Question 1

What happens when Chef Workstation reaches end of life?

Accepted Answer

When Chef Workstation reaches end of life, it stops receiving security patches, bug fixes, and new features. Currently, 4 Chef Workstation versions are already EOL. The latest supported version is Chef Workstation 25. Running an EOL version exposes your systems to unpatched security vulnerabilities with no official fix available.

Question 2

Is Chef Workstation 25 still supported?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Chef Workstation 25 is actively supported. It receives security patches and bug fixes. Check the version table above for the full list of supported Chef Workstation releases and their exact end-of-life dates.

Question 3

Is it safe to use Chef Workstation after end of life?

Accepted Answer

No. Running Chef Workstation after EOL is not safe for production systems. Once a version reaches end of life, newly discovered CVEs are published publicly but never patched — leaving your systems permanently exposed. The only safe path is upgrading to an actively supported Chef Workstation release.

Question 4

How to upgrade from Chef Workstation 23 to Chef Workstation 25.x?

Accepted Answer

To upgrade Chef Workstation from 23 to 25: (1) review the official migration guide for breaking changes, (2) test your application against the new version in a staging environment, (3) update dependencies that have version constraints, (4) run your full test suite, (5) deploy with a rollback plan. The earlier you start, the more time you have to resolve compatibility issues before EOL.

Question 5

When is the next Chef Workstation LTS version?

Accepted Answer

Not all Chef Workstation releases have a designated LTS status. Check the version table above — LTS releases are marked with an "LTS" badge. Refer to the official Chef Workstation release policy for information on upcoming long-term support versions.

Question 6

How long does Chef Workstation support each version?

Accepted Answer

On average, Chef Workstation supports each release for approximately 41 months (~3.4 years).  The exact EOL date for each version is listed in the table above.

Version	Released	Active support	EOL date	Until EOL	Latest	CVEs	Status
25	Feb 3, 2025	—	No	—	25.14.2	—	Active
24	Feb 7, 2024	—	No	—	24.12.1073	—	Active
23	Feb 9, 2023	Dec 31, 2024	Dec 31, 2024	525d ago	23.12.1055	—	EOL
22	Jan 6, 2022	Dec 31, 2024	Dec 31, 2024	525d ago	22.12.1024	—	EOL
21	Jan 5, 2021	Dec 31, 2024	Dec 31, 2024	525d ago	21.12.720	—	EOL
20	Jun 2, 2020	Dec 31, 2024	Dec 31, 2024	525d ago	20.12.205	—	EOL

Chef Workstation End of Life Dates

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