Microsoft PowerShell Lifecycle: End Of Life And Support Status
Last updated on February 19, 2024
Microsoft PowerShell, or Windows PowerShell, is a command-line shell that is cross-platform and built on .NET. It is an automation tool primarily used by developers and sysadmins for configuration and automation. It is normally used to deal with structured data.
PowerShell comes preinstalled in all Windows versions. However, different versions may be installed according to the availability and support.
Support status guide
End of life (EOL) is the end of a product’s useful life. When a product reaches the end of its life cycle, the manufacturer no longer supports it. The following table explains the different phases of a product’s lifecycle. Testing status is when the product is initially released and EOL is when product support is no longer offered. The time between these two points is the support timeframe.
Testing
The software is not yet publicly available. It is in testing phase i.e., alpha, beta, release preview etc.
Active
The software is actively supported by the vendor.
Phasing Out
The software will soon reach its end of life. You need to look for upgrade or migration options. The software will automatically go into phasing out status 2 months before end of life.
End Of Life
The software is no longer supported by the vendor. You need to make sure your system and environment are safe.
Version
Released
Active Support
Microsoft PowerShell uses the Modern Lifecycle Policy, which essentially means that it will continuously be supported provided that the requirements are met.
PowerShell is supported as a current release and an LTS release, where the latter started rolling out after the release of PowerShell 7.0 (LTS). After that, all even-numbered minor releases were LTS versions.
The LTS release of PowerShell is built on an LTS release of .NET. Updates to the LTS release only contain critical security updates and servicing fixes that are designed to minimize impact on existing workloads. Since PowerShell is based on .NET, each LTS version is only supported as long as its .NET version is supported.
On the other hand, current releases can contain critical fixes, innovations, and new features. A current release is supported for six months after the next release (current or LTS).
EOLs
