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  1. Documentation
  2. Getting Up and Running
  3. Version Lifecycle and Deprecation Policy

Version Lifecycle and Deprecation Policy

We maintain a predictable deprecation policy to ensure you benefit from the latest security patches, performance improvements, and reliability enhancements.

  • Predictability: You'll always know when a version is approaching end-of-life
  • Grace periods: A minimum 180-day notice before any version becomes unsupported
  • Upstream alignment: We follow the lifecycle of languages and platforms you already use
  • Empathy over strictness: Our goal is to help you stay current, not to break your workflows

This policy applies to:

Blackfire uses Calendar Versioning (CalVer).

Version numbers YY.MM.Patch reflect the release date, making the 180-day support window self-evident.

Blackfire Probes follow a four-stage lifecycle based on upstream runtime version support (see PHP and, Python lifecycles):

  • Active: Any version currently in upstream active support.
    • These versions receive ongoing maintenance updates.
    • They move to Deprecated once upstream ends active support and security-only support begins.
  • Deprecated:
    • The version has reached the end of active support and only receives security updates.
    • Version that has reached community EOL but is protected by extended support remains Deprecated.
  • Retired: The version has reached community EOL and is not protected by extended support.
    • We stop patching but keep the image available "as-is".
    • 180 days before decommission
  • Decommissioned: The Probe could no longer be available for download.

Even if your PHP or Python version is Active, specific versions of the Blackfire Probe expire:

  • New Probe versions are released regularly to add features or fix bugs.
  • Older versions are Retired as soon a new Probe version is released, .
  • You have 180 days from the release of a newer Probe to upgrade before older version are Decommissioned.

PHP received Extended Support from third parties on Upsun, which extends the Blackfire Probe lifecycle for all users.

PHP versions that have reached community EOL have their related Probe remain in the Deprecated stage. They are receiving security updates but new features might not be backported.

Once the extended support ends, the Probe will move to Retired and eventually to Decommissioned after the 180-day grace period.

We encourage PHP users to always upgrade and stay on supported versions to benefit from the latest features and security improvements.

Please follow the manual upgrade instructions to ensure your Probes are always up to date and secure.

The Blackfire Agent follows a three-stage lifecycle:

  • Active: The latest Agent released
  • Retired: Any older version
    • The Agent enters this stage immediately when a newer version is published.
    • 180 days before decommission
  • Decommissioned: Binary execution is "best-effort" only
    • It displays upgrade instructions and security/support disclaimers.
    • Use it at your own risk.

180-Day Grace Period: When a new Agent version is released, you have 180 days to upgrade before the previous version is decommissioned.

Mark your calendar and embed Blackfire in your periodic upgrade workflows.

If you installed via a package manager, use the standard update commands.

If you downloaded the binary directly, use the built-in update self:update command:

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blackfire self:update

The Blackfire CLI includes a built-in self-awareness feature to help you stay current:

  • You'll see a friendly reminder to upgrade when running commands with a Retired version
  • The non-blocking message includes the decommission date and upgrade instructions