KNIME Analytics Platform Release Notes

The new standard release line provides users with the latest features and improvements by issuing new releases every 6 weeks. This is a rolling release, meaning we will integrate new features as well as bug fixes and security updates in the next standard release, which is always around the corner.

For those who cannot update frequently, we offer LTS (Long-Term Support) releases. For these releases we provide bug fixes and security updates for 2 years. However, LTS releases do not receive new features during this support period but will receive the latest features with the next LTS.

Our new standard releases are the new default download of KNIME AP, as well as the backend for our Community Hub’s execution and workflow editing in the browser. They are updated frequently, bringing new features as well as fixes to users quickly.

LTS releases target enterprises who have slower rollout processes due to manual overhead.

Each standard release is supported until the next release is available, which will usually be 6 weeks.

LTS releases are supported for 2 years, with regular updates for bugs and security.

Both release types are production-quality. Choose standard if you want the latest features every 6 weeks and can update regularly. Choose LTS if updates involve manual verification or you prefer less frequent updates.

Yes. Standard releases are meant to be used in production. For instance, we always use the latest standard release as KNIME Community Hub executors. However, remember that they will receive updates every 6 weeks.

You will not get immediate access to the latest features.

Yes, we plan to integrate a version selection that will define which Analytics Platform versions are allowed to connect to your KNIME Business Hub.

Not directly, as the standard release is free and can be downloaded from the web. But you can:

You have full control over which executors are available in your Business Hub. So you can have dedicated executors using LTS and standard releases so that you can run both side by side.

Most probably you want to add an executor with the latest AP version so that workflows that get uploaded from users using the latest AP release can use the latest features also in deployments.

Most companies will probably perform manual validation of all software packages they put into their central registry, so a 6-weekly update cadence might be too much work to stay up to date. In this case, it probably makes sense to stick to LTS releases.

If you are willing to update every 6 weeks though, feel free to put every new standard release into your software repository to give everyone in the organization access to the latest features.

You can switch from LTS to the standard release line to get access to the latest features by adding the “Latest” update site to your KNIME AP installation. From then on you will get updates for each standard release. But be warned: you cannot go back from standard to LTS easily.

Switching from the standard release line to the LTS release line is not recommended. Instead, you could simply install both a standard and an LTS version side-to-side to get long term support in the LTS and all the latest features in the standard version.

You will receive offers within the Analytics Platform every 6 weeks to stay on a supported version, often with incremental changes.

End of life of a standard release is defined by the release of the next standard release. At that time you will be offered updates to the latest standard release. We recommend you always stay up to date and perform these updates.

Yes. We always ensure that newly released versions are fully backwards compatible to older versions, and as LTS releases are derived from the standard release line they include all features of standard releases of the past and are fully compatible.

Yes, our standard releases always include the most recent features and improvements. These features will also end up in the next LTS, even though that might be a few months away.

Standard releases undergo full QA every 6 weeks and we use them as executor images for our Community Hub, but as LTS is based on an existing standard release it has already been tested for a longer period.

Yes, we always derive an LTS release from the last released standard version so it has all the features plus maybe a bugfix or security update more than the last standard release.

Sometimes. Standard releases can include features which are still under evaluation or active development so that users can try them out early. However, these new features will be hidden behind feature flags and need to be enabled to become active.

You don’t have to release every 6 weeks, but you can.

What you need to do is to make sure that the lower and upper version bounds of your extension’s dependencies to KNIME plugins allow your extension to work with newer KNIME versions. So e.g. set your version bounds to allow from KNIME AP 5.6 to 6.0.

There is a build job set up for these already (called “Latest”).

Yes, by depending on the respective KNIME plugins in the latest version (e.g. in 5.6).

Yes. For LTS versions we will set up dedicated update sites and build jobs, so users will be able to use (older) versions of the extension from the respective update site for their KNIME AP version. They might not be able to access the latest features though, if these features were added in standard releases since the last LTS release.