// HashiCorp Consul extended support
Running community Consul 1.x?
Your version is probably out of support, and the licence changed.
HashiCorp moved Consul from the MPL to the Business Source License in August 2023, starting with Consul 1.17. Since April 2026 Consul Enterprise follows IBM's support cycle, and the 1.15 to 1.20 lines are all out of support, with 1.22 following on 31 October 2026. Teams that standardised on community Consul now face an upgrade, a licence review and a support decision at once.
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Why Consul estates are stuck
Consul sits under service discovery and service mesh, so every change touches every service.
The licence changed under you
Consul 1.17.0 and later are under the Business Source License 1.1. The 1.16.0 to 1.16.3 releases are the last fully MPL 2.0 line, and later patches to older branches were released under the BSL too.
Support moved to IBM's model
From the April 2026 2.0 release, Consul Enterprise follows IBM Support Cycle-2, and 1.21.x is the last LTS release. Community users get no long-term support at all.
Upgrades are rolling but relentless
HashiCorp recommends upgrading community Consul every few months and limits LTS jumps to three major versions, so an estate that fell behind has several hops to make.
The dates that matter
2023-08-10
HashiCorp announces the move from MPL 2.0 to the Business Source License.
2023-11-03
Consul 1.17.0, the first BSL release line.
2025-04-30
Consul 1.15 LTS end of support.
2026-04-30
Consul 1.18 LTS end of support.
2026-05-24
Consul 2.0.0 released under IBM Support Cycle-2.
2026-10-31
Consul 1.22 end of support.
2027-04-30
Consul 1.21, the last LTS, end of support.
What OSSeva delivers
Patched MPL-licensed Consul
Security fixes backported to the MPL 2.0 releases you run, such as 1.16.3, so service discovery stays patched without a licence change. We do not redistribute modified BSL-licensed Consul.
Upgrade and licence review
A path to a supported 2.x release, or to Consul Enterprise, with the licence implications of each step written down for your legal team.
Migration off Consul
Where Consul is only used for service discovery or as a key-value store, a plan to move to etcd or Kubernetes-native discovery.
Your options, compared
| Option | What you get | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Upgrade to Consul 2.x | A supported community release | BSL-licensed, with frequent upgrades and no long-term support for community users. |
| Consul Enterprise | LTS and IBM Support Cycle-2 coverage | A commercial subscription. |
| Move to etcd or Kubernetes | Apache-licensed or platform-native service discovery | A migration for every service that registers with Consul. |
| OSSeva extended support | Patched MPL Consul while you choose | Limited to MPL-licensed releases. |
Licence dates from HashiCorp's announcement and the LICENSE file at each Consul release tag. Support dates from HashiCorp's Consul support and LTS documentation.
Frequently asked questions
Which Consul versions are open source?
Consul 1.16.3 and earlier releases are under the MPL 2.0, apart from some later patch releases on older branches. Consul 1.17.0 and later are under the Business Source License 1.1, which converts to MPL 2.0 four years after each version is published.
Which Consul versions are end of life?
As of September 2026, the 1.15 and 1.18 LTS lines and the 1.16, 1.17, 1.19 and 1.20 lines are out of support. 1.22 ends on 31 October 2026 and 1.21, the last LTS, on 30 April 2027.
Can OSSeva support Consul 1.17 or later?
We advise on upgrades and migrations for any version, but we only ship patched builds of MPL-licensed releases. The Consul BSL restricts competitive offerings, and we respect it.
Keep service discovery patched while you decide.
Discovery call, cluster inventory, proposal within five working days.