# Asterisk 24 LTS: Release Date, What Changes and How to Prepare

Source: https://srvscripts.com/guides/asterisk-24-lts-upgrade/
Updated: 2026-10-06
Publisher: srvScripts (https://srvscripts.com/)

**Short answer:** Asterisk 24 is the next LTS release, scheduled for **15 October 2026** on the official versions page, with full support until 15 October 2030 and end of life on 15 October 2031. On 7 October 2026 it was still pre-release: 24.0.0-rc1 came out on 17 September 2026. The release candidate notes list no removed modules, and almost every change in it also ships in 22.12.0-rc1. Stay on Asterisk 22 LTS for production now, move off 20 and 21 soon, and test 24 on a copy before you plan a switch.

Checked against the official documentation on 7 October 2026; Asterisk 24 was not yet released, so nothing was run on our lab. We did compare the module source files and sample configs in the official 22.11.0, 23.5.0 and 24.0.0-rc1 tarballs from downloads.asterisk.org. Because the final release is a week away, this page is shorter than our usual upgrade guides and sticks to what the project has published.

## Asterisk 24 release date and status

- **Planned release:** 15 October 2026, per the [Asterisk Versions page](https://docs.asterisk.org/About-the-Project/Asterisk-Versions/), which lists 24.x as “Pre-release” on 7 October 2026.

- **Branch:** the Asterisk team announced the 24 branch on 12 August 2026.

- **Release candidate:** [24.0.0-rc1 was announced on 17 September 2026](https://community.asterisk.org/t/asterisk-release-candidate-24-0-0-rc1/114362), alongside 20.22.0-rc1, 22.12.0-rc1 and 23.6.0-rc1. We found no rc2 on downloads.asterisk.org on 7 October 2026.

- **Schedule rule:** the versions page says full releases for all supported series are created on the third Thursday of October, and that these targets can move if blocking issues are found. The third Thursday of October 2026 is the 15th.

Until the 24.0.0 tag and its ChangeLog appear on downloads.asterisk.org, treat the date as a target. Do not book a production change window around it.

## Asterisk version support table (20 to 24)

Dates exactly as published on docs.asterisk.org. “Security fix only” is the date full support ends.

| Version | Type | Released | Security fix only from | End of life | Status on 7 Oct 2026 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 24.x | LTS | 2026-10-15 (planned) | 2030-10-15 | 2031-10-15 | Pre-release (rc1 out) |
| 23.x | Standard | 2025-10-15 | 2026-10-15 | 2027-10-15 | Fully supported until 15 Oct |
| 22.x | LTS | 2024-10-16 | 2028-10-16 | 2029-10-16 | Fully supported |
| 21.x | Standard | 2023-10-18 | 2025-10-18 | 2026-10-18 | Security fixes only; EOL 18 Oct |
| 20.x | LTS | 2022-10-19 | 2026-10-19 | 2027-10-19 | Fully supported until 19 Oct |

LTS releases get four years of full support and one more of security fixes. Within a fully supported series, bug-fix releases come roughly every 4 to 6 weeks. For older versions see our [Asterisk versions and EOL table](/guides/asterisk-versions-eol-upgrade/).

## What changes in Asterisk 24 (from the release candidate notes)

The only official change list so far is the [24.0.0-rc1 ChangeLog](https://downloads.asterisk.org/pub/telephony/asterisk/releases/ChangeLog-24.0.0-rc1.md) (37 commits since the branch point). The docs.asterisk.org “What’s New in Asterisk 24” page just points back to the ChangeLogs. The user-facing notes are:

- **res_pjsip:** DNS-backed contacts count as reachable when any resolved SRV, A or AAAA target answers qualify.

- **app_confbridge:** new bridge profile option `announcements`; set it to `no` to stop conference-wide announcements and skip the announcer channel. Default is `yes`.

- **chan_websocket:** new `unbuffered` mode, set with the `u` dialstring option, and new `passthrough`/`unbuffered` fields in the MEDIA_START event.

- **res_prometheus:** new `channels_detail_metrics_enabled` and `bridges_detail_metrics_enabled` options, both defaulting to `yes`.

- **pjsip_wizard.conf.sample:** new examples for an IP-authenticated ITSP and a TLS trunk with SRTP.

The upgrade notes in the same ChangeLog:

- **websocket_client.conf** gains a `write_timeout` parameter.

- **res_geolocation** gets Alembic scripts that create the `geoloc_location` and `geoloc_profile` tables.

- **queue_log on MySQL/MariaDB:** the Alembic migration widens the `time` column from DATETIME to DATETIME(6). The note warns that this ALTER rewrites the table and blocks queue_log writes while it runs on a large table. PostgreSQL is not affected.

Important context: the [22.12.0-rc1 ChangeLog](https://downloads.asterisk.org/pub/telephony/asterisk/releases/ChangeLog-22.12.0-rc1.md), published the same day, carries all of the same user notes and upgrade notes. Comparing the two commit lists, only three commits are in 24.0.0-rc1 and not in 22.12.0-rc1: two version-bump commits and a res_http_websocket fix for PONG frames. So Asterisk 24.0 is not a feature jump over a current 22.x; the main difference is the support window.

## What is removed or deprecated

Nothing new is removed in the 24.0.0-rc1 notes. In the official tarballs, the module source files (apps, channels, res, funcs, cdr, cel, pbx, codecs, formats, bridges, addons) are the same 383 files in 22.11.0, 23.5.0 and 24.0.0-rc1. What matters depends on where you start:

### Coming from Asterisk 22: the Asterisk 23 removals

Asterisk 24 follows 23, so the removals listed in the [23.0.0 ChangeLog](https://downloads.asterisk.org/pub/telephony/asterisk/releases/ChangeLog-23.0.0.md) apply to you:

| Removed in 23 | Use instead |
| --- | --- |
| users.conf integration | Each channel driver’s own config; res_phoneprov users move to phoneprov_users.conf |
| DeadAGI application | AGI |
| musiconhold random and application=r | sort=random |
| voicemail maxmessage/minmessage, language cz | maxsecs/minsecs, cs |
| QUEUE_MEMBER_COUNT function | QUEUE_MEMBER(,logged) |
| VALID_EXTEN function | DIALPLAN_EXISTS |
| CLI no debug channel | core set debug channel |
| logger rotatetimestamp | rotatestrategy |

The 23.0.0 notes also change config behaviour: when a section inherits from a template, a variable retrieved by name now returns the overriding value, not the template’s. Check any templates where you set the same option twice. The sample configs in 24.0.0-rc1 match this: `users.conf.sample` is gone and `phoneprov_users.conf.sample` is new.

### Still deprecated, still shipped

The [Module Deprecations page](https://docs.asterisk.org/Development/Asterisk-Module-Deprecations/) lists `app_meetme` (deprecated in 19, removal planned for 21 but paused), and `app_adsiprog`, `app_getcpeid` and `res_adsi` (deprecated in 16, kept while maintained). All four are still in the 24.0.0-rc1 source, marked deprecated. If you rely on MeetMe, plan a move to ConfBridge anyway.

### Coming from Asterisk 20 or older

Asterisk 21 removed `chan_sip`, `app_macro`, `res_monitor`, `chan_skinny`, `chan_mgcp`, `chan_alsa`, `app_osplookup` and `res_pktccops`. None of them return in 24. Do the [chan_sip to PJSIP migration](/guides/chan-sip-to-pjsip-migration/) first; it is usually the bulk of the work.

## Who should upgrade now and who should stay on 22 LTS

| You run | Recommendation |
| --- | --- |
| Asterisk 22 LTS | Stay. It is fully supported until 16 October 2028 and gets the same fixes as 24 for now. Plan a move to 24 once it has a few point releases behind it. |
| Asterisk 23 | Full support ends 15 October 2026 and EOL is 15 October 2027. Moving to 24 LTS is the natural next step, and the code bases are very close. |
| Asterisk 21 | EOL on 18 October 2026. Move to 22 LTS now rather than wait for 24. |
| Asterisk 20 LTS | Security fixes only from 19 October 2026, EOL 19 October 2027. Schedule the move to 22 (or 24) within the next year. |
| FreePBX 17 | Stay on the Asterisk version FreePBX supports (see below). Do not compile 24 underneath it. |
| Developers using chan_websocket or ARI | Test 24.0.0-rc1 now; report problems before the final release. |

## Pre-upgrade checklist

Do this on any system you plan to move to 24, and on 22 systems before applying 22.12.

- **Record the current version:** `asterisk -rx "core show version"`.

- **Back up config, data and databases** (see the commands below). Keep a VM snapshot as well if you can.

- **List loaded modules and their support level.** The `module show` output has a Support Level column; look for `deprecated`.

- **Confirm chan_sip is gone** from your configs and dialplan; it has not existed since Asterisk 21.

- **Search configs for anything removed in 23** if you are coming from 22.

- **Check queue_log size** if you store it in MySQL/MariaDB through realtime, and plan the DATETIME(6) migration for a quiet window.

- **Build a test copy** with the target version and your configs, start it, and read every warning in `/var/log/asterisk/full`. Then test inbound DIDs, IVRs, queues, outbound routes, transfers, voicemail and recordings.

```
# 1. Version and modules
asterisk -rx "core show version"
asterisk -rx "module show" | grep -i deprecated
asterisk -rx "module show like chan_"

# 2. Backup (adjust paths if you built with a different prefix)
tar czf /root/asterisk-backup-$(date +%F).tar.gz /etc/asterisk /var/lib/asterisk /var/spool/asterisk

# 3. Find items removed in Asterisk 21 and 23
grep -rnE 'Macro\(|(^|[^x])Monitor\(|DeadAGI|(^|[^J])SIP/|QUEUE_MEMBER_COUNT|VALID_EXTEN' /etc/asterisk/
grep -rnE 'maxmessage|minmessage|rotatetimestamp' /etc/asterisk/
ls -l /etc/asterisk/users.conf
```

`module show like chan_` lists the loaded channel drivers; on a system you are about to upgrade, `chan_sip` should not be among them. The `(^|[^J])SIP/` and `(^|[^x])Monitor\(` parts skip `PJSIP/` and `MixMonitor(`, which are fine. For the queue_log migration, Asterisk ships Alembic scripts in `contrib/ast-db-manage` of the source tree. Copy `queue_log.ini.sample` to `queue_log.ini`, set the database URL, then preview the SQL before running it:

```
cd contrib/ast-db-manage
alembic -c queue_log.ini upgrade head --sql
alembic -c queue_log.ini upgrade head
```

Back up the queue_log table before the second command. The ALTER rewrites the whole table and blocks queue_log writes until it finishes, so run it outside call-centre hours.

## FreePBX 17 and Asterisk 24

Sangoma’s [FreePBX Versions page](https://sangomakb.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/FP/pages/653197359/FreePBX+Versions) (last updated 25 August 2026) documents:

- **FreePBX 17** (Debian 12): supported, Asterisk range 18 to 23, targeted versions 21/22. Asterisk 24 is not in its documented range.

- **FreePBX 18** (Debian 13): planned, Asterisk range 22 to 27, targeted versions 23/24, with GA listed for 1 January 2027.

- Policy from FreePBX 17 on: a GA release defaults to the newest Asterisk standard release, then moves its default to the next LTS once that is available.

- The `asterisk-version-switch` script switches between the Asterisk versions FreePBX offers.

In practice: on FreePBX 17, stay on Asterisk 22 and keep applying updates through FreePBX. Asterisk 24 on FreePBX arrives with FreePBX 18. Follow Sangoma’s path rather than swapping Asterisk by hand, as we did for [FreePBX 16 to 17](/guides/upgrade-freepbx-16-to-17/).

## Check that it worked after an upgrade

```
asterisk -rx "core show version"
asterisk -rx "module show" | grep -c 'Not Running'
asterisk -rx "pjsip show endpoints"
asterisk -rx "pjsip show registrations"
```

The version line should show the release you installed, the count of modules marked Not Running should match what you saw on the test copy, endpoints should show as available, and outbound registrations as Registered. Watch `/var/log/asterisk/full` for new warnings for a few days. Our [Asterisk CLI cheat sheet](/guides/asterisk-cli-commands-cheat-sheet/) has more checks.

**Official documentation:** [Asterisk Versions (support and EOL)](https://docs.asterisk.org/About-the-Project/Asterisk-Versions/) · [Asterisk 24.0.0-rc1 ChangeLog](https://downloads.asterisk.org/pub/telephony/asterisk/releases/ChangeLog-24.0.0-rc1.md) · [Asterisk Module Deprecations](https://docs.asterisk.org/Development/Asterisk-Module-Deprecations/) · [FreePBX Versions (Sangoma)](https://sangomakb.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/FP/pages/653197359/FreePBX+Versions)

**Related:** [Asterisk Versions and EOL Dates: LTS Support Table and Upgrade Plan](/guides/asterisk-versions-eol-upgrade/) · [Install Asterisk 22 LTS on Debian 13: Step-by-Step Guide](/guides/install-asterisk-22-debian/) · [chan_sip to PJSIP Migration: sip_to_pjsip.py, Option Mapping, Tests](/guides/chan-sip-to-pjsip-migration/) · [Upgrade FreePBX 16 to 17: Backup, Restore and Migration Checklist](/guides/upgrade-freepbx-16-to-17/) · [Asterisk CLI Commands Cheat Sheet: PJSIP, Calls, Dialplan, Logs](/guides/asterisk-cli-commands-cheat-sheet/)

## Frequently asked questions

### When is Asterisk 24 released?

The official versions page plans Asterisk 24 LTS for 15 October 2026. On 7 October 2026 it was pre-release, with 24.0.0-rc1 published on 17 September 2026.

### How long is Asterisk 24 supported?

As an LTS release it gets full support until 15 October 2030 and security fixes until its end of life on 15 October 2031.

### Should I upgrade from Asterisk 22 to 24?

Not urgently. Asterisk 22 is fully supported until 16 October 2028, and the 22.12.0-rc1 and 24.0.0-rc1 change logs contain almost the same changes. Move once 24 has had a few point releases and you have tested your dialplan on it.

### Does Asterisk 24 remove any modules?

The 24.0.0-rc1 notes list no module removals, and the module source files match 22.11.0. If you come from 22, the Asterisk 23 removals still apply: users.conf, DeadAGI, QUEUE_MEMBER_COUNT, VALID_EXTEN and some old options.

### Can I use Asterisk 24 with FreePBX 17?

Sangoma documents an Asterisk range of 18 to 23 for FreePBX 17. Asterisk 24 is the LTS target for the planned FreePBX 18 on Debian 13.