Hello,

Because of some customisations I did in the past I would like to use LimeSurvey 3.x LTS instead of LS 5 in the next months. According to [url] www.limesurvey.org/manual/LimeSurvey_roa...eased_.28Feb_2018.29 [/url] the communitiy edition was supported at least until the end of 2021. Is there any update to this? Would I be able to use LS 3.x LTS in June or July without any security risks?

Thanks!
Anja

Thank for pointing to that statement.

• Community Edition: Long Term Support (LTS) available at least until December 2021
• Cloud / SaaS / Professional: Long Term Support (LTS) available at least until December 2022

The wording is interesting cause ComfortUpdate isn't mentioned. I had the impression that ComfortUpdate would allow accessing the LTS Updates longer.
As long as there is no "LimeSurvey partner edition", all their customers would need ditch LS3 now and replace them with LS5.  And LS-partner installations are often customized too.

My bet on that topic. A known security issue in LS3 will be fixed till end of 2022.There is hope that LS5 will mature over the next months. I recommend to install LS5 in addition to your LS3 setup and test your current LS3 surveys over the next months. Attention: LS5 surveys cannot be imported into LS3. Only the other way around.



 

Hi jelo,

Thanks for your answer!

Anja

I agree with Jelo: installing LimeSurvey 5 is for people starting with LimeSurvey the best way forward.

If you already have a LimeSurvey 3 installation, I would consider upgrading, but be aware that when you have specific third party plugins and/or custom themes, that some adaptation may be necessary. So Jelo's solution to have two installations and to compare would be the most safe solution.

Hi, and a belated Happy New Year!

we are considering to upgrade from the LTS 3.x to version 5.x and would like to know until when LTS support for 3.x is planned.
My most recent info was somewhere halfway through 2023, is this still the plan? Is there a precise date from which on no more fixes will be available?

There is no fixed date for EndofLife or EndofService for LS3.
The end of LS3 is often extended for another six months.

The end of LS3 comes with the end of PHP7.4 and third party libraries.
PHP 7.4 is EndOfLife from PHP developer side.
Some OS and security vendors try to fix security issues in PHP 7 for the next 2-3 years.

My educated guess(no official answer):
LS3 will be extended in Summer 2023 till the end of 2023.
LS3 will be offered in LS-hosting in 2024 as well.
LS5 will get more traction and testing in 2023 because LS3 no longer runs on PHP 8.1.
LS3 runs without official support under PHP 8.0 (PHP 8.0 will be EOL 26th Nov 2023).

The official page seems to be outdated:
account.limesurvey.org/about-limesurvey/...ey-version-lifecycle