Node.js default version is now 18.x
Change effective on 19 October 2022
The Node.js 16.x version line has been moved to the “Maintenance LTS” status on 2022-10-18, and the “Current” 18.x line will become the “Active LTS” on 2022-10-25 as stated on the Node.js release schedule.
To stay in compliance with our stated Node.js support policy, we’ve updated the default version for Node.js builds using heroku-20 and heroku-22 stacks to the 18.x line.
This default change will not apply to builds that have specified a Node.js version (as illustrated here). Specifying a Node.js version is strongly recommended to prevent surprise Node.js version changes during builds.
This default change will not apply to builds on the heroku-18 stack, due to a known incompatibility with heroku-18‘s libc6. The default version for Node.js builds using heroku-18 will remain 16.x.