If your Discord bot is still running on Node.js 20, it stopped receiving security patches on April 30, 2026. That matters more than it sounds, since a lot of "why did my bot randomly break" tickets trace back to a Node version that is quietly out of support while npm dependencies keep shipping updates that assume a newer runtime.
The short answer for 2026
- Node.js 20: End of life since April 30, 2026. Stop deploying on it.
- Node.js 22: Maintenance LTS. Still receives security patches, no new features. Fine to stay on short term, not the version to start a new project with.
- Node.js 24: Active LTS. This is the version to run a Discord.js bot on right now. Supported until April 30, 2028.
- Node.js 26: Current. Released April 2026, becomes LTS in October 2026. Safe to test against, not yet the production default.
If you are deploying a new bot on Space-Node today, pick Node.js 24.
Why Node.js changed its release schedule
Node.js used to ship a new major version every April and October, with only the even-numbered releases (18, 20, 22, 24) becoming LTS. Starting with Node.js 27, that changes to one major release per year:
- Alpha phase (6 months, October to March): breaking changes allowed
- Current phase (6 months, April to October): stabilization
- LTS phase: roughly 30 months of support
- Every release becomes LTS eventually, there is no more odd/even split
Node.js 26 is the last release under the old model. Node.js 27 enters alpha in October 2026 and becomes the first release under the new yearly schedule, reaching Current status in April 2027.
Practically, this means version churn slows down. You will not need to reassess your Node version twice a year going forward, once the 27 cycle is fully in effect.
Upgrading a live Discord.js bot without breaking it
- Check your
enginesfield. If yourpackage.jsonpins an old Node version, dependencies you add later may silently assume a newer one and fail at runtime instead of at install time. - Test on a separate process first. Run the bot on Node 24 locally or on a second small VPS before touching the production process. discord.js v14 supports Node 22 and newer, so the jump from 20 is straightforward for most bots.
- Match your host to your lockfile. Version drift between your dev machine and the server is the single most common cause of "works on my machine" bot bugs. Whatever Node version you develop against, deploy against the same one.
- Rebuild native dependencies. If your bot uses any package with a native binary (audio, database drivers), reinstall
node_modulesafter switching Node versions rather than reusing an old build. - Watch the process for the first 24 hours. Memory leaks and unhandled promise rejections that were masked by an old Node version sometimes surface after an upgrade.
Space-Node fit
Space-Node's Discord bot hosting gives you full control over which Node version your process runs, panel access to restart and read logs instantly, and DDoS protection so a version upgrade never turns into unplanned downtime. Start on Node.js 24, keep your lockfile committed, and you will not need to think about this again until the Node 27 cycle matures in 2027.
Sources: Node.js End-of-Life, Node.js: Evolving the Node.js Release Schedule