libraries closely and forget the database engine, so add the engine version to the same inventory. Related reading: the public schema privilege change in upgraded databases.
Quick check
How long does PostgreSQL support a major version?
Five years from its first release, after which a final minor release is made and the version is unsupported.
Is a minor upgrade a big risk?
Usually it is a restart with new binaries, but read the release notes first because some minor releases need extra steps.
Sources
Last reviewed: 19 October 2026.
