Introduction
At Lightbits, we understand that no two IT environments are exactly alike. Some customers want rock-solid stability for their mission-critical workloads, while others need quick access to the latest features to stay on the cutting edge. That’s why we offer two parallel release streams for our software: Long-Term Support (LTS) and Standard-Term Support (STS). Both versions are rigorously tested, are production-ready, and receive full support. Having these two distinct streams also underscores our solution’s advanced reliability and robustness, ensuring you can choose a release cadence that aligns perfectly with your operational and innovation needs.
LTS and STS: A Common Industry Practice
Many software vendors use multiple release streams to serve different customer needs. LTS versions are typically favored for longer maintenance windows and minimal risk, while STS versions deliver more frequent updates and new features. We’ve adopted these models at Lightbits to give you the flexibility to choose the pace of change and innovation that’s best for your environment—without compromising on stability or support.
What is LTS?
Our Long-Term Support (LTS) releases are ideal if you:
- Have production workloads you can’t afford to disrupt with frequent changes
- Value long-term stability and need fewer major updates over time
- Prefer a more predictable upgrade cycle, with a new LTS typically available every three release cycles (about six months)
Because LTS versions remain in service for an extended period, they’re an excellent fit for customers running large-scale, mission-critical deployments. Rest assured, our LTS releases undergo intensive validation and performance testing and continue to receive high-priority fixes and updates as long as they remain designated LTS.
An additional key benefit is that LTS versions continue to receive high-priority bug fixes for up to a year from the time the major LTS version was declared, ensuring you stay protected against critical issues without frequent upgrades.
What is STS?
Our Standard-Term Support (STS) releases move faster, making them perfect if you:
- Want early access to the latest features and improvements
- Are running a proof-of-value (POV) or smaller-scale deployment where rapid iteration is possible
- Are comfortable adopting a faster update cadence—every two months—to stay aligned with new technologies and competitive requirements
While STS releases have a shorter lifecycle, they’re still fully tested and validated for production usage. They arrive more frequently, ensuring that cutting-edge features get to you sooner rather than later. Once a particular STS version meets our criteria and has been out in the field for a while, it will be promoted to become the next LTS.
Weighing the Tradeoffs
Choosing between LTS and STS often comes down to a tradeoff between stability and immediacy of features:
- Stability First: If your environment is large and changes are costly or disruptive, LTS is generally the better choice.
- Faster Innovation: If you need new capabilities ASAP—perhaps to unlock new use cases or further optimize your storage operations—STS can help you get there more quickly.
- Lifecycle Considerations: LTS releases typically have a longer support window and come around every three release cycles (about six months). STS releases arrive more frequently (about every two months), delivering more frequent enhancements.
Both Are Production-Ready
No matter which release stream you pick, be assured both LTS and STS releases at Lightbits:
- Undergo rigorous quality and performance testing
- Receive full production-level support from our teams
- Are suitable for real-world deployments and production environments
Our Release Cadence and Current Versions
Lightbits releases a new version approximately every two months, ensuring a continuous stream of improvements and innovations. We also promote a new LTS version every three release cycles—so roughly every six months. This gives you the choice of adopting the latest release right away (STS) or waiting until it has been field-tested for a bit longer (LTS).
- Current LTS: 9.5
- Latest STS Release: 13.1
- Coming Soon: 12.2 will be the next LTS release, replacing v3.9.5 once officially promoted.
Making Your Decision
If you’re unsure which stream is right for you, we’re here to help:
Existing, Critical, Large-Scale Deployments: Likely want to stay on LTS for maximum stability and minimal disruption.
New or Evolving Deployments: STS might be the better stream if you’re actively exploring new features or operating in an agile environment.
Our goal is to ensure that no matter which release stream you choose, you’ll get a dependable, well-supported product that helps you meet your business objectives.
Have more questions?
Get in touch with our support and solutions engineering teams. We’ll help you evaluate your deployment needs, plan your upgrade strategy, and make sure you’re getting the most out of Lightbits—whether that’s on the LTS or STS stream.
Thanks for reading, and happy deploying!
