Drupal 11.1 Alpha Phase Begins October 28, Full Release Expected December 12-13

Drupal has announced that versions 11.1.0 and 10.4.0 of its core platform are scheduled for release on December 12-13, 2024, immediately following DrupalCon Singapore, which runs from December 9 to 11. While the release falls in the same week as the international conference, the dates have been strategically planned to avoid overlapping with the main event days.

Typically, Drupal schedules minor releases for the second week of December to ensure ample time after PHP and Symfony's release dates for core compatibility updates, while also steering clear of major end-of-year holidays. This year, the proximity to DrupalCon Singapore posed scheduling challenges. Unable to adjust the release date, the Drupal team aims to minimize conflicts by releasing 11.1.0 and 10.4.0 later in the week, after the conference concludes.

"This will be the very first time Drupal core provides a maintenance minor accompanying the latest feature version. Maintenance minors are a part of our new major release cycle. They allow us to support major releases for four whole years, so that Drupal 10 is supported all the way until the release of Drupal 12. We hope that this overlapping support will ease upgrade pains for our community and help make Drupal simultaneously as stable and as innovative as today's site owners need."

notes Jess (xjm).

The alpha phase for Drupal 11.1 begins today, October 28, 2024. This marks the start of preparations for the latest minor update to Drupal’s core. It is also a critical period for core developers to complete changes permitted only in minor releases before the alpha deadline. Developers and site owners are encouraged to start testing the alpha release upon its availability to ensure a smooth transition.

Drupal 11.0 and 10.3 will continue to receive security coverage until June 2025, providing site owners with the flexibility to update their sites at a convenient time, even if that means waiting until January 2025 or later. Following the release of Drupal 11.1 and 10.4, only security issues will be addressed in Drupal 11.0 and 10.3, and Drupal 10.2 will reach its end-of-life.

Following the initial alpha release, a beta version will be issued roughly two weeks later, with feature and API additions frozen at that stage. The first beta release enforces the alpha’s restrictions, setting a firm cutoff for contributions that qualify only for minor updates. The release candidate phase is slated to begin the week of November 25, providing additional testing time before the official December release.

The security roadmap for Drupal 10 and 11 outlines that Drupal 10.2 will reach its end-of-life (EOL) on December 12, 2024. Drupal 10.3 and 11.0 will continue to receive security releases until June 18, 2025, ensuring coverage until users transition to the latest versions. For more information on release processes, schedules, and compatibility, contributors and users are encouraged to refer to Drupal's official core release and support policies.