OpenSearch Software Foundation launches new long-term support versions

The OpenSearch Software Foundation, the neutral home for the OpenSearch Project, is announcing its long-term support (LTS) program, reinforcing the OpenSearch project’s capabilities as a production-ready open source platform for enterprise search, observability, analytics, and vector database workloads, as well as the community’s commitment to sustainable development.

The LTS program ensures defined support lifecycles, consistent security response expectations, and a vendor-neutral model for delivering enterprise-grade support without compromising open source principles. All LTS developments must be contributed upstream, ensuring improvements benefit the entire community, and maintaining a unified, open codebase, the foundation said.

“This approach reflects growing enterprise demand for open source infrastructure that combines flexibility with reliability, particularly as organizations deploy AI-driven and mission-critical workloads,” said Bianca Lewis, executive director, OpenSearch Software Foundation. “Long-term support versions give enterprises predictable support, trusted security practices, and certified vendor options—making it easier to deploy and scale OpenSearch with confidence, without sacrificing the benefits of open source.”

The first three LTS providers are BigData Boutique, Eliatra, and Resolve Technology. Benefits include:

• Stability without lock-in: ensures at least one designated LTS release for each major version with a minimum of 18 months of support, beginning with OpenSearch 2.1.9 and 3.6.
• Regulatory compliance and risk reduction: leverages scanning for all 150 OpenSearch repositories to build software bills of materials (SBOM) and enable enterprises to demonstrate the provenance and security posture of OpenSearch deployments.
• Consistent and transparent security posture: requires medium and high severity vulnerabilities to be addressed within 60 days of public disclosure, and introduces early security vulnerability notifications.
• Accreditation and certifications: vets and accredits vendors to deliver Foundation-approved commercial LTS offerings, ensuring enterprises can access professional support globally without being locked into any single provider.

OpenSearch 3.6, the first long-term support version, supports new, advanced AI-powered search capabilities, the OpenSearch Observability Stack, and more.

“As systems become more distributed and AI-driven, visibility and relevance can no longer exist in silos,” said Jan Erik Aase, partner and global head at ISG. “OpenSearch 3.6 moves the industry forward by unifying observability, search and AI execution into a single, intelligent operating layer, enabling enterprises to innovate faster while maintaining control and understanding at scale.”

Organizations interested in providing LTS services can join as members of the OpenSearch Software Foundation and apply for vendor accreditation through the Foundation’s certification program at https://opensearch.org/long-term-support.  

For more information about this news, visit https://opensearch.org.