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I have Node.js Server running Node.js version 0.12.7 (express.js 4.x )on ubuntu server and MySql Server 5.6.22 (currently does not have any issue and working fine.) Node.js release version > 4.x . Should I upgrade to get latest feature with better performance or run this version?

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"Should I upgrade?" is a question that leans toward opinion-based, but I'll try to provide some factual information that can help you make your decision.

Node 4.2 is LTS

With the release of Node 4.2.0 in early October, Node adopted a "Long Term Support" strategy that is somewhat similar to what you might find with Ubuntu's LTS releases. They plan to make a new LTS release every year in October. Each LTS will be supported for 30 months following its release (18 months of active support, followed by a 12 month period of critical bug fixes while the release is in "Maintenance Mode").

Node 4.2.0 is the first of these new LTS releases, with support planned until April 2018.

Node 0.12 is still actively maintained

Released before the current LTS plan was finalized, the 0.12 release that you're currently running is a "special case". It is effectively being treated as an LTS release, with active status until April 2016 and critical maintenance through December 2016.

This chart will probably make everything more clear:

Node.js Support Schedule

Some third-party modules may not work

As is to be expected with a major release, there were some breaking API changes. They've published a guide for those wishing to upgrade.

Many of the changes are not likely to affect your app directly, but it's possible that some of your app's dependencies won't play nice with Node 4.2. In particular, native addons (compiled with node-gyp) seem to be some of the most likely to be affected. There is a list of modules known not to work with Node 4. Hopefully many of these have released updates that are compatible with Node 4 over the last month. Trying to run your app with Node 4 may be the easiest way to find out.

New features, etc, etc

And of course, there is a daunting list of new features that have been included in Node since 0.12. Maybe something in there will be valuable enough to justify the effort of upgrading your app.

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  • Thanks, this is good enough for me to make better decision. Nov 25, 2015 at 10:23

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