Is Ruby on Rails Still Supported? End-of-Life Dates (2026)
Short answer
Ruby on Rails is supported and new versions continue to ship; the newest version is supported until 10 Oct 2027. CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog lists 3 vulnerabilities in Ruby on Rails.
Rails gives each minor release series bug fixes for one year and security fixes for two, so only the two newest series are supported at any time and any Rails version more than two years old is unsupported.
Legacy Technology Tracker · Status as of 16 Oct 2026. Data checked 7 Oct 2026; refreshed monthly, with quarterly snapshots kept unchanged.
Risk rating
Low: supported, with new release lines continuing; no licence change recorded in the last 24 months; 3 vulnerabilities on CISA's KEV list (supported versions receive security fixes). How ratings work
Key facts
Every value links to its source and shows when we last checked or retrieved it. Data checked 7 Oct 2026; status as of 16 Oct 2026.
| Fact | Value | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Support status | SupportedRuby on Rails releases. | ||
| End of mainstream support | |||
| Newest version supported until | |||
| Extended support offer | HeroDevs Never-Ending Support (NES) for Ruby on Rails (third party), no end date publishedPricing basis: Per developer who commits code to the project repository (vendor-stated; no list price published) | ||
| Known exploited vulnerabilities (CISA KEV) | 3 CVEs all time; 1 added in the last 24 monthsNewest added 7 Jul 2025Matched by vendor and product name in the KEV catalog. | ||
| Home pages using Ruby on Rails, all versions (HTTP Archive, mobile) | 109,318 (1.2% of the crawl), Aug 2026 | ||
| Home pages using Ruby on Rails, all versions (HTTP Archive, desktop) | 89,949 (1.7% of the crawl), Aug 2026 | ||
| Same measure 12 months earlier (mobile) | 104,023 (1.1% of the crawl), Aug 2025 | ||
| Last release | v8.1.4, 24 Sep 2026Maintainer: Rails core team | ||
| Job postings and salaries | Not published: the job-posting source is on hold pending a data licence. | — | — |
Versions in scope
Ruby on Rails releases. Dates per version, each with its source.
| Version | Status | Standard support ends | Extended support ends | Latest release | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.2 | Unsupported | — | 4.2.11.3 (15 May 2020) | |||
| 5.0 | Unsupported | — | 5.0.7.2 (13 Mar 2019) | |||
| 5.1 | Unsupported | — | 5.1.7 (27 Mar 2019) | |||
| 5.2 | Unsupported | — | 5.2.8.1 (12 Jul 2022) | |||
| 6.0 | Unsupported | — | 6.0.6.1 (17 Jan 2023) | |||
| 6.1 | Unsupported | — | 6.1.7.10 (23 Oct 2024) | |||
| 7.0 | Unsupported | — | 7.0.10 (28 Oct 2025) | |||
| 7.1 | Unsupported | — | 7.1.6 (28 Oct 2025) | |||
| 7.2 | Unsupported | — | 7.2.4 (24 Sep 2026) | |||
| 8.0 | Supported | — | 8.0.5.1 (29 Jul 2026) | |||
| 8.1 | Supported | — | 8.1.4 (24 Sep 2026) |
If you still run Ruby on Rails
The deadline that matters is the security end date of your minor release series, which falls two years after the series first shipped. Rails 6.1 and earlier, and 7.x up to 7.2, are past it. Rails 8.0 gets security fixes until 7 November 2026, so it is the next series to drop out.
The realistic options:
- Upgrade to a supported series. This is the only way to stay on upstream fixes. A common technique is dual boot, running the old and new Rails versions side by side while the upgrade proceeds. Ruby on Rails upgrade services covers the dual-boot approach, upgrade paths from Rails 4 to 8, and cost ranges.
- Buy third-party patches. HeroDevs lists Never-Ending Support for Rails 2.3, 3.2, 4.2, 5.2 and 6.1 (vendor-stated). That covers the old line while you plan the upgrade; it is the vendor's fork, not the Rails team's.
- Re-platform. If the application is no longer worth upgrading, a rewrite on another stack is the alternative.
Each series gets security fixes for two years, so an application that is not upgraded regularly will fall out of support again. Budget a recurring upgrade, not a one-off project.
For suppliers, see legacy application modernization companies. Modernization costs gives budget context.
Frequently asked questions
Which Rails versions are supported?
As of October 2026, rubyonrails.org lists Rails 8.1 with security fixes until 10 October 2027 and Rails 8.0 with security fixes until 7 November 2026. Rails 7.2 and earlier are no longer listed as supported.
When does a Rails version reach end of life?
Under the maintenance policy, a minor release gets bug fixes for one year and security fixes for two years after the first release in its series. After that it is end of life, and the team may publish backports to git but will not release new versions.
Is it safe to keep running an old Rails version?
Not without a fix source. The Rails team says that once a series is unsupported, bugs and security issues are the owner's responsibility. Upgrading to a supported series, or buying third-party patches, are the two ways to get fixes.
Can I get extended support for old Rails versions?
Yes, from third parties. HeroDevs sells Never-Ending Support for Rails and lists versions 2.3, 3.2, 4.2, 5.2 and 6.1 on its Rails page (vendor-stated). It prices by the number of developers who commit code and does not publish a price.