WHMCS Development

We are constantly refining WHMCS to ensure a safe and robust experience, with new features, bug fixes, and security releases for new and existing supported versions. We are committed to supporting the software that you have purchased a license for and installed.

For more information about our release types and associated distributions, see WHMCS Distributions.

The Development Cycle

All WHMCS releases follow a development cycle, from an initial release as a Beta, through multiple development and maintenance tiers, and finally to End of Life (EOL).

We currently support the following versions of WHMCS:

WHMCS VersionCurrent TierRelease NotesAnticipated End-of-Life Date
WHMCS 8.10General Availability8.10 Release NotesApril 30, 2025
WHMCS 8.9Long-Term Support8.9 Release NotesJanuary 31, 2025
WHMCS 8.8Long-Term Support8.8 Release NotesAugust 31, 2024

These releases are in the Active Development stage of our development cycle. All prior versions have reached End-of-Life (EOL) and we no longer maintain them or release updates for them, regardless of the reason. If you currently use an EOL version of WHMCS, we recommend updating to a supported version as soon as possible.

Active Development

The Active Development stage indicates that a version is undergoing refinement and receiving focus from the WHMCS Development team. This is the release that our development team is currently actively maintaining.

  • Releases to WHMCS versions in the Active Development period can include bug fixes, security enhancements, minor optimizations, third-party updates, and important or critical updates.
  • Because the Active Development version is in the process of active refinement, we typically only have one Active Development version at a time after a version reaches General Availability.
    • We may sometimes extend Active Development for a previously-published version to ensure a smooth transition between versions.
    • We typically do not remove a version from Active Development until the next version has reached General Availability.
We recommend updating regularly to ensure that your WHMCS installation uses a WHMCS version that is in Active Development.

Beta

The Beta release is an initial release that is still undergoing refinement and that may not yet include key features.

Typically, the first Beta release for a version increments the second segment in the version number. For example, the first Beta release might introduce version 1.1 if the previous release was version 1.0.

Release Candidate

Release Candidate tier releases are useful as a feature preview. These releases will include more features than the original Beta release but are still undergoing testing and refinement.

General Availability

General Availability releases are feature-complete, well-tested, and ready to use on production servers. Typically, reaching the General Availability tier indicates that the version is now the denoted Active Development version.

Maintenance

After the version reaches the General Availability release tier, it will continue to receive regular maintenance, bug fixes, and security updates.

Maintenance releases increment the third segment in the version number. For example, the first maintenance release after version 1.0 goes to the General Availability tier would be the 1.0.1 release.

Long-Term Support

When we begin releasing the next version of WHMCS, we move any previous versions that have not yet reached their EOL date to Long-Term Support (LTS) status.

  • LTS versions receive targeted Critical and Security releases from our development and security teams until the EOL date.
  • These releases do not include product enhancements or maintenance fixes unless they are critical for the viability of a targeted release.

End-of-Life Status

The LTS period expires on the End of Life (EOL) date for that version, after which the version is in EOL status. Typically, the EOL date is one year from the date of the original Beta release for that version.

  • After the EOL date, we will not provide further releases or updates for that version, regardless of the reason.
  • You cannot download EOL releases from WHMCS.

If you have already downloaded and installed an EOL release, it will continue to run as long as your license is valid. However, it will not receive future updates and WHMCS Technical Support may not be able to help you with related issues.

WHMCS Development

Bug Reports

When we receive a bug report, we first attempt to verify the issue. If we are able to verify it, we will then create an internal development case, investigate the issue, and schedule the necessary development work. If we generate a case, we will provide the reporter with the case number, which will appear in the future change log when we release the fix.

Bug reports use the following statuses:

StatusDescription
UNCONFIRMEDWe have not yet reviewed and verified the reported issue.
NOT A BUGWe have determined that the reported issue is intended behavior.
NOT REPRODUCIBLEWe could not reproduce the issue in our test environments. WHMCS Technical Support will provide assistance.
CONFIRMEDWe have reproduced the issue and confirmed that it is not intended behavior. We will create an internal bug case for our developers to investigate further.

We may include the bug fix in a scheduled release or we may publish individual patches (hotfixes) to our Hotfixes Forum to address the issue outside of the normal update structure.

To report a bug, use our Bug Report form. When you report a bug, make sure to clearly explain the problem, the expected behavior, and the steps and necessary configuration to reproduce the issue.

Feature Requests

We use feature requests to receive suggestions and feedback from WHMCS users. We cannot possibly add every feature that a user requests, which necessitates prioritizing them.

Feature requests use the following statuses:

StatusDescription
Under ConsiderationAfter submission, all feature requests start in this status. Feature requests in this status are under discussion and are gathering votes. While we do not implement features solely due to popularity, our team regularly reviews feature requests with a large amount of discussion and votes.
Currently DeclinedA request that is not in our immediate plans, but we welcome further discussions and votes.
InvestigatingA request is moved to the investigating status when our team is looking into the feasability of a request. This is no guarantee of future inclusion.
PlannedA request has been or is already part of our future product roadmap and plans. This is no guarantee of future inclusion.
In ProgressA request is currently being worked on by our team.
CompletedA request has been implemented and released.
Already PossibleA request is believed to already be offered by the product.
DeclinedA request that has been declined and is unlikely to be considered.
ArchiveA request that is no longer under consideration.
To submit a feature request, use our Feature Request Tracker. Before you submit a new feature request, use the search to check whether someone else has already requested it and vote for that feature. When submitting a feature request, include as many details as possible, explain the problem that the feature solves, and provide use examples.

Last modified: June 14, 2024