Each Python release moves through feature, prerelease, bugfix, security and end of life phases. Bugfix means regular patch releases for ordinary bugs. Security means source only fixes for security issues. A version is supported for five years after its first release, per the Python developer guide.
The phases in plain words
The Python developer guide describes five phases:
- Feature: new features are still being added (only the main branch).
- Prerelease: alphas, betas and release candidates.
- Bugfix: regular maintenance releases that fix bugs.
- Security: only security fixes are accepted.
- End of life: nothing more from the core team.
Security only support begins after two years. For versions before 3.13 it began after 18 months. End of life arrives five years after the release.
What security only means in practice
In the security phase, fixes for security issues still ship, but ordinary bugs do not get fixed. Practical effects are small for most apps and large for a few: a bug in a standard library module that affects you may never be fixed in your version. Check the python.org release page for your specific version before you assume what you will get.
The dates today
| Version | Status | First release | End of life |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.15 | bugfix | 2026-10-09 | 2031-10 |
| 3.14 | bugfix | 2025-10-07 | 2030-10 |
| 3.13 | security | 2024-10-07 | 2029-10 |
| 3.12 | security | 2023-10-02 | 2028-10 |
| 3.11 | security | 2022-10-24 | 2027-10 |
Python 3.10 reached end of life on 2026-10-01, and 3.9 on 2025-10-31. The main branch is the future 3.16, scheduled for first release on 2027-10-06.
How to use this when planning
- Pick the newest version your dependencies support, because it has the longest runway.
- Treat the move from bugfix to security as a soft deadline to start planning.
- Treat end of life as the hard deadline for production.
- Note that the first release of a new version each October gives you a yearly rhythm. Plan an upgrade slot after your key libraries publish wheels for it.
Related reading: Which Python versions still get security fixes and Python 3.9 end of life.
Try it yourself
The continuous monitoring demo shows how a project's status is tracked over time. A runtime version is one more item worth tracking the same way, with a date next to it.
Click through it at your own pace, or open it full screen.
Safeguard's SBOM and dependency scanning can show which Python packages a project uses, which helps when checking wheel support for a newer version. The free scan is at gold.safeguard.sh/scan.
Quick check
Does bugfix support include security fixes?
Bugfix releases are the regular maintenance releases. When that phase ends, only security fixes are accepted. The developer guide has the exact policy.
When does Python 3.11 reach end of life?
The developer guide schedules it for October 2027.
Sources
Last reviewed: 19 October 2026.
