Short answer: As of 6 October 2026, Asterisk 22 LTS is the safe production choice: fully supported until 16 October 2028 and end of life on 16 October 2029. Asterisk 20 LTS moves to security fixes only on 19 October 2026, Asterisk 21 reaches end of life on 18 October 2026, and Asterisk 24 LTS is planned for 15 October 2026 (still pre-release on the day we wrote this). LTS releases get 4 years of full support plus 1 year of security fixes; standard releases get at least 1 year plus 1 year.
Applies to Asterisk 13 to 24; tested on Asterisk 22.11 with FreePBX 17.0.33 on Debian 12
Dates checked against the official Asterisk versions page (linked below) on 6 October 2026. We confirmed the running version on our lab server (Debian 12, FreePBX 17.0.33) with core show version: Asterisk 22.11.0.
Table of Contents
Asterisk version support table
Current and recent releases, from docs.asterisk.org. “Security only” is the date full support ends and only security fixes continue.
| Version | Type | Released | Security only from | End of life | Status on 6 Oct 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24.x | LTS | 2026-10-15 (planned) | 2030-10-15 | 2031-10-15 | Pre-release |
| 23.x | Standard | 2025-10-15 | 2026-10-15 | 2027-10-15 | Fully supported, security only from 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 only, EOL 18 Oct |
| 20.x | LTS | 2022-10-19 | 2026-10-19 | 2027-10-19 | Fully supported, security only from 19 Oct |
| 19.x | Standard | 2021-11-02 | 2022-11-02 | 2023-11-02 | End of life |
| 18.x | LTS | 2020-10-20 | 2024-10-20 | 2025-10-20 | End of life |
| 16.x | LTS | 2018-10-09 | 2022-10-09 | 2023-10-09 | End of life |
| 13.x | LTS | 2014-10-24 | 2020-10-24 | 2021-10-24 | End of life |
The Asterisk 24 dates are the project’s planned schedule. Until the release is published, treat them as targets. Check the official page before you schedule work around them.
How the release cycle works
- A new major version arrives roughly once a year, alternating between standard and LTS releases (22 LTS, 23 standard, 24 LTS).
- LTS: 4 years of full support (bug fixes and features), then 1 year of security fixes only.
- Standard: at least 1 year of full support, then 1 year of security fixes.
- Within a supported series, point releases (22.10, 22.11 and so on) come out roughly every 4 to 6 weeks. Security-only branches get releases as needed.
- Certified Asterisk builds (for example certified-20.7) exist for some commercial users; most admins use the regular releases.
For a PBX you want to install once and leave alone, use an LTS release. Standard releases are for testing upcoming features; you would have to upgrade again within two years.
Check which version you run
asterisk -rx "core show version"
asterisk -VOutput on our lab:
Asterisk 22.11.0 built by jenkins @ 80c01f94bd66 on a x86_64 running Linux on 2026-08-31 08:55:03 UTCOn FreePBX, Asterisk comes from Sangoma’s packages; FreePBX 17 installs Asterisk 22 by default. On a source build, the version is in the tarball name you compiled. Distribution packages (Debian, Ubuntu) can lag behind the upstream point releases, so compare against the latest point release, not just the major number. Our latest software versions page tracks current releases.
FreePBX 17 ships Asterisk 22 by default. Sangoma’s upgrade documentation also describes an asterisk-version-switch tool for moving a FreePBX 17 system to a different Asterisk major version, for example dropping below 21 to keep chan_sip temporarily during a migration. That buys time, not safety: anything below 22 runs out of full support this month.
Point releases matter as much as the major version. Security fixes land in point releases, so a system still on 22.2 is nine point releases behind our lab’s 22.11. Plan to apply point releases every few months, after a quick test on a staging box.
What changed between versions (upgrade blockers)
Most upgrade pain comes from removed modules. These come from the official Asterisk changelogs:
| Removed in | Modules and features | Replace with |
|---|---|---|
| Asterisk 21 | chan_sip | chan_pjsip (see our migration guide) |
| Asterisk 21 | app_macro (Macro()) | Gosub() |
| Asterisk 21 | res_monitor (Monitor()) | MixMonitor() |
| Asterisk 21 | chan_skinny, chan_mgcp, chan_alsa, app_osplookup | PJSIP devices |
| Asterisk 21 | NoCDR, ImportVar, SetAMAFlags applications; ResetCDR e option | Rewrite the dialplan that uses them |
| Asterisk 23 | users.conf integration | Each channel driver’s own config; phone provisioning users move to phoneprov_users.conf |
| Asterisk 23 | DeadAGI | AGI() |
| Asterisk 23 | QUEUE_MEMBER_COUNT, VALID_EXTEN functions | QUEUE_MEMBER(queue,logged), DIALPLAN_EXISTS |
| Asterisk 23 | voicemail maxmessage/minmessage, logger rotatetimestamp, CLI no debug channel | maxsecs/minsecs, rotatestrategy, core set debug channel |
Because Asterisk 24 follows 23, anything removed in 23 will also be missing in 24. If you jump from 20 straight to 22 or 24, read every changelog in between, not just the target’s.
Upgrading from 20 or older? The big one is chan_sip. Our chan_sip to PJSIP migration guide covers the converter and testing.
Plan an upgrade
- Pick the target. In October 2026 that means Asterisk 22 LTS for production, or 24 LTS once released and after its first point releases if you want the longest runway.
- Inventory what you use.
asterisk -rx "module show"lists loaded modules; grep your configs for removed applications:grep -rnE "Macro\(|Monitor\(|DeadAGI|SIP/" /etc/asterisk/. - Read the upgrade notes. Each release’s ChangeLog on downloads.asterisk.org has “UpgradeNote” entries; read all of them between your current and target version.
- Build a test server with the target version and a copy of your configs. Load it and fix every error in
/var/log/asterisk/fullduring startup. - Test the call paths that matter: inbound DIDs, IVRs, queues, outbound routes, transfers, recordings, voicemail, fax if used.
- Schedule the cut-over with a rollback plan: keep the old server or a snapshot, and lower DNS TTLs if phones use a hostname.
- After the upgrade, watch the log for warnings for a few days and keep applying point releases.
On FreePBX, follow Sangoma’s path rather than swapping Asterisk by hand: FreePBX 16 to 17 is a backup and restore onto Debian 12. See our FreePBX 16 to 17 upgrade guide.
If you are on Asterisk 20 or 21 today
- Asterisk 21: end of life on 18 October 2026, with no more fixes after that. Move to 22 now; 21 and 22 are close, so this is usually a small step.
- Asterisk 20: security fixes continue until 19 October 2027. You have a year, but chan_sip and Macro users need that time for migration work.
- Asterisk 18 or older: already end of life. Treat it as urgent, especially if SIP is exposed to the internet.
Official documentation: Asterisk Versions (support and EOL table) · Asterisk 21.0.0 ChangeLog · Asterisk 23.0.0 ChangeLog
Related: Install Asterisk 22 LTS on Debian 13: Step-by-Step Guide · Latest software versions · Install Issabel 5 on Rocky Linux 8: Simple Step-by-Step PBX Setup · Migrate PBX to Cloud: 8-Step Plan From 3CX or Asterisk
See also: Asterisk WebRTC Setup: WSS Transport, Certificates, webrtc=yes · Asterisk AudioSocket: Connect a Call to an AI Voice Agent
Frequently asked questions
Which Asterisk version should I use in production?
Asterisk 22 LTS as of October 2026. It is fully supported until 16 October 2028 and receives security fixes until 16 October 2029.
When is Asterisk 24 released?
The official schedule plans Asterisk 24 LTS for 15 October 2026. On 6 October 2026 it was still listed as pre-release.
When does Asterisk 20 reach end of life?
Asterisk 20 LTS moves to security fixes only on 19 October 2026 and reaches end of life on 19 October 2027.
How long is an Asterisk LTS release supported?
Four years of full support plus one year of security fixes, five years in total.
Can I upgrade from Asterisk 18 straight to 22?
Yes, but read every changelog in between. chan_sip, Macro() and Monitor() were removed in 21, so most configs need changes first.
Maintenance record
This guide changes servers, data or security settings, so we re-check it against current versions on a fixed schedule. Take a backup or snapshot before you start.
- Maintained by
- srvScripts editorial team
- Supported versions
- Asterisk 13 to 24; tested on Asterisk 22.11 with FreePBX 17.0.33 on Debian 12
- Last full review
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