Who Provides .NET 8 Extended Support After November 2026?

The short answer

Microsoft does not sell extended support for .NET 8. Its support policy ends free patches for .NET 8 and .NET 9 on 10 November 2026 and lists no paid extension. After that date, four providers publish .NET 8 coverage: HeroDevs (Never-Ending Support for .NET 6, 8 and 9, on Windows and Linux), TuxCare (Endless Lifecycle Support for .NET 6, 8 and 10, on Windows and Linux), OSSeva (patched .NET 6 and 7 runtimes today, and .NET 8 and 9 once Microsoft support ends) and Canonical (the .NET 8 packages in Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04, for the life of those releases).

The supported route from Microsoft is .NET 10, an LTS release supported until 14 November 2028. Extended support is for the applications that will not get there by 10 November.

.NET support dates

LTS releases get three years of free support and STS releases two, which is why .NET 8 and .NET 9 end on the same Patch Tuesday. The .NET end-of-life chart tracks every line, and .NET vulnerabilities by version shows which advisories already reach the older ones.

.NET 8 extended support providers compared

Each row reflects what the vendor publishes on its own site as of 6 October 2026.

Two limits are easy to miss. Canonical's commitment covers .NET installed from Ubuntu's own packages; .NET 9 on Ubuntu 24.04 comes from a backports archive whose best-effort support stops at Microsoft's date, and .NET pulled from Microsoft's images or the install script is outside it. And none of the version lists above includes the Windows-only .NET Framework 4.x, which follows its own Windows lifecycle.

How the providers differ

HeroDevs

HeroDevs announced NES for .NET 8 in April 2026 as available immediately, on both Windows and Linux, so coverage can be in place before the November cut-off. It also covers .NET 9, which suits teams that moved to the STS release early and now share .NET 8's deadline. See OSSeva vs HeroDevs.

TuxCare

TuxCare publishes the most detailed Windows matrix of the group, from Windows Server 2012 to 2025 on x64 and x86, which matters for IIS-hosted applications. Its list covers .NET 6, 8 and 10 but not 7 or 9. See OSSeva vs TuxCare.

OSSeva

OSSeva for .NET patches .NET 6 and 7 today and takes on .NET 8 and 9 once Microsoft support ends, covering LTS and STS releases alike. Fixes reach the CLR, ASP.NET Core, Entity Framework Core and the base class libraries, delivered as drop-in Docker base images for the SDK and the ASP.NET Core runtime in Alpine and Debian variants, so a container moves by changing its FROM line. Assure adds NuGet dependency scanning, ASP.NET Core TLS and authentication review, SOC 2 and HIPAA attestation material and a migration assessment; Operate adds 24/7 monitoring and runs the version migration. OSSeva's patched builds are for .NET (Core and 5 and later); .NET Framework 4.x is not part of them.

Canonical

Ubuntu has published .NET in its own archive since 22.04, and .NET 8 sits in the main repository of both 22.04 and 24.04. Canonical maintains the versions in that built-in feed for the life of the Ubuntu release. If your applications run on Ubuntu and install .NET 8 from Ubuntu's packages, this may already cover you. It does not help applications on Windows, on other distributions, or on Microsoft's container images.

Should you migrate to .NET 10 or buy extended support?

The move from .NET 8 to .NET 10 is one LTS step, and for most code it is a retarget, a dependency refresh and a test cycle. Extended support earns its cost where something outside the code sets the pace:

Whichever way an application goes, record its target date. Buying support for an application with no migration date tends to turn a bridge into a permanent cost. Our .NET 8 to .NET 10 upgrade guide lists the breaking changes, SDK steps and a test plan.

Where OSSeva fits

OSSeva keeps .NET 6 to 9 patched past Microsoft's dates with signed runtime builds and container images, and can run the applications 24/7 while they move. See .NET 8 extended support for the offer, and the extended support vendor roundup for how OSSeva compares by technology layer.

Frequently asked questions

Who provides extended support for .NET 8 after November 2026?

HeroDevs (Never-Ending Support for .NET 6, 8 and 9), TuxCare (Endless Lifecycle Support for .NET 6, 8 and 10), OSSeva (.NET 8 and 9 once Microsoft support ends, alongside .NET 6 and 7) and Canonical, for the .NET 8 packages in Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04. Microsoft itself offers no extension.

Does Microsoft sell extended support for .NET 8?

No. Microsoft's .NET support policy gives LTS releases three years of free support and lists no paid extension. Once support ends, the policy recommends accelerating plans to stop using that version.

What are the best options for .NET 8 applications that need CVE coverage past end of support?

Move to .NET 10 where you can. For applications that cannot move in time, use third-party extended support from HeroDevs, TuxCare or OSSeva, or Ubuntu's own .NET 8 packages if the application runs on Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04. Pick by platform: all three vendors cover Linux, and HeroDevs and TuxCare also publish Windows coverage.

Should we migrate from legacy .NET or buy extended support?

Migrate applications that are still changing and whose dependencies are ready. Buy support for those blocked by dependencies, validation cycles or planned retirement, with a migration date recorded for each. For .NET Framework 4.x, the question is a port to modern .NET rather than an upgrade.

Will .NET 8 applications stop working after 10 November 2026?

No. They keep running. They stop receiving Microsoft security fixes, so runtime vulnerabilities published after that date stay open unless a provider patches them.

Does extended support cover .NET 9 as well?

HeroDevs and OSSeva cover .NET 9. TuxCare's published list skips it, and Ubuntu 24.04 ships .NET 9 only through a backports archive that is not maintained past Microsoft's date.