Mulesoft provides two Release Channels: Edge and Long-Term Support (LTS). Choosing one or the other depends on your organization’s needs for stability, innovation and risk tolerance, but also on your organization’s ability to keep up with the release channel cadence.
The Edge Channel provides three minor releases per year (February, June and October), whereas the LTS channel one minor release per year (February)
So, for example, during this year 2024
- Edge channel has released versions 4.6, 4.7 and 4.8 (February, June and October)
- LTS channel has released version 4.6 only (February).
- On February 2025, both Edge and LTS will release version 4.9. The release is the same in both channel, same new features.
- For the users on the Edge channel it will be the normal cycle, another release for their cadence, with the latest updates on the runtime. They are the first customers to use the new version
- For the user on the LTS channel, they will move from 4.6 to 4.9, and this 4.9 version will include all features included in versions 4.7, 4.8 plus the specific new features of 4.9.
How to Switch between Release Channels
Switching between versions from one channel to the other one is supported but with one limitation - you can’t move to a previous version.For example, if you’re on Mule version 4.7 Edge and you want to move to the LTS Channel you will have to wait until version 4.9, when the next LTS version will be released. Moving from version 4.7 Edge to 4.6 LTS is not supported by Mulesoft as you might be having issues if you were using new features of 4.7
Both channels offer different benefits depending on whether you prioritize cutting-edge features or long-term stability.
Here are some guidelines on when to choose each Release Channel:
When to choose the LTS Channel
The main aspects you should take into consideration to choosing the LTS Channel
Stability
- If you’re running applications that cannot afford frequent disruptions due to bugs, instability or incompatibilities
- LTS versions are highly stable that have been thoroughly tested
- LTS versions is more indicated for companies that need predictable, reliable performance
Support
- The LTS channel provides 18 months of Standard Support and 6 months of Extended Support (for versions 4.6 or newer)
- This means you will get security patches, bug fixes and performance improvements without having to update to a newer minor version during at least 18 months
- You will also get Technical Support during this period of time
- Ideal for organizations with strict compliance and security requirements that require long-term stability.
Maintenance Cost
- With LTS, fewer version updates means lower maintenance efforts and reduced risk of breaking existing functionality.
- This is good for IT teams that prefer a stable platform with fewer resources dedicated to constantly updating their apps.
Deployment Model
- LTS channel is more for customers on Standalone runtimes or Runtime Fabric, where they are the owners of the infrastructure and the ones responsible of the whole update process. Some companies are not fully equipped or don’t have the resources to keep up a cadence of upgrading their apps every 4 months (as in the Edge channel) and they prefer to do that once every 12-18 months.
When to choose the Edge Channel
The main aspects you should take into consideration to choosing the Edge Channel
Stability
- In comparison to LTS, we could say that the Edge Channel is less stable. This does not mean the releases in this channel have not been tested and validated enough. It can be less stable just because applications in this channel are exposed to a more frequent cadence of new versions
Access to the Latest Mule Runtime features
- If you want to access the newest features, enhancements, and performance improvements offered by MuleSoft, the Edge channel is the right choice.
- This is ideal for organizations that are early adopters and want to innovate by leveraging new platform capabilities as soon as they become available.
Support
- The Edge channel provides 5 months of Standard Support and 3 months of Extended Support (for mule runtime 4.8 and later)
- This means you will get security patches, bug fixes and performance improvements without having to update to a newer minor version during at least 5 months
- You will also get Technical Support during this period of time
Maintenance Cost
- More frequent releases means more frequent maintenance operations and normally this means more cost.
- Maintaining a cadence of 3 updates a year for many organizations is challenging if we consider the volume of apps, the testing, the criticality of the apps or the effort of coordinating the involved teams in every update
- Organizations using the Edge Channel require automation and CI/CD pipelines, they need to have a medium-high level of maturity in DevOps (especially if they are on Standalone runtimes or Runtime Fabric)
Deployment Model
- Edge channel is more for Cloudhub customers, where they don’t have to worry about rolling out the updates or rolling back if anything goes wrong. All of that is managed by Mulesoft, and this way Cloudhub customers can have a more frequent cadence of new releases without compromising stability
- For customers on Standalone runtimes or Runtime Fabric, the Edge channel is ideal for development, testing, and staging environments, where you can experiment with new features and assess their impact without risking production stability. It’s a great way to test out new functionality or features that might benefit future production use.
- Remember that you can always switch from a LTS to an Edge version. For example, if you are on Mule 4.6 LTS and you need/want to implement an specific feature released on 4.8 Edge you can switch to that version and then switch back in the next 4.9 LTS release
My Recommendation
- Use the Edge Channel only if you’re on Cloudhub 1.0/2.0 and you have a standardized testing strategy that allows you to validate moving between minor versions (from 4.7 to 4.8 for example) in a maximum of 6 weeks
- If you are on Cloudhub 1.0/2.0 and stability is your main requirement because of the volume or criticality of your apps, then opt in for the LTS Channel
- If you are on Standalone Runtimes or Runtime Fabric opt in for the LTS channel in your Production environment and have at least one of your non-production environments in the Edge Channel. This way you can test periodically the new functionalities in the mule runtime while keeping your production environment stable in the LTS channel
- This way the process of updating your production environment in the LTS channel would be easier. This approach gives you also the opportunity to move earlier to an Edge release if necessary
- Lastly, if you are on Standalone runtimes or Runtime Fabric, go for the Edge Channel only if your DevOps maturity is medium-high. The DevOps in your organization needs to be mature enough to be able to test ALL your applications, provide the resources, the infrastructure and a rollback strategy for an update every 5 months (maximum).