This page describes the AI Gateway version support policy, including versioning, bug fix, and deprecation guidelines.
This policy only applies to Kong AI Gateway. See the Kong Gateway support policy and the Konnect support policy for information specific to those products.
Kong adopts a structured approach to versioning its products. Products follow a pattern of {MAJOR}.{MINOR}.{PATCH}.
For the purposes of this support document:
Versioning:
Major Version means a version identified by the number to the left of the leftmost decimal point (X.y.z). For example, 2.1.3 indicates Major Version 2 and 1.3.0 indicates Major Version 1.
Minor Version means a version identified by a change in the number in between the two leftmost decimal points (x.Y.z). For example, 2.1.3 indicates Minor Version 1 and 1.3.0 indicates Minor Version 3.
Patch Version means a version identified by a change in the number to the right of the rightmost decimal (x.y.Z). For example, 2.1.3 indicates patch version 3.
Kong introduces major functionality and breaking changes by releasing a new major version. Major releases happen rarely and are usually prompted by one or more of:
There is no regular cadence of major versions.
Kong aims to release a new minor version approximately every 4 weeks.
Minor versions contain features and bug fixes and are usually backwards compatible within their major version sequence.
To support both rapid innovation and stability, Kong AI Gateway offers two support tracks:
Kong may require that the customer upgrade to the most current released minor or stable version to receive a technical fix.
A stable release is a specific minor version that Kong designates as stable at the time it is declared. It follows the same {MAJOR}.{MINOR}.{PATCH} versioning scheme as rolling releases.
Patches are cumulative (“rolled-up”), meaning that a release such as 2.1.3 includes fixes from 2.1.2, 2.1.1, and 2.1.0.
After the support period ends, Kong provides limited support for 1 month on rolling releases and 3 months on stable releases to help customers upgrade to a fully supported version of Kong AI Gateway.
Kong will not provide patches for software covered by this sunset period. If there is an issue that requires a patch during this period, the customer will need to upgrade to a newer Kong AI Gateway version covered by active support.
Kong supports the following versions of Kong AI Gateway:
Notes:
- OS End of Life: If you’re running a currently supported version of Kong AI Gateway on an OS that doesn’t appear in this table, that OS has reached End of Life and Kong no longer supports it.
- ARM support: Packages and Docker images are available for both AMD64 (x86_64) and ARM64 (aarch64). Docker images are multi-architecture.
- FIPS mode: FIPS 140-3 packages and Docker images are only available for AMD64. ARM64 is not supported.
The following versions of Kong AI Gateway have reached the end of full support:
|
Version |
Released date |
End of support |
End of sunset support |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0 | 2026-08-31 | 2026-09-30 | 2026-10-31 |
Kong follows a structured process for addressing bugs:
Security vulnerabilities:
Treated with highest priority. See the security vulnerability policy for reporting and resolution procedures.
Critical bugs:
Fixed with high-priority patches to the latest rolling release and to all currently supported stable releases. This includes things such as production outages or catastrophic degradation.
Other bugs and feature requests:
Assessed for severity and impact. Fixes are generally applied only to the latest rolling release. Backports to a currently supported stable release are evaluated case by case.
Customers with Enterprise Platinum or higher subscriptions may request special-case fixes outside this process; such requests are evaluated at Kong’s discretion.
From time to time, as part of the evolution of our products, we deprecate (in other words, remove or discontinue) product features or functionality.
We aim to provide customers with at least 6 months’ notice of the removal or phasing out of a significant feature or functionality. We may provide less or no notice if the change is necessary for security or legal reasons, though such situations should be rare. We may provide notice in our documentation, product update emails, or in-product notifications if applicable.
Once we have announced that we will deprecate a significant feature or functionality, in general, we won’t extend or enhance the feature or functionality.
This policy is a summary and is qualified by the broader Kong Support and Maintenance Policy.