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Update default_variant to trixie #2365

Closed as not planned
Closed as not planned

Description

@MikeMcC399

Problem

The default image as defined in

default_variant bookworm
is bookworm.

also in versions.json

and confirmed by

$ docker run --rm --entrypoint cat node:25.5 /etc/debian_version
12.13

https://www.debian.org/releases/ shows

Version Code Name Release Date Status
13 Trixie 2025-08-09 stable
12 Bookworm 2023-06-10 oldstable

Solution

Update the default_variant to trixie.

Add the information to README > node: which currently does not state which operating system and version the default is based on.

Alternatives to Consider

Stay with bookworm

EOL is however 2026-06-10 (with later dates for End of LTS and End of ELTS).

Activity

  1. MikeMcC399 commented on Jan 30, 2026

    @MikeMcC399
    ContributorAuthor

    If this makes sense and is welcome I'll submit a PR to implement.

  2. sxa commented on Jan 30, 2026

    @sxa
    Member

    I think it's ok having a distribution in active LTS be used so sticking with bookworm would be viable (Part of me wonders if explicitly sticking with one in the LTS phase is a good idea for stability!) but if we don't have a policy on these upgrades we should probably look at getting one defined.

    But given where we are at the moment, I'm personally ok with switching the default - do we need to announce such changes anywhere first?

  3. MikeMcC399 commented on Jan 30, 2026

    @MikeMcC399
    ContributorAuthor

    @sxa

    if we don't have a policy on these upgrades we should probably look at getting one defined.

    That does seem to be a generally missing document that describes what's included, or not, and how changes are decided on.

    Regarding the update itself, perhaps just start with adding some text to the README?

    • stating that bookworm is the current default OS
    • describing the advantages / disadvantages of pinning or not pinning to a chosen OS
    • with a warning that the underlying default OS / version may change
    • and a mention of a future planning date for the transition from bookworm to trixie as default

    Instead of making the change now with no advanced warning, first choose a planning date and publish it.

    The EOL date for bookworm might be appropriate (2026-06-10, or the release of Node.js 26 (2026-04-22), for instance.

  4. sxa commented on Jan 30, 2026

    @sxa
    Member

    The EOL date for bookworm might be appropriate

    I do wonder whether for Debian that June date isn't so much of a notable event since major architectures (arm and x64) should still receive public (without a subscription) support from a security perspective for much longer from the LTS team (so on that basis I wouldn't necessarily recommend that we stop publishing bookworm images in June)

    So basically we should also consider the policy for stopping old images as well as when to switch to new ones - worst case we continue publishing them until the OS goes out of public Long Term Support - which is likely when Dockerhub's official images would stop supporting it too.

  5. MikeMcC399 commented on Jan 30, 2026

    @MikeMcC399
    ContributorAuthor

    @sxa

    This issue was only intended to be about setting the default image to trixie, not about stopping distributing bookworm based images when they are explicitly selected.

    Nevertheless it would definitely be helpful to put down some guidelines for Alpine and Debian about introduction and retirement based on upstream lifecycle dates. I don't believe that is described anywhere in this repo.

  6. MikeMcC399 commented on Feb 10, 2026

    @MikeMcC399
    ContributorAuthor

    I am going to close this issue, as it needs a more granular approach depending on the version of Node.js involved, and this would be part of a more general release cycle determination.

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