In the era of Infrastructure as Code, which IaC tool are you using? Since HashiCorp’s license change in 2023, many have turned their attention to OpenTofu. But when considering adoption, you might wonder: “How long is this version supported?”

Today, we’ll explore OpenTofu’s version support policy (EOS/EOL) in detail. This guide covers everything you need to know for stable production use, so let’s dive in!

 

 

 

1. What is OpenTofu? (Overview and Introduction)

OpenTofu is an open-source fork of HashiCorp Terraform, developed as a community-driven Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tool under the stewardship of the Linux Foundation.

Background

In August 2023, HashiCorp changed Terraform’s license from Mozilla Public License 2.0 (MPL 2.0) to Business Source License (BUSL), causing significant disruption in the open-source community. In response, major companies including Gruntwork, Spacelift, Harness, Env0, and Scalr initiated the OpenTofu project.

Key Features

• Perfect Compatibility: Drop-in replacement for Terraform, preserving existing workflows and configurations
• Community-Driven: Transparent governance and community-led development under the Linux Foundation
• Rich Ecosystem: Support for 3,900+ providers and 23,600+ modules
• Innovative Features: Continuous addition of features not available in Terraform, such as state encryption and dynamic provider configuration

Download Statistics

Approaching 10 million downloads from GitHub releases alone, with rapid growth. Including Homebrew, package managers, and Docker Hub, actual installations are estimated to exceed 20 million.

 

 

2. What is OpenTofu’s Version Support Policy?

To understand OpenTofu’s version support policy, you first need to know the basic principles.

Core Support Policy

At the January 22, 2024 OpenTofu Technical Steering Committee (TSC) meeting, they decided to adopt the same support policy as Terraform.

The core principle is simple:

• Patches provided for the most recent major release and up to two prior ones
• Maximum of 3 versions supported simultaneously
• When a new version is released, the oldest version reaches end of support

EOS vs EOL: What’s the Difference?

These terms are frequently used in IT, and knowing their precise meanings is helpful.

• EOS (End of Support): The point at which all forms of support completely cease
• EOL (End of Life): Limited support phase where some support continues but general downloads or updates are discontinued

For OpenTofu, when a new version is released, the oldest version no longer receives security updates, effectively making it equivalent to EOS.

 

 

3. Currently Supported OpenTofu Versions (As of October 2025)

OpenTofu currently supports four major versions simultaneously. Here’s a detailed breakdown in table format.

Support Status by Major Version

Version	Initial Release	Latest Patch	Support Status	End of Support	Key Features
1.10.x	2025-06-24	1.10.6 (2025-09-03)	✅ Supported	–	OCI registry, native S3 locking
1.9.x	2025-01-10	1.9.4 (2025-09-03)	✅ Supported	–	Provider for_each, -exclude flag
1.8.x	2024-07-29	1.8.11 (2025-09-03)	✅ Supported	–	Early evaluation, .tofu file extension
1.7.x	2024-04-30	1.7.10 (2025-09-03)	✅ Supported	–	State encryption, provider functions
1.6.x	2024-01-10	1.6.3 (2024-07-24)	❌ End of Support	2025-01-10	First GA release, testing features

Complete Release Version List

Below is a chronological list of all official OpenTofu releases.

OpenTofu 1.10.x Series (Supported)

Version	Release Date	Key Changes
1.10.6	2025-09-03	Security updates, variable validation bug fix
1.10.5	2025-08-01	Plugin cache lock contention fix
1.10.4	2025-07-XX	Sensitive set value panic fix, Azure backend improvements
1.10.3	2025-09-03	Dynamic expression crash fix, Windows temp cleanup
1.10.2	2025-XX-XX	S3 backend encryption header fix
1.10.1	2025-XX-XX	Initial bug fixes
1.10.0	2025-06-24	OCI registry, native S3 locking, OpenTelemetry

OpenTofu 1.9.x Series (Supported)

Version	Release Date	Key Changes
1.9.4	2025-09-03	Variable validation destroy interference fix
1.9.3	2025-XX-XX	ReadResource mocking fix, Azure backend improvements
1.9.2	2025-XX-XX	Expression crash fix, Windows improvements
1.9.1	2025-01-XX	Initial bug fixes (surpassed 1.9.0 downloads in 7 days)
1.9.0	2025-01-10	Provider for_each, -exclude flag

OpenTofu 1.8.x Series (Supported)

Version	Release Date	Key Changes
1.8.11	2025-09-03	ReadResource mocking fix, Azure backend improvements
1.8.10	2025-XX-XX	Expression crash fix, Windows improvements
1.8.9	2025-XX-XX	Bug fixes and stability improvements
1.8.8	2024-XX-XX	Bug fixes
1.8.7	2024-XX-XX	Bug fixes
1.8.6	2024-XX-XX	Bug fixes
1.8.5	2024-XX-XX	Bug fixes
1.8.4	2024-XX-XX	Bug fixes
1.8.3	2024-10-03	Bug fixes
1.8.2	2024-09-04	Bug fixes
1.8.1	2024-08-07	Initial bug fixes
1.8.0	2024-07-29	Early evaluation, .tofu extension, provider mocking

OpenTofu 1.7.x Series (Supported)

Version	Release Date	Key Changes
1.7.10	2025-09-03	Azure backend ListKeys call reduction
1.7.9	2025-XX-XX	Expression crash fix, Windows improvements
1.7.8	2025-XX-XX	Bug fixes
1.7.7	2025-XX-XX	Bug fixes
1.7.6	2025-XX-XX	Bug fixes
1.7.5	2024-XX-XX	Bug fixes
1.7.4	2024-XX-XX	Bug fixes
1.7.3	2024-07-24	Lowercase proxy environment variable handling bug fix
1.7.2	2024-XX-XX	Bug fixes
1.7.1	2024-05-XX	Initial bug fixes
1.7.0	2024-04-30	State encryption, dynamic provider functions

OpenTofu 1.6.x Series (End of Support)

Version	Release Date	Key Changes
1.6.3	2024-07-24	Lowercase proxy environment variable handling bug fix
1.6.2	2024-XX-XX	Bug fixes
1.6.1	2024-01-XX	Run block variable references, performance fixes
1.6.0	2024-01-10	First GA release, testing features, new registry

Important: OpenTofu 1.6 officially reached end of support on January 10, 2025, with the release of 1.9. Security updates are no longer provided, so immediate upgrade to at least 1.7 is recommended.

 

 

4. Detailed Features and Release History by Version

OpenTofu 1.6 – The First Step (End of Support)

Release Information:

• Initial Release: January 10, 2024
• End of Support: January 10, 2025 (concurrent with 1.9 release)
• Total Releases: 1.6.0 ~ 1.6.3 (4 versions)

On January 10, 2024, OpenTofu’s first stable version (GA) was released. It was the result of approximately 4 months of development with participation from over 60 developers.

Key Features:

• Module testing functionality (tofu test) integration
• Major S3 backend improvements and new authentication methods
• New registry architecture based on CloudFlare R2 (10x faster and cheaper)
• Hundreds of performance improvements and bug fixes

Milestones:

• Official launch as a Linux Foundation project
• Provided perfect migration path from Terraform
• Community-driven state encryption RFC submission

Current Status: ❌ End of Support (no security updates)

OpenTofu 1.7 – Security Perfected

Release Information:

• Initial Release: April 30, 2024
• Support Status: ✅ Actively Supported
• Total Releases: 1.7.0 ~ 1.7.10 (11 versions)
• Latest Version: 1.7.10 (September 3, 2025)

After approximately 3 months of development, version 1.7 introduced OpenTofu’s distinctive features.

Key Features:

• End-to-End State Encryption: Industry-standard AES-GCM encryption protecting sensitive state files
  • Supported key management: Local passphrase (PBKDF2), AWS KMS, GCP KMS, OpenBao
  • Extensible API for future integrations
• Dynamic Provider-Defined Functions: Providers can offer native functions without increasing state file size
• removed Blocks: Improved state management through declarative resource removal
• Loopable import Blocks: Simplified large-scale migration tasks with for_each support
• XDG Directory Specification support

Community Growth:

• 65 unique contributors
• Surpassed 20,000 GitHub stars
• Over 1 million daily registry requests

Current Status: ✅ Supported (regular security patches provided)

OpenTofu 1.8 – More Flexible Code Writing

Release Information:

• Initial Release: July 29, 2024
• Support Status: ✅ Actively Supported
• Total Releases: 1.8.0 ~ 1.8.11 (12 versions)
• Latest Version: 1.8.11 (September 3, 2025)

After approximately 3 months of development, this version dramatically improved code writing convenience.

Key Features:

• Early Variable/Local Evaluation:
  • Variables usable in module sources
  • Variables usable in backend configuration
  • Variables usable in state encryption configuration
  • tofu init can consume .tfvars files
• .tofu File Extension:
  • Use OpenTofu-exclusive features while maintaining Terraform compatibility
  • Automatically ignores identically named .tf files
• Enhanced Testing Features:
  • Full provider mocking support
  • Resource/data source/module overrides
• Major Performance Improvements: Large-scale performance overhaul through community contributions

Registry Growth:

• 30% increase over previous release
• Reached 1.8 million daily requests
• 1.5 million GitHub downloads during peak hours

Community Activity:

• 100+ issues opened
• 150+ PRs submitted
• 30+ unique contributors

Current Status: ✅ Supported (regular security patches provided)

OpenTofu 1.9 – Multi-Region Champion

Release Information:

• Initial Release: January 10, 2025 (1st anniversary of 1.6 release)
• Support Status: ✅ Actively Supported
• Total Releases: 1.9.0 ~ 1.9.4 (5 versions)
• Latest Version: 1.9.4 (September 3, 2025)

Commemorating OpenTofu’s first anniversary, this version dramatically improved multi-cloud/multi-region deployments.

Key Features:

• Provider for_each:
  • Eliminates code duplication in multi-zone/multi-region deployments
  • Dynamic provider configuration creation
  • Simplified multi-environment setup (dev/staging/prod)
• -exclude Flag:
  • Execute plan/apply excluding specific resources
  • Useful for testing and progressive rollouts
• External Key Providers: State encryption with preferred secret management tools
• Enhanced moved/removed Blocks: More powerful infrastructure refactoring capabilities
• Improved Early Evaluation: Variable prompt support

Explosive Community Growth:

• 6 million daily registry requests (3x increase!)
• 140GB peak daily data transfer
• Surpassed 23,000 GitHub stars
• v1.9.1 surpassed v1.9.0 downloads in just 7 days (fastest ever)
• 49 contributors submitted 200+ PRs

Ecosystem Expansion:

• 4,000+ provider documentation indexed
• 20,000+ module documentation indexed
• Official support in JetBrains 2024.3

Current Status: ✅ Supported (regular security patches provided)

OpenTofu 1.10 – Enterprise Choice

Release Information:

• Initial Release: June 24, 2025
• Support Status: ✅ Actively Supported
• Total Releases: 1.10.0 ~ 1.10.6 (7 versions)
• Latest Version: 1.10.6 (September 3, 2025)

Considered the most comprehensive and powerful update in OpenTofu history.

Key Features:

• OCI Registry Support:
  • Provider/module distribution through container registries
  • Perfect for air-gapped environments
  • Reuse existing container infrastructure
• Native S3 State Locking:
  • Locking possible with S3 alone, no DynamoDB needed
  • Infrastructure simplification and cost reduction
• Deprecation Attribute Support:
  • Module authors can mark variables/outputs as deprecated
  • Supports graceful API evolution
• OpenTelemetry Tracing:
  • Local-only observability
  • Integration with Jaeger, Grafana Tempo, etc.
  • Performance bottleneck identification and debugging
  • Privacy Guaranteed: No external transmission without explicit configuration
• -target-file/-exclude-file: Version-controllable resource targeting
• Global Provider Cache Lock: Safe concurrent operations in CI/CD environments
• Enhanced moved/removed Blocks: More powerful refactoring tools

Historic Milestones:

• Surpassed 10 million GitHub release downloads (achieved within days from 9.8 million)
• Actual installations estimated at 20 million including Homebrew, package managers
• 63% of daily downloads for latest 1.9.x series (proof of trust)

Current Status: ✅ Supported (latest features and security patches provided)

 

 

5. How to Upgrade Versions?

The OpenTofu team provides detailed migration guides for each version.

Pre-Upgrade Preparations

1. Backup is Essential! Always backup state files
2. Test Environment First: Validate in test environment before production
3. Check Documentation: Refer to official upgrade guide

General Upgrade Procedure

# 1. Confirm current state is applied
tofu apply

# 2. Verify no changes pending
tofu plan
# Output: "No changes. Your infrastructure matches the configuration."

# 3. Initialize after installing new version
tofu init

# 4. Verify plan again
tofu plan

# 5. Test with small change
tofu apply

Version-Specific Considerations

When Upgrading to 1.8 or Later:

• Remove use_legacy_workflow from S3 backend (deprecated in 1.7)
• Transition to new authentication method recommended

When Upgrading to 1.10:

• Discontinue ghcr.io/opentofu/opentofu base image
• PostgreSQL backend locking mechanism changed (risk of data loss if mixed versions)

 

 

6. Should You Continue Using End-of-Support Versions?

Bottom line: Not recommended.

What End of Support Means

When a new version is released, the oldest version no longer receives security updates. This means:

• ❌ No security vulnerability patches
• ❌ Bug fixes unavailable
• ❌ New provider compatibility not guaranteed
• ❌ Reduced community support

Risks of Delaying Upgrades

1. Security Risks: Discovered vulnerabilities remain unpatched, exposing systems
2. Compatibility Issues: New providers or modules may not work
3. Technical Debt Accumulation: Greater cost when upgrading later
4. Troubleshooting Difficulties: Harder to get community help

Recommended Upgrade Cycle

• Production Environment: Review upgrade within 1-2 months after new version release
• Development Environment: Apply latest version immediately to catch issues early
• Legacy Systems: Maintain at least the oldest supported version

 

 

7. What’s the Future of OpenTofu?

OpenTofu has established itself as a community-driven innovation platform beyond being just a fork.

Projected Support Schedule (Reference)

Below is the projected support schedule based on current support policy. Actual dates may change depending on new version release timing.

Major Version	Initial Release	Projected End of Support	Notes
1.10.x	2025-06-24	Until new version release	Current latest
1.9.x	2025-01-10	When 1.11 or 1.12 releases	Actively supported
1.8.x	2024-07-29	When 1.11 releases	Actively supported
1.7.x	2024-04-30	Before 1.11 releases	Actively supported
1.6.x	2024-01-10	2025-01-10	Already end of support

Support Policy Summary:

• ✅ Latest major release + previous 2 = total 3 versions simultaneously supported
• ✅ Oldest version automatically reaches end of support when new version releases
• ✅ End of support timing coincides with new major version release date

Community Strength

• Transparent Development: Open discussion through GitHub Issues and RFCs
• Active Contribution: 40-60+ developers participate in each release
• Quick Feedback: Rapid implementation of community-requested features (e.g., Provider for_each in 1.9)
• Public TSC Meeting Notes: All major decisions transparently shared

Distinctive Features

Innovative features available in OpenTofu but not Terraform:

Feature	Introduced Version	Notes
State Encryption	1.7	End-to-end encryption, various KMS support
Early Variable Evaluation	1.8	Variable usage in backend/module sources
.tofu File Extension	1.8	Can coexist with Terraform
Provider for_each	1.9	Simplified multi-region deployment
OCI Registry	1.10	Air-gapped environment support
Native S3 Locking	1.10	No DynamoDB required
OpenTelemetry Tracing	1.10	Local observability, privacy guaranteed

Future Roadmap

Features prioritized through community voting:

• Dynamic Provider Configuration: Beyond for_each provider configuration
• More Early Evaluation: Additional areas like provider blocks
• Registry UI Improvements: From beta to official release
• More Integrations: Expanded CI/CD tools and IDE support

Long-Term Support Plans

While currently maintaining the “3 most recent versions” policy, discussions are ongoing in the community about providing LTS (Long-Term Support) versions for enterprise users. You can follow these discussions in TSC meetings.

 

 

8. Practical Tips for Real-World Use

Version Check Method

# Check installed OpenTofu version
tofu version

# Or
tofu --version

# Example output:
# OpenTofu v1.10.6
# on linux_amd64

Key Reference Materials at a Glance

Resource	URL	Description
Official Website	opentofu.org	Main site and documentation
GitHub Repository	github.com/opentofu/opentofu	Source code and issue tracking
Release Notes	GitHub Releases	Detailed changes for all versions
Version Support Status	endoflife.date/opentofu	Real-time support status check
Migration Guide	Official Upgrade Docs	Version-specific upgrade guides
TSC Meeting Notes	TSC Summary	Major policy decision history
Weekly Updates	Weekly Updates	Development progress
Registry	opentofu.org/registry	Provider and module search
RFC Repository	GitHub RFC	Feature proposals and discussions

Installation Methods (By Platform)

Linux (Package Manager)

# Debian/Ubuntu (APT)
curl -fsSL https://get.opentofu.org/install-opentofu.sh | sudo sh

# RedHat/CentOS (YUM)
curl -fsSL https://get.opentofu.org/install-opentofu.sh | sudo sh

# Arch Linux (AUR)
yay -S opentofu-bin

macOS

# Homebrew
brew install opentofu

# Install specific version
brew install opentofu@1.10

Windows

# Chocolatey
choco install opentofu

# Scoop
scoop install opentofu

Version Management Tools

If you need to use different OpenTofu versions per project, use version management tools:

Tool	Installation	Usage
tofuenv	GitHub	tofuenv install 1.10.6<br>tofuenv use 1.10.6
asdf	asdf-opentofu	asdf install opentofu 1.10.6<br>asdf local opentofu 1.10.6

Where to Get Help

Channel	Purpose	Link
GitHub Discussions	General questions and discussions	Discussions
GitHub Issues	Bug reports and feature requests	Issues
Official Slack	Real-time community support	Slack Invite
Stack Overflow	Technical questions	#opentofu tag

Production Checklist

Checklist for safely using OpenTofu in production:

• [ ] Use Supported Version: 1.7 or later (1.6 is end of support)
• [ ] Regular Update Plan: Quarterly or within 1-2 months after new version release
• [ ] Automate State Backups: Remote backend + regular backups
• [ ] Enable State Encryption: Protect sensitive data (1.7 or later)
• [ ] CI/CD Integration: Automated plan and apply
• [ ] Version Pinning: Use .terraform-version or .opentofu-version file
• [ ] Monitor Changelog: Subscribe to release page
• [ ] Disaster Recovery Plan: Document and test state restoration procedures

 

 

Conclusion (Final Summary)

OpenTofu is a rapidly growing IaC tool powered by open source. Thanks to clear version support policies and an active community, it can be reliably used in production environments.

Key Summary

Support Policy:

• ✅ Maximum 3 versions supported simultaneously (currently: 1.10, 1.9, 1.8, 1.7)
• ✅ Oldest version reaches end of support when new version releases
• ✅ 1.6 already end of support (2025-01-10), must use at least 1.7

Version Feature Summary:

Version	Core Features	Status
1.10	OCI registry, native S3 locking	✅ Latest
1.9	Provider for_each, -exclude flag	✅ Supported
1.8	Early evaluation, .tofu files	✅ Supported
1.7	State encryption, provider functions	✅ Supported
1.6	First GA, testing	❌ End of support

Next Steps:

1. Check Current Version: Verify version in use with tofu version
2. Plan Upgrade: Immediate upgrade needed if using 1.6
3. Regular Monitoring: Subscribe to GitHub Releases to check new versions
4. Join Community: Vote for needed features on GitHub Issues