If you’ve worked with concurrent programming, you know the headaches that come with data races and deadlocks. Pony was created to address these exact problems. But if you’ve looked for Pony’s support policy, you might have been surprised – it doesn’t follow the traditional “LTS for X years” or “EOL on Y date” approach that most languages use.
Let’s explore Pony’s unique support policy and version management approach.
1. What is Pony Language?
Pony is an open-source programming language created by Sylvan Clebsch during his PhD at Imperial College London. The story behind its creation is interesting – he was frustrated by the lack of high-performance languages that could safely handle concurrent code.
Key Features of Pony
Pony provides actor-model-based concurrency and uses a unique Reference Capabilities system that completely prevents data races at compile time. Simply put, if your program compiles, you don’t need to worry about concurrency bugs.
Core Features:
- Type Safety: Mathematically proven type system
- Memory Safety: No concept of null at all
- Concurrency Safety: Data race prevention at compile time
- Lock-Free: No need for traditional synchronization mechanisms like locks or mutexes
- Native Code: High performance through AOT (Ahead-of-Time) compilation
Each actor’s heap is garbage collected independently and concurrently, eliminating the need for “Stop the World” global garbage collection. This is a significant advantage for systems where real-time performance matters.
2. License Policy – Free to Use
Pony uses the BSD-2-Clause license. This is a very permissive open-source license with almost no restrictions on commercial use. You only need to maintain the original copyright notice when redistributing modified source code.
BSD-2-Clause Benefits:
- Commercial use allowed
- No obligation to release source code
- Freedom to modify and redistribute
- Much less restrictive than GPL
Official license information is available in the LICENSE file in the GitHub repository.
3. No Traditional LTS/EOL? Pony’s Unique Approach
This is the most important part. Pony is still in pre-1.0 status and regularly introduces breaking changes. Unlike mature languages that promise “5 years of LTS support” or “EOL in 2027,” Pony doesn’t follow traditional versioning policies.
So How Does Pony Handle Support?
Pony uses a Platform-based Support Policy. Instead of setting support periods for specific Pony versions, they provide builds for each OS platform until that platform’s security update period ends.
4. Platform Support Policy and End Dates (As of November 2025)
Currently Fully Supported Platforms
Based on the latest release information, the following platforms are officially supported:
| Platform | Architecture | Support Started | Support Ends | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine Linux 3.22 | amd64, arm64 | 2025-10 | 2027 | Until security updates end |
| Alpine Linux 3.21 | amd64, arm64 | 2025-10 | 2026 | Until security updates end |
| Alpine Linux 3.20 | amd64, arm64 | 2025-04 | 2026 | Until security updates end |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | amd64 | 2024 | 2029 | Ubuntu security support period |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | arm64 | 2025-10 | 2029 | Ubuntu security support period |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | amd64 | 2022 | 2027 | Ubuntu security support period |
| Windows 11 | amd64, arm64 | Ongoing | TBD | Full Support |
| macOS | amd64 (Intel) | Ongoing | TBD | Full Support |
| macOS | arm64 (Apple Silicon) | 2024 | TBD | Restored in 2024 |
Recently Discontinued Platforms (Moved to Best Effort)
| Platform | Discontinued | Last Supported Version | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fedora 41 | 2025-10 | Before 0.60.4 | EOL approaching, builds stopped |
| Fedora 39 | Early 2025 | 0.56.x | Reached EOL |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | 2025-10 | 0.59.x | Reached EOL |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | 2023 | 0.54.x | Reached EOL, dropped from 0.55.0 |
| FreeBSD | 2023 | 0.55.x | Full Support dropped due to lack of CI resources |
What “Best Effort” Means
Best Effort platforms have support code in the codebase but don’t receive testing or pre-built binaries. You can build from source, but the Pony team doesn’t officially test or support them.
Current Best Effort Platforms:
- DragonFlyBSD (x86 only)
- FreeBSD (all, after 0.55.x)
- Windows 10 (x86 only)
- Ubuntu 20.04 (after 0.60.0)
- Ubuntu 18.04 (after 0.55.0)
- Fedora 39 (after 2025)
- Fedora 41 (after October 2025)
5. Complete Version History – 2016 to Present
Pony is currently in the 0.60 series. Here’s a comprehensive timeline from the initial public releases in 2016 through 2025.
Major Version Timeline
| Version Series | Key Version | Release Date | Major Changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.60.x | 0.60.4 | 2025-10-31 | Alpine 3.22 added, Fedora 41 builds stopped |
| 0.60.3 | 2025-10-20 | Multiplatform versioned Docker images | |
| 0.60.2 | 2025-10-18 | Multiplatform release Docker images | |
| 0.60.0 | 2025-10-15 | Ubuntu 20.04 dropped, LLVM 18.1.8, arm64 Windows added | |
| 0.59.x | 0.59.0 | 2025-04-26 | Runtime event tracing, LLVM 17.0.1 |
| 0.58.x | 0.58.13 | 2025-03-09 | Epoll ASIO bug fix |
| 0.58.12 | 2025-03-01 | Trait inheritance bug fix | |
| 0.58.11 | 2025-02-22 | Actor reaping bug fix | |
| 0.58.10 | 2025-02-01 | Critical Security: ISO Soundness Issue | |
| 0.57.x | 0.57.0 | 2024 | Actor pinning feature added |
| 0.56.x | 0.56.0 | 2024 | Alpine 3.17+ required, linking compatibility changes |
| 0.55.x | 0.55.2 | 2024 | Actor heap optimization bug fix |
| 0.55.1 | 2024 | Heap chunk bug | |
| 0.55.0 | 2024 | Docker images switched to Ubuntu 22.04 | |
| 0.50.x-0.54.x | Multiple | 2023-2024 | Stability improvements and optimizations |
| 0.40.x-0.49.x | Multiple | 2021-2022 | Continuous feature improvements |
| 0.35.x | 0.35.1 | 2020-05 | Windows ProcessMonitor bug fix |
| 0.35.0 | 2020 | Major feature updates | |
| 0.27.x | 0.27.0 | 2018 | LLVM 7/6/5 official support, LLVM 3.9 deprecation announced |
| 0.21.x | 0.21.3 | 2017-12 | LLVM 3.7, 3.8 support dropped |
| 0.21.1 | 2017-12 | Scheduler memory management improvements | |
| 0.14.x | 0.14.0 | 2017-05 | Critical bug fixes, network error handling enforcement |
| 0.13.x | 0.13.0 | 2017-04 | Type system issue fixed (high priority) |
| 0.10.x-0.12.x | Multiple | 2016-2017 | Initial stabilization |
| 0.6.x-0.9.x | Multiple | 2016-10 ~ 2016-11 | Initial public releases |
| 0.3.x-0.5.x | 0.5.0 | 2016-09 | Early development versions |
| 0.4.0 | 2016-09 | Early development | |
| 0.3.3 | 2016-09 | Early development |
Detailed 2024-2025 Releases
| Version | Date | Key Content | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.60.4 | 2025-10-31 | Alpine 3.22 arm64/amd64 support added | Regular |
| 0.60.3 | 2025-10-20 | Multiplatform versioned images | Regular |
| 0.60.2 | 2025-10-18 | Multiplatform release images | Regular |
| 0.60.0 | 2025-10-15 | Ubuntu 20.04 dropped, ld.gold removed, arm64 Windows | Important |
| 0.59.0 | 2025-04-26 | Chromium JSON tracing, GC improvements | Important |
| 0.58.13 | 2025-03-09 | Epoll race condition fix | Regular |
| 0.58.12 | 2025-03-01 | Trait method inheritance fix | Regular |
| 0.58.11 | 2025-02-22 | Use-after-free fix | Important |
| 0.58.10 | 2025-02-01 | ISO variable soundness issue | Critical |
6. Critical Security Update History
Security patches you must know about when using Pony:
| Version | Date | Issue | Severity | Recommended Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.58.10 | 2025-02-01 | ISO variable matching soundness issue | Critical | Update immediately |
| 0.58.11 | 2025-02-22 | Use-after-free in fast actor reaping | High | Update recommended |
| 0.14.0 | 2017-05 | GC bugs due to hashmap implementation error | High | Update recommended |
| 0.13.0 | 2017-04 | Type system stability issues | High | Update recommended |
Version 0.58.10 is particularly critical. This version fixed a serious issue where Pony’s core guarantee of preventing data races could be violated, so immediate updates were recommended for all users.
7. LLVM Version Support Policy
Since Pony uses LLVM as its backend, LLVM version support is important:
| Pony Version | Supported LLVM Versions | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 0.60.0+ | LLVM 18.1.8 | Current version |
| 0.59.0+ | LLVM 17.0.1 | Updated April 2025 |
| 0.27.0 | LLVM 7, 6, 5 | Official support added |
| After 0.27.0 | LLVM 3.9 | Support ended |
| After 0.21.3 | LLVM 3.7, 3.8 | Support dropped |
8. Breaking Changes Policy
As a pre-1.0 language, Pony regularly introduces breaking changes, but these changes are usually fairly easy to adapt to.
Breaking Changes Response Strategy
| Step | Action | Resource |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Monitor | Check CHANGELOG regularly | Official GitHub |
| 2. Stay Informed | Read Release Notes | Official Website |
| 3. Community | Use Zulip Chat | Community |
| 4. Update | Sequential version upgrades (don’t skip) | – |
9. Docker Image Support Policy Changes
Currently Available Docker Images (As of November 2025)
Since October 2025, multiplatform (amd64, arm64) Docker images are available:
| Tag | Platform | Base OS | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
ponyc:nightly |
amd64, arm64 | Alpine 3.21 | Latest development builds |
ponyc:release |
amd64, arm64 | Alpine 3.21 | Latest stable release |
ponyc:0.60.4 |
amd64, arm64 | Alpine 3.21 | Specific version |
Discontinued Docker Images
| Tag Pattern | Discontinued | Replacement |
|---|---|---|
ponyc:*-alpine |
2025-10 | Use nightly tag |
| glibc-based images | 2025-10 | Only musl-based (Alpine) provided |
| Windows containers | 2025-10 | Discontinued due to low usage |
10. Installation and Version Management – Ponyup
The Pony ecosystem provides an official version management tool called ponyup.
Installing Ponyup
Linux/macOS:
sh -c "$(curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ponylang/ponyup/latest-release/ponyup-init.sh)"
Windows: See the official installation guide.
Version Management Commands
# Install latest release
ponyup update ponyc release
# Install specific version
ponyup update ponyc 0.60.4
# Install nightly build
ponyup update ponyc nightly
# Check installed version
ponyc --version
11. Production Environment Considerations
Applications written in Pony are currently used in production environments. However, the pre-1.0 status should be considered.
Production Checklist
| Item | Consideration | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Complex Concurrency | Need to solve? | ✅ Recommended |
| Team Capability | Can handle breaking changes? | ✅ Recommended |
| Performance Requirements | Need high performance and predictable latency? | ✅ Recommended |
| Long-term Maintenance | Long-term operation without updates? | ⚠️ Careful |
| Legacy Integration | Integration with existing systems? | ⚠️ Careful |
| Learning Time | Can learn Reference Capabilities? | Needs evaluation |
12. When is 1.0? Future Roadmap
The Pony team is working toward a 1.0 release, but no specific timeline has been announced.
Expected Changes After 1.0
- API stability guarantees
- Clear LTS/EOL policy
- Minimized breaking changes
- Possible long-term support (LTS) versions
Check the latest roadmap at Official GitHub Issues and RFC Repository.
13. Official Resources and Community
Official Resources
| Resource | URL | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Official Website | ponylang.io | General information |
| Tutorial | ponylang.io/learn | Learning |
| Playground | playground.ponylang.io | Browser testing |
| GitHub | github.com/ponylang/ponyc | Source code |
| Release Notes | ponylang.io/categories/release | Version information |
Community and Support
| Channel | URL | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Zulip Chat | ponylang.zulipchat.com | Real-time questions |
| GitHub Discussions | GitHub | Discussion |
| Pony Patterns | patterns.ponylang.io | Design patterns |
| Standard Library | stdlib.ponylang.io | API documentation |
Conclusion
Pony uses a unique platform-based support policy instead of traditional LTS/EOL approaches. While the pre-1.0 status means rapid changes, the strong guarantees around concurrency safety and high performance make it compelling.
Key Takeaways:
- Version Policy: Follows platform security support periods instead of traditional EOL
- Current Latest: 0.60.4 (October 31, 2025)
- Platform Support: Alpine 3.20-3.22, Ubuntu 22.04/24.04, Windows 11, macOS
- Major Changes: Ubuntu 20.04 dropped, Alpine-only Docker, expanded arm64 support
- Security: 0.58.10 soundness issue – immediate update required
If you’re dealing with complex concurrency problems, Pony’s unique approach might be the solution you need. However, carefully evaluate your team’s capabilities and project requirements before production adoption.
Keep track of platform support periods and regularly check release notes for safe Pony usage. 🙂